Japanese vs Korean vs Chinese: Which is the Most Difficult to Learn? (2024)

FAQs

Japanese vs Korean vs Chinese: Which is the Most Difficult to Learn? ›

When considering writing, pronunciation, and grammar, the easiest writing system is Japanese, followed by Chinese, and thirdly Korean. The easiest language to pronounce is first, Chinese secondly is Korean while thirdly comes Japanese.

In comparison to Japanese and Korean, the Chinese grammar system is simpler because its word order is structurally more similar to English. It uses subject, then verb, then object, such as, “I eat apples,” rather than Japanese's or Korean's subject-object-verb order, “I apples eat.”

The Japanese language is considered one of the most difficult to learn by many English speakers. With three separate writing systems, an opposite sentence structure to English, and a complicated hierarchy of politeness, it's decidedly complex.

They are all part of the Sino-Tibetan language family, but they are not mutually intelligible. Japanese and Korean are more similar to each other than Chinese, but all three languages have significant differences in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.

I'd recommend learning Chinese Mandarin first, then Japanese, then Korean last, unless you have a certain preference for one of those languages. Chinese I recommend first because not only does it have a grammatical structure similar to English, it's also the 'latin' of Korean and Japanese.

The Korean language used to be written with traditional Chinese symbols but was slowly replaced by a phonetic system of writing in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Korean is thus the easiest language of these three to learn how to read and write, for which learners of the language will be grateful!

Give it a read. The 3 hardest languages to learn include Mandarin, Arabic, and Russian. However, with the right strategies, overcoming these obstacles and succeeding in international markets is possible. One critical method is to invest in language training for yourself and your team.

The top 10 hardest languages in the world include Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Finnish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Georgian, and Navajo. These languages are renowned for their intricate grammar systems, complex writing systems, and significant differences from English.

Our conclusion is that Korean is easier to learn… but only just. As a beginner, we actually think it's easier to learn Japanese. Although learning Hiragana and Katakana can be a little challenging, pronunciation of Japanese is relatively simple and the grammar rules are not too complicated.

Which is harder Korean or Japanese? ›

It entirely depends on your goals with each language. If you only wish to speak either language conversationally, then for you Japanese will perhaps be easier than Korean. There's less conversational nuance, and you're less likely to mispronounce new or unique words due to the more basic nature of the syllables used.

Japanese and Chinese grammar structure

There are distinctive disparities between the two language structures. Japanese grammar generally follows SOV (subject, object, verb) language. In contrast, Chinese grammar follows SVO, similar to English, making learning and speaking Chinese easier than Japanese.

Generally speaking, people in these two countries are very friendly and enthusiastic, and are willing to help others, such as foreigners like me. However, the feeling they give me is indeed very different. The Japanese are the most "polite" people. They always greet you politely when they see you.

Is Japanese or Korean More Used? Japan has a larger economy and a population of 127 million people speaking the Japanese language. The combined population of North and South Korea totals about 75 million people.

In terms of grammar, Korean is closest to Japanese. It also shares many words of Chinese origin. As such, learning Korean will give you a head start on learning Japanese, as well as some Chinese vocabulary.

Korean is relatively easy to read and speak in a short period from the moment you started and you won't forget how to read and write Korean as Hangul is very simple. However, it takes time to use various grammar rules perfectly. On the other hand, the Chinese language has relatively simple grammar for beginners.

It entirely depends on your goals with each language. If you only wish to speak either language conversationally, then for you Japanese will perhaps be easier than Korean. There's less conversational nuance, and you're less likely to mispronounce new or unique words due to the more basic nature of the syllables used.

Japanese is slightly easier than Korean, especially if you're a Chinese. Because kanji words are the same as Traditional Chinese. You only need to learn hiragana and katakana, and how to read the kanji. If you learn the language for working, Japanese is obviously more useful than Korean.