Top 10 Best Languages

Not all languages are created equal. Some are sprawling, labyrinthine puzzles that leave you lost in a jungle of conjugations and declensions, while others are sleek, efficient tools that cut straight to the point. Some have rich histories that echo through the ages, while others are still finding their voices in a rapidly changing world.

We've gathered a list of some of the most popular, influential, and intriguing languages from around the globe, and we want you to tell us which ones you think deserve to be at the top. Maybe you're drawn to the lyrical beauty of Bengali, the global reach of English, the ancient elegance of Tamil, the romantic allure of French, or the vibrant energy of Telugu. Or maybe you have a soft spot for a lesser-known language that holds a special place in your heart.
The Top Ten
1 English

None of the words in English use tones or accents like Chinese. They don't force you to modulate your voice in a specific way when you talk. English has mostly been creative with words, and for those that sound the same, you can easily find the meaning by using the context of the sentence.

Also, there are tenses. In Chinese, to convey the message "I went to the store" without any context, you would have to say "yesterday I go to the store" or "I go to the store a few hours ago." In English, you don't even have to use a time. Plus, the written language is easy to read and write. It is also very fast.

I don't know how people read those characters or even write them. They have to memorize each and every character, how to read and write them. English is a very easy and understandable language. I rest my case.

2 Spanish

This is one of the famous languages. It is spoken in Spain, most parts of Latin America, and Equatorial Guinea. This language is fun to learn, especially the masculine and feminine nouns. The weird part of it, together with other Romance languages, is that even objects can be male or female. In other words, even non-human words can be a boy or a girl.

It is challenging, but it's fun. The verb conjugations are somewhat too complex, especially by person and tenses. Complicated, but it's okay. Not only Spanish but any other Romance language.

3 French

My last name is French, and France is part of my ancestry (and I definitely have other countries I descend from too), yet I don't know how to speak the French language. It's kind of sad and ironic, isn't it?

French is one of the best advanced languages in the world and the finest Latin-derived one. It has evolved from Gallo-Romance, Occitan, and descends from Vulgar Latin. It has also taken many influences from Celtic languages, Germanic, and post-Roman Frankish. Additionally, Creole languages (French-based, Haitian) have contributed to its development, along with more recent argots like Louchebem, Verlan, and numerous famous dialects.

It is the official second language in the Basque Country, Brittany, and Corsica. Officially spoken in 29 countries and with the Francophonie consisting of 84 states, it ranks as the 5th most spoken language in the world.

4 Italian

I know I shouldn't talk as I am Italian, but always living abroad I think I can give a personal opinion. I really love French and Spanish, I like English (British), Russian, and actually, Arabic too, a little. But I must say, Italian is the best.

Its sound is amazing, is romantic, fluent, joyful, so poetical, and "classical" (also because it comes from Latin). Its meanings are wonderful, with plenty of different shades and synonyms. There is no language like this, or at least for me.

In my opinion, Italian sounds like the most beautiful language out there. First off, it's quite simple to learn as the grammar makes a lot of sense. Once you master the accent, reading and speaking are quite easy. The language's grammar is very basic and hardly ever includes silly rules in the vocabulary. Unlike English, Italian doesn't use as many words, so it's a lot easier to form sentences.

Other than the grammar and spelling, Italian sounds very pleasant and beautiful. The words blend into each other very well. The words don't sound muffled and mumbled when spoken, and at the same time, words don't sound too hard. The language is very clear and is very identifiable.

Forget what people say about Italian being similar to Latin, as it's not. The Italian accent derives from Latin, but other than that, the words are quite different. Italian can be very useful as you can use it to learn other similar languages easily, such as Spanish or French, and you can use it when going to Italy. This is why I believe that Italian is the best language in the world.

5 Russian

I can compare Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Russian, and English. English has the largest vocabulary, but unfortunately, it includes too many homonyms. Being spoken worldwide, English is also the fastest in coming up with new terms and notions, which often remain unknown in other European languages for years, sometimes decades. A practical advantage of English is its simple grammar, but that also limits the possibilities of expressing subtle aspects. Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, and even German have simplified grammars, albeit not as simplistic as English.

Latin and Greek are beautifully structured and both well-suited to poetry and science, but Latin seems a little cleaner. Roman poets loved decoration as much as Greek poets, but the Latin language can also express the essence of things with stoic and efficient purity.

Grammatically, Russian is structured similarly to Latin and Greek, taking all the advantages from that. Of those modern languages I know, it is the best suited for poetry. Its long words may seem a handicap, but often their length is the result of suffixes, etc., which add meaning. All astronauts have to learn Russian, so that it is a language of science cannot be denied.

PS I am slowly trying to grasp Hebrew, and I'm much impressed by its depth of meaning, but I don't know it well enough for a comparative review.

6 German

There is only one language I know perfect for science on this planet, and it is German. I am studying physics in America, and even though the war has been over for years and English has overtaken German as the most important language in science, our professor still told us to study German to get better at physics. And I did. What did I learn? I firstly understood the theory of relativity in a whole new way, of course, but I was also able to grasp it much better. It is still difficult to comprehend because I wasn't able to understand all of it, but I am progressing.

What I've learned is that German is a language you should learn, at least for science, because it has developed very important concepts that we still need today. And if you are not into science, it is still worth learning because English has lost so much through invasions of its heritage. You'll see by learning German. So, learning gets easier after a while, but the start is hard because you are prejudiced by bad rumors about this language. Not to forget, I am just an English native speaker. Other languages will probably find German very challenging. It was at first, but not after a while.

7 Japanese

The Japanese language is very beautiful and unique in its own way. The beauty of Haiku, the shortest poem in the world, can only be appreciated in Japanese, sadly, because it carefully deals with word choice according to seasons, emotions, rhythms, and nuances.

I love the Japanese language. I speak both Spanish and English, and after using these languages all your life, you eventually get tired. I started watching anime a few months ago, and the moment I heard it, I loved the language.

8 Bengali

Most of the Indo-Aryan languages have the same origin, and Sanskrit is the mother of many languages spoken in the Indian subcontinent. Sanskrit was the language of a rich culture and heritage from the time when most of the modern languages did not even exist, including English, the best international language without a doubt. However, this supremacy and elegant nature of English (with all due respect to the language from my heart and to all the people speaking English) would not have been possible without the British Empire. What I mean to say is that political power, and not the pronunciation beauty of English, played the key role in its worldwide acceptance.

Bengali is the sweetest language, having emerged from Sanskrit without doubt, and in the course of evolution since the 10th century or prior to it, mixing with other languages, it has become simpler as well as sweeter because of its eclectic quality and is still evolving. Bengali literature, songs, and films have won all the greatest awards of the world in their respective fields, without having any influential political power throughout history. Considering all this, Bengali should be the No. 1 contender among the world's sweetest languages (again with all respect to other languages).

9 Arabic

Have you guys ever listened to nasheed? Have you ever read portions of the Quran? I am not a Muslim myself, but I start trembling and crying every time I do. The words sound so beautiful when recited, and the complexity in their meaning is simply beyond me. Have you ever visited an Arab or Muslim country? These people respect their mothers. They are honest with their employees. They cherish their neighbors. They personally welcome tourists as guests. They genuinely care for one another. These people are so smart, so kind, so content - they're simply enlightened.

And our society? We disrespect our parents, our teachers, our women, our neighbors, and our coworkers. We are far too busy to care for the single mother or the homeless man or the orphan child. We don't even have enough modesty to respect ourselves. I don't know why, but in these people, I see pure light. And I think their language and their culture are one and the same - beautiful and unrivaled.

10 Tamil

I am a Thamizh. I fluently read, write, and speak Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and also have knowledge of Sanskrit grammar. In my opinion, Tamil is "THE BEST". Not because I am Tamil, but because in none of the other languages I know are the words rooted with such clear reasons as they are in Tamil.

You can find the roots of those words in Tamil. Moreover, the words not only have clear reasons, but when put together in sentences, "IT'S SWEET". I think this sweetness comes from its "SIMPLICITY".

Tamil is an ancient language and it is still strong with its literature. Tamil is a language which is rich with information or knowledge of science, martial arts, culture, medicine, technology, mathematics, history, geography, business, and more.

Tamil also has one and only one language which has 16 different types of special features and is known as 'semmozhi'. Although 70% of its literature was destroyed, Tamil is still rich in literature with its remaining 30%, compared to other languages.

If anyone wants to know the beauty of this language, please learn Tamil. Tamil is a marvelous language with its wonderful vocabulary.

The Contenders
11 Portuguese

There really isn't a "best" language, as all languages are beautiful and unique. One language should not dominate the world. The lack of variety would be boring. My personal favorite, though, is Portuguese. The culture is very loving, not just in a romantic or sexual way - although this is definitely present - but in a "you're a human being and you deserve to be acknowledged and cared about" kind of way. This, along with the beautiful, unique sounds of the language, allows a sense of belonging and worth.

Brazilians hug and kiss strangers. Physical contact in the United States among friends of the same sex can sometimes be perceived as being gay, which, if it is, is totally okay. Not saying that this is bad, it just shouldn't be the only conclusion ever drawn from this type of interaction, but in Brazil, it is absolutely normal and just a way of showing that you care deeply about your beloved friend. Portuguese is often compared to the other Romance languages, but really, it has its many differences that give it character and beauty, especially in its pronunciation. I love the nasal sounds, such as "bem." I feel sometimes as if English sounds open-mouthed and dragged on, which is quite an ugly and annoying sound. Ah, I could just listen to Portuguese for hours. I think it flows nicely.

12 Greek

Greek is one of the longest-lasting languages. Aside from it being a beautiful and complex language, Latin was based almost entirely on Greek, and English was based on Latin and Greek. At the time this comment was written, English is #1 on the list, but it is simply a modernized and edited version of Greek. Almost any other European language is also at least somewhat based on the Greek language.

Greek should be at least in the top 10. It's the Big Mama of ALL European Languages. It is a very interesting language, and one of the few surviving ancient languages. For a thousand years, it was the most important language in the world. Everyone should speak Greek, even Jesus Christ knew Greek. It is simply majestic.

13 Dutch

I'm not sure why Afrikaans is rated above its father, Dutch. Anyway, I'd like to say that Dutch is an extremely rich and flexible language. Using Dutch, you can describe things in more detail compared to English.

There's a lot of literature in Dutch/Flemish. Just think about books like Anne Frank's Diary! Besides that, there are the masterpieces written by Louis Paul Boon. These are just two examples. There's much more.

There are words like "Gezellig" which can't be properly translated into English, and there are many more examples. So while German is flexible, Dutch is still a bit more so. As others describe Afrikaans, for example, all of those features are in Dutch but more explored, more complex. After all, Afrikaans grew from a simplified version of Dutch. So to me, Dutch is the most impressive language, and I'm glad, or rather proud, to speak it.

14 Mandarin Chinese

Chinese is one of the most successful languages in the world. It boasts a proud history that spans not just 5,000 years according to historical records, but potentially up to 20,000 years ago. Its rich cultural background is comparable to, and in many cases surpasses, any other language in the world.

Its beauty captivates millions. It is the sediment of the wisdom of countless individuals. The current global popularity of Chinese is not as optimistic, mainly because China's national conditions are still developing. While China is cautious about its governance and not open enough, it is diligently working towards improvement.

15 Hindi

The best language, with great pronouns and many meanings for one word, is like in English. You can sing really great songs in Hindi, which can be felt in the heart, and it's easy to speak as a second language if you can speak a neighboring language of Hindi, like Nepali, Bhojpuri, Bengali, etc. I was not born in India, so my mother tongue is not Hindi, but I can still speak Hindi. I learned Hindi in 2-3 years just by watching movies, etc.

So, if you live near India, then it's easy for you to learn English. And I think it's kind of easy for others too. You can feel the words in Hindi. This language really conveys good feelings to your emotions. You can easily make jokes, stories, etc., in Hindi. Because it is different but the best language to learn and speak. My native language is Nepali, but I think Hindi is also a great language to speak.

16 Telugu

It can be treated as the world's sweetest language because it already has the title "Italian of the East." Most of the words in Telugu end with vowels, which gives the language its sweetness. Once you listen to the language, you will believe that even honey is somewhat less sweet than Telugu. It simply rocks.

Music in this particular language is simply superb. This language has preserved the linguistic game called 'asthavadanam,' which has extinguished in the other Indian languages except for Sanskrit.

17 Czech

It's a very unique language for sure, with a nice sound and melody. It may be challenging to learn, but the result is worth it.

It is a very nice language to learn. I am mostly proud of learning it well.

It's such an interesting and unique language.

18 Hebrew

The tone of it is far rougher than other languages, but being an ancient and old language can make the beauty of it stand out more, and I like it by the way.

It's not the best language, but it's my language and that's all that matters.

How do you say Holocaust in Hebrew?

19 Persian

Besides sounding beautiful and soft, the Persian language is the key to understanding thousands of amazing poems and texts. People who have studied Persian and other literatures such as English, French, Russian, and Chinese all claim that Persian is the richest.

Many poets, like Hafiz, revealed signs and adjectives of a third world, and they use words that are so rich, beautiful, and complicated. Persian, with a very special structure, can be the best host for poetry, offering tools like expressing sentences with two meanings and hiding meanings within them.

20 Ukrainian

Based on the results of the languages competition that took place in Paris in 1934, Ukrainian is the third most beautiful by its phonetics, vocabulary, phraseology, and sentence structure after French and Persian. It is also officially the second most melodic language in the world after Italian.

I am in love with my native language, Ukrainian. It has a beautiful melody, amazing songs, and very funny phrases that might seem weird to some other countries. But for us, it's like a big inside joke among all Ukrainians.

21 Norwegian

Norwegian sounds like Danish spoken with a Swedish accent. I can speak quite a bit of Norwegian, and it's a very easy and simple language, especially if you know another Scandinavian language already.

If you want to learn a Scandinavian language, learn Norwegian. You'll be able to understand most Danish and Swedish and even some Icelandic because of how mutually intelligible it is with the other languages. The grammar is almost identical to English, besides the V2 rule, which is very easy to grasp.

I'm learning Norwegian, and it has become my favorite language already. It might sound like someone is passing gas when you speak it, but that's what makes it fun. It's easy to remember and fast to learn. I give it 5 stars.

22 Sinhala

Sinhala is considered the language with the most beautiful accent and the most beautiful alphabet on Earth. It has evolved for over 1,000 years and is well-designed today. Unfortunately, it's spoken by a very small number of people around the world, the majority in Sri Lanka, and is among the top 30 dying languages due to the decreasing use of it, lack of natural evolution, and lack of availability of references for higher studies and research. But, it still is the most beautiful language on Earth.

23 Polish

Polish people love to explore the world, not only for work but also because they are passionate about all things cultural. Another thing that makes it great is that if you know Polish, you can understand Czech, Slovak, and a few more languages, as the Slavic languages are the most closely related of all the European languages.

Polish is so beautiful! It's unique compared to other Slavic languages, with far more French, German, and Latin influences than most. Some people have compared our phonetics to Portuguese, probably because of the nasal sounds ą and ę, which only our Slavic language has! It's not as hard as most people say.

All of the grammar that most people learn while learning Polish is archaic or not used in speaking. Most Poles make a ton of grammatical mistakes anyway. Polish music is cool too!

24 Romanian

Romanian sounds cool, like Slavic Italian. It is a beautiful language. It is also spoken in Moldova, and I'm sure their dialect is not much different.

To me, Romanian sounds very beautiful because it sounds like you are speaking two languages at once. I really think it deserves some attention because it is sad that people hardly know this language.

Sounds similar to Latin, although it's got a great amount of Slavic words. But they sound beautiful too in Romanian.

25 Amharic
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