Top 20 Most Useful Languages to Learn

There are a lot of reasons why someone might want to learn a new language. One that comes up time and again is for travel. Those with wanderlust will likely want to brush up not only on the local customs of wherever they happen to be traveling, but also on the language. Tamil is spoken by over 80 million people around the world, with many of them centered in areas like India, Singapore, and Malaysia. It’s also one of the oldest surviving dialects, with a history that dates back thousands of years. Accounts vary as to the actual number, but most can agree that the Tamil language is definitely worth exploring.

Another great reason for expanding one’s language portfolio is the ability to connect with more people on a global scale. Those in the business world know this particularly well, so it makes sense to be as prepared as possible when conducting affairs abroad. South Korean culture has expanded greatly over recent years, and over 80 million people speak this language around the globe. Traveling to North Korea may not be on the average person’s agenda, but learning this interesting and complex language may make it easier to adapt to the vibrant culture of South Korea.

Have you ever worked in an industry that put you into contact with a wide variety of people? Did it feel frustrating or helpless to be put into a situation where there was a language barrier? An astonishing 150 million people speak Punjabi natively, particularly in areas like Pakistan and India. Those numbers alone make it a beneficial language to learn, if only to be prepared, should a work situation necessitate some translation. Beyond this, however, Punjabi is also a lovely language in its own right, and more than worth the time, training, and investigation.

India is one of the most populous nations in the world, containing over a billion people. This population density means that this country hosts a number of languages. Nearly a hundred million people speak Telugu, and evidence of its history has been reported to date back more than two thousand years. Learning Telugu also makes it easier to comprehend some of the other related Indian languages, including Bengali and Hindi. This will become particularly important if any travel is planned to this area, while those conducting business in India will likely do so with a leg-up on their competition.

The next language on our list is another one that’s spoken in India, albeit perhaps not on the scale of Telugu, Bengali, or Hindi. Still, over 80 million people speak Marathi today, and learning it is both useful and easy, thanks to the availability of online language courses. Those seeking to try their hand at Marathi might want to become more knowledgeable and accustomed to other Indian languages first. This will make mastering Marathi easier in the long run, and give visitors to the nation a deeper appreciation of India’s wide and varied cultural tapestry.

The Chinese language is another one with a number of different dialects, including this entry. Mandarin may be more commonly spoken, and a better first choice for those with little to no knowledge of Chinese. That said, areas like Shanghai feature a dense population of Wu Chinese speakers, to the point where this language is often simply labeled as “Shanghainese” to newcomers. Elsewhere, the Jinhua variation of Wu Chinese is notable for its softer-sounding approach, and numerous distinct vowel sounds. Wu Chinese is a wonderful language to learn, in addition to being a valuable cultural asset.

Nobody ever said that learning a new language was easy. This goes double for a language like Turkish, which is among the more complicated for English speakers. The end results are worth it, however, since there’s an entire world of interesting music and movies from this country’s vintage history. Turkish cinema was known for its weird and wild exploitation elements during the 1970s and ‘80s, while the country’s musical heritage has experimented with everything from psychedelia to fuzzed-out funk. As a result, learning the Turkish language lends explorers into this realm a whole new appreciation as to what exactly was going on back in the day.

A language such as Turkish might be difficult for average English speakers to pick up right away, but thankfully this isn’t the case with Vietnamese. Although it’s an Asian language, it uses the traditional Roman alphabet, which means that it may come a little bit easier for those planning a trip to Vietnam. The language is also spoken in areas like Laos, China, and Cambodia, with over eighty-five million Vietnamese speakers in the world. A knowledge of Mandarin Chinese might help those seeking to start a course in Vietnamese, since both languages share some basic similarities.

There are a lot of modern amenities found in Hong Kong and the rest of southern China, together with plenty of history and culture. This region receives lots of visitors and tourists as a result of this interesting combination, with many of them probably practicing Yue Chinese prior to their trip. It’s also commonly known as Cantonese, and speakers can be found in other Chinese regions, like Macau and Guangdong. Meanwhile, the number of Chinese speakers that use Cantonese numbers more than 80 million. Interestingly, though, it’s not mutually intelligible with Mandarin Chinese.

A lot of attention is often paid to Romance languages such as French, Italian, and Spanish, and rightfully so. Yet, learning Bengali can also prove beneficial for language addicts, especially if a trip to India is in your future. The number of people that claim Bengali as their primary language is an astonishing 237 million. This includes not only people living in India, but also countries like Bangladesh. The linguistic roots of Bengali also lie in Sanskrit, which is often labeled by others as beautifully lyrical and pleasing to the ear.

This Ibero-Romance language can be traced back to the Kingdom of Galicia, and is rooted in variants of Vulgar Latin with a splash of Celtic phonology for good measure. This thereby makes it unique from the language it is most often compared to, Spanish. While it is considered more difficult than Spanish, it isn't much harder than English or French and should not offer too much trouble to those interested in learning. With over 230 million speakers, and the official language of many countries across the globe – including the upcoming economic force of Brazil – it is fast becoming a very attractive language to master.

Considered the "easiest" of the hard languages, Russian is spoken by over 250 million people. Understanding Russian and the Cyrillic alphabet can also aid in the learning of other languages, and is a great foundation to have. It is also considered a politically important language. Furthermore, if you’re into scientific and technical literature then Russian is for you, as some of the world’s largest collections on both those subjects is in this East Slavic tongue. Or you could stick with the works of Tolstoy, Bulgakov, and Dostoyevsky. Geographically the most widely spoken language of all the Slavic languages, you can find native speakers throughout Eurasia.

Spoken by 125 million people, Japanese remains useful not only for business and Asian studies, but also with the ever-increasing influx of Japanese media in western culture, and it has become an enjoyable language to learn. On top of all that, you’ll be able to watch your favorite anime and Kurosawa films with the subtitles off! There is a catch, however: Japanese is arguably the most difficult language going, so get ready to study. A lot. Mixing three complex writing systems, levels of formality in speaking, and complex grammar, there is much to know. Don’t let all that discourage you – ganbatte! That’s “good luck” to you!

Along with English, this Indo-Aryan language is one of the government of India’s two official languages, and it is also one of the republic’s 22 scheduled languages. Boasting over 260 million native speakers, it is one of the top 10 most spoken languages in the world. So in short, you’d have a lot of people to talk to! While most commonly found in India, it’s Fiji’s official language and is spoken significantly throughout Mauritius, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. So if your travel plans see you venturing to any of those countries, Hindi suddenly becomes a useful language to learn, or at least to master a couple of its phrases.

This ancient Central Semitic language was first spoken in northwestern Arabia all the way back in the Iron Age. Arabic continues its robust tradition, and remains an important and well-used language, with up to 422 million speakers. It is in increasingly high demand – especially in the energy and security sectors – however, with its difficult writing system and very complex grammar, and dialects varying greatly, it is an incredibly difficult language to learn. However, it’s not as foreign as you may think, having already influenced Spanish and given loan words to English.

While previously thought to be a language in decline, German is becoming more useful than ever as Germany gains a foothold as a major powerhouse in the EU. Spoken as a first language in several European countries, it is the most used native language in the European Union. After English, Spanish, and sign language, it’s one of the most studied languages in the U.S. Furthermore, understanding German will help to increase your comprehension of other Germanic languages. It is considered on par with English in terms of learning difficulty – its grammar is more complex, but then it's also more logical as well, so it balances in the end.

Before English started to take over, French was the lingua franca of much of Europe. While the lion's share of the 80 million native speakers of the language of love are in France, others can be found in North America – such as the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick – as well as Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of South America. It is also a very important language in the European Union. Outside of travel, it’s very useful to those studying philosophy, and for diplomats. On top of all that, it’s also just a very lovely language in general, giving any speaker a certain je ne sais quoi.

A must for travelers to Latin America, South America, the southern United States, and Spain, this is the language of Borges, Marquez, and Cervantes. As a bonus, this language – with the second greatest number of native speakers after Mandarin Chinese – is considered one of the easiest to learn, with straight-forward grammar, pronunciations, and writing system. Of all the Romance languages, Spanish is thought to be one of the closest branches from the Latin roots – although it went through an evolution when the Moors brought over roughly 4,000 Arabic loan words during the time of Al-Andalus. The official language of 20 countries all over the world, Spanish is a very accessible and desirable language to have in your repertoire.

Mandarin Chinese is the official language of the People’s Republic of China, with over 950 million native speakers. With China on the rise as the next global superpower, Mandarin is becoming increasingly desirable as a language for both business and travel. Once you master the tricky tones – which can drastically change the meaning of a sentence – it is considered relatively easy to speak … with practice. Likewise, the grammar system is considered easier than some of the other “difficult” languages. However, the writing system is notoriously tough. But, if you get this one down pat, you’ve earned some serious bragging rights.

Nearly anywhere you go, anywhere in the world, most people will understand at least a little bit of this beautiful mess of a language. A true hodgepodge, modern English has adopted a little of everything. While Old and Middle English are almost incomprehensible even to native speakers, modern English is now THE language of international business, and in many countries it is hard to hold down high-level business and diplomatic jobs without knowing at least a little of this new lingua franca. Good thing it’s relatively easy to learn – if you ignore the nonsensical grammar and spelling rules.


Which language would you love to learn? Let us know in the comments!