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Best language for east and southeast asia

Best Asian language to learn

Asia holds many of the world's largest languages and very different learner experiences. Which one is best depends on writing, sound and your goal.

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  • 77 languages

Updated · by the 4ToSpeak team

How we ranked them

We ranked by how fast an English speaker can start speaking, how hard the writing system is and the size of the community.

The 8 best languages, ranked

  1. 1. Indonesian

    Moderate · about 900 hours

    The easiest to start speaking, with no tones, no tenses and the Latin alphabet.

    Learn Indonesian · How long it takes

  2. 2. Korean

    Hardest · about 2,200 hours

    Hangul can be learned in days, and Korean media is a great practice source.

    Learn Korean · How long it takes

  3. 3. Japanese

    Hardest · about 2,200 hours

    Few sounds and no tones, but a long writing journey.

    Learn Japanese · How long it takes

  4. 4. Vietnamese

    Harder · about 1,100 hours

    Latin letters and simple grammar, with six tones to master by listening.

    Learn Vietnamese · How long it takes

  5. 5. Chinese

    Hardest · about 2,200 hours

    The largest first-language community. Tones and characters are the work; spoken grammar is simple.

    Learn Chinese · How long it takes

  6. 6. Thai

    Harder · about 1,100 hours

    Tones and a new script, balanced by simple grammar.

    Learn Thai · How long it takes

  7. 7. Hindi

    Harder · about 1,100 hours

    A huge community and very regular spelling in Devanagari.

    Learn Hindi · How long it takes

  8. 8. Tagalog

    Harder · about 1,100 hours

    Friendly community and a lot of borrowed Spanish and English words.

    Learn Tagalog · How long it takes

Tips for getting there faster

  • Start with speaking. Writing systems come later and will not hold you back.
  • For tonal languages (Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese), listen and repeat from day one.
  • Pick the country you want to visit or the media you love, and let that decide.

Still torn between two?

Compare the finalists head to head:

FAQ

Questions, answered

Still stuck? support@4tospeak.com

Best Asian language to learn?

Japanese, Korean and Chinese are the best-known Asian languages to learn. Korean has the quickest writing system, Japanese the simplest sounds and Chinese the largest community. Indonesian and Vietnamese are the easiest to start speaking.

Which is the easiest of these languages to learn?

Indonesian is the quickest on this list for an English speaker, at about 900 hours to working proficiency (roughly 4.9 years at 30 minutes a day).

How do I choose between them?

Pick the one that matches where you will use it and what you enjoy. Motivation beats the difference in difficulty over months of study. If you cannot decide, try a week of 15 minutes a day in your top two and keep the one you look forward to.

Can I start for free?

Yes. 4ToSpeak has a free plan with no card and no time limit. Every sentence goes through ordering, translating, listening and saying it out loud.

Related guides

Choose by another goal

Free · no card · 77 languages

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