1. Your Native Language: Languages closer to your native language tend to be easier. For example, a Spanish speaker might find Portuguese relatively easy, but a Japanese speaker would find it much more challenging.
2. Language Family & Structure: Languages from the same family (like Romance languages) often share grammatical structures and vocabulary, making them easier. Languages with significantly different structures, like isolating languages (like Vietnamese) or polysynthetic languages (like Inuit), can be challenging.
3. Learning Style & Goals: Some people are naturally good at memorizing vocabulary, while others excel at understanding grammar. Your learning style and your goals (conversational fluency, reading, etc.) will also impact perceived difficulty.
4. Exposure & Resources: Languages with a large learner community and plenty of resources (like textbooks, apps, and online communities) are generally easier to learn.
Here are some languages often considered challenging:
* Arabic: Complex writing system, right-to-left reading, and a lot of unfamiliar vocabulary.
* Mandarin Chinese: Tonal language with a vast number of characters, different grammar structures, and a unique writing system.
* Hungarian: A language isolate with complex grammar and many irregular verb forms.
* Finnish: Complex grammar and a large number of cases (word endings that indicate grammatical function).
* Korean: Unique writing system (Hangul), complex grammar, and distinct pronunciation.
* Japanese: Three writing systems (hiragana, katakana, and kanji), complex grammar, and different cultural nuances.
Remember:
* Any language can be challenging to learn, but with dedication and the right approach, you can achieve fluency.
* Start with your goals and interests. Choose a language you're truly passionate about, and the journey will be more rewarding.
* Don't be afraid to seek help and immerse yourself in the language and culture.