What are the 10 most spoken languages ​​in the world?

At the center of human self-expression are the languages ​​that each person grows up with and also encounters in this world over time. Billions of people have been comforted by the ability to communicate with countless peers, a feat possible only through common education and agreement on language rules. The existence of dialects in every language proves that standardization is an impossible goal. It is noteworthy, however, that the following ten languages ​​have managed to be mutually intelligible across continents and long history. This stability is a temporary event in human history, so brush up on the most popular languages ​​of our planet for now.

1. English – 1.5 Billion Speakers

A few factors explain why English is one of the most common global languages used for business and academics worldwide. Simple grammar structures, specifically conjugation and gender, allow new speakers the opportunity to pick it up rapidly. For eastern countries, its status as not only widely used but neutral enables political neighbors to converse without feeling one region takes precedence over the other. Moreover, English was aided in its spread by the British colonization of the last several hundred years. Only a few differences exist between American English and British English, but speakers of each dialect pick a favorite and adamantly defend that choice.

2. Mandarin Chinese – 1.1 Billion Speakers

A massive country with a wealth of historical roots, mainland China harbors between 7 and 10 language groups, and the most dominant is called Mandarin. Eighty percent of the population uses this variant, which has been adopted into both English and Chinese alphabets. If you examine a typical Chinese keyboard, each key has an abundance of symbols that allow typists to access the alphabet they desire. Mandarin originated primarily in North China during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and due to the difficulty, it is suggested that children begin learning the language at a young age to acquire a native accent. Over 50 thousand characters exist in the alphabet, but less than half are typically used, and barely 3 thousand are essential to read most media.

3. Hindi – 602 Million Speakers

Hindi, the primary language of India, comes from the ancient Sanskrit language, and the similarities between typography are obvious. One hundred and twenty-one languages ​​can be found in the populous country of India, but more than half of the population can speak Hindi. Other influences on the language over time have included Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and even Portuguese and English. Therefore, it is considered an Indo-European language. Its name comes from Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi, an Indian writer from the late 19th century, and writer Bharatendu Harishchandra also played an integral role in systematizing the language. These two educated and talented men understood that an accessible language would aid communication and empower citizens of all demographics in India.

4. Spanish – 548 Million Speakers

The influence of Spain, another colonial power, on the world brought with it the influence of their mother tongue. More than 360 million people use it as their first language, and many countries in the Caribbean and the Americas, such as Mexico and Costa Rica, consider it their official language. It is also spoken in Africa. Various variants exist, with some dialects being heavily influenced by the Arabic-speaking medieval invaders, and Latin American Spanish differing a handful from Spain’s Castilian Spanish. The language is derived from French and Italian, as well as Vulgar Latin, so it is typical for someone speaking one to easily acquire the other two.

5. French – 274.1 Million Speakers

It was born from the mixture of French, Latin and Celtic languages, which are known as the language of love according to some and the language of rhymes according to others. The first texts written in a recognizable French alphabet appeared around 842, but like English it took many evolutions to inherit the form it has today. For example, the English word ‘forest’ retains the consonants /s/ and /t/, while its sister word ‘forêt’ in French is pronounced like the English word ‘foray’. This pronunciation transition took place in the 14th century, when Old French was replaced by Middle French. Like any major language, especially those that have become globalized through colonization, attempts at standardization slow the rate at which language is transformed into unrecognizable territory.

6. Arabic – 274 Million Speakers

More than a thousand years ago, and especially emphasized in the Qur’an, Arabic emerged in the Arabian Peninsula, where various nomadic groups spoke. The language expanded worldwide with Islamic conquests in parts of North Africa and the Mediterranean. Arabic is a consonant-heavy language, which confuses students with only an English-only background, which is a more vowel-centered language. Arabic, often described as “larynx” because of the sounds coming from the back of the mouth, uses a complex but magnificent alphabet. Words are made up of individual phonetic symbols woven together as if they were handwritten. Accent accents indicate differences in pronunciation. There are many dialects of Arabic, but the academic elite has struggled to preserve the religious Arabic format used in writing, as it was inspired by the Qur’an.

7. Bengali – 272 Million Speakers

Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal in East India are the strongest strongholds of this language, which is also spoken in other countries where Bengalis migrate. The language is also Indo-European like Hindi and is linked to Sanskrit. Interestingly, the language is gender neutral and also contains over 100,000 unique words. The confusion begins when students realize that a very small note can completely change the meaning of a word, but patience is required for all new skills and languages.

8. Russian – 258 Million Speakers

Centuries of expansion and administration have connected the people of the Russian landmass. This is no small feat, considering the 6.6 million square miles that make up the country. The language itself is Slavic and bears similarities to Ukrainian, Belarusian and even Polish. The intertwined Russian army invasions of the past few centuries have certainly cemented these ties. The symbols of the language are taken from the Cyrillic alphabet, based on the Greek alphabet, which marks the dominance of the Eastern Orthodox religion in Russia. Despite being one of the most difficult languages ​​to learn, Russian has a quality and sound that makes it truly unique when heard by foreign listeners.

9. Portuguese – 257.7 Million Speakers

Portuguese, a romance language spoken between Portugal and its former colony Brazil, is also heard throughout Spain and the Azores. Also, large populations of speakers live in many countries in Africa as well as the United States. Although there is a split between its Portuguese and Galician roots, it is a poetic language that scholars and creators settled around 1200 AD. There is some variation in the way Brazilian speakers use the language both phonetically and grammatically, but in general Portuguese is considered similar enough to Spanish for two people from the same background to have a conversation.

10. Urdu – 231 Million Speakers

As an Indo-Aryan language, Urdu is primarily spoken in Pakistan and India. Large communities also exist in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. As the official language of Pakistan, Urdu was also heavily influenced by Turkish, Arabic, and Persian, despite the origins being in North India throughout the Delhi region over 900 years ago. Several English words have been borrowed from Urdu, such as Khaki, Pashmina, Pajamas, and Typhoon. A sophisticated and poetic language, it is no wonder that Urdu is one of the most spoken languages on the planet.