Most Useful Languages To Learn

Knowing more than one language is nearly vital in today’s world. Learning a new language will help you connect with locals while traveling and expand your work and study abroad opportunities, but choosing the right one can take time and effort.

But how do you decide which languages are the most useful to learn? When picking a language, it’s important to look at your interests, travel, education, and career goals. See our tips below to help you decide which language is most useful for you.

Discover which language is right for you, and take a look at our list of most useful languages to learn in 2023.

1. Mandarin Chinese

With over one billion Mandarin Chinese speakers in the world, of course, it tops the list of most useful languages to learn in 2023. Most speakers are located within China, however, so is it still one of the most important languages to learn? The answer is yes – with China emerging as a global power, it becomes increasingly more important for businesses to have team members that know Chinese.

Popular places to learn Chinese include: China, Taiwan, and Singapore

Related: Best Apps to Learn Chinese

2. Spanish

Spanish has a large number of native speakers, and a large number of overall speakers as well. Most Spanish-speaking countries are located in South and Central America, which are extremely popular travel destinations in recent years. For this reason, you will find many across the world who speak Spanish. In addition, due to a large number of Spanish speakers in the US, if you live, work, or travel in the United States, Spanish is the one to learn!

Popular places to learn Spanish include: Spain, Costa Rica and Mexico

Related: Best Apps to Learn Spanish

3. German

Germany is the most widely spoken language throughout Europe, as Germany remains Europe’s most dominant economy. For this reason, if you do business or plan to do business in Europe, German is one of the most important languages to learn. It’s a funny language to learn, with endings tacked on to words to give them specific meanings. But it is also a surprisingly easy language to learn.

Popular places to learn German include: Germany and Austria

Related: Best Apps to Learn German

4. French

French, also called the language of love, was actually the international, diplomatic language for centuries. Only recently, historically speaking, with the rise of the United States as a global power, did English prevail as the language of diplomacy. France is still quite the economic powerhouse, and a popular travel destination, so French is definitely a language to learn!

Popular places to learn French include: France, Canada and Switzerland

Related: Best Apps to Learn French

5. Arabic

Arabic started as a nomadic language, spoken between moving tribes. Today it is the official language of the Arab League, consisting of 22 countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates. These popular travel destinations make it worthwhile to learn Arabic. Not just that, it is the language of the entire Muslim civilization and all of its texts. With over 1.8 billion Muslims around the world, no wonder Arabic made the list.

Popular places to learn Arabic include: Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Morocco

Related: Best Apps to Learn Arabic

6. Russian

Russian is an extremely influential language among many Eastern European and Europeasian countries. The Russian language also has the second-highest percentage of internet content (following English), and the leading percent of internet content in Europe. This makes the Russian language one of the most important languages to learn for European business.

Popular places to learn Russian include: Russia

7. Portuguese

Portuguese is spoken all over the world — it is the official language of countries in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. If that wasn’t enough to prove that this language is one of the most important languages to learn, here’s more: Brazil is emerging as one of the world’s newest economic powerhouses. Tourism in the country is growing and global companies are setting up shop, so the demand for Portuguese speakers is growing.

Popular places to learn Portuguese include: Brazil and Portugal

Related: Best Apps for Learning Portuguese

8. Japanese

While the Japanese language is not spoken widely outside of Japan, it’s still an important one to know. Whether you want to travel in Japan, love the culture and food, or the technology, knowing Japanese can get you far in many ways. It’s also an excellent introduction to other Asian languages. There are some Chinese characters in Japanese, and with similar grammar to Korean, learning Japanese puts you on the path to learn all three.

Popular places to learn Japanese include: Japan

Related: Best Apps for Learning Japanese

9. Hindi

With some of the highest numbers of speakers in the world, Hindi is one of the most important languages to learn without a doubt. But like with other languages, it’s not just the sheer number of speakers that should entice you to learn the language, but the global power of where the language comes from. India is a huge part of today’s world economy, and as Hindi is the most spoken language in India, it’s the one to learn.

Popular places to learn Hindi include: India, Singapore and Nepal

Related: Best apps to Learn Hindi

10. Italian

Italian may not have the most speakers on this list, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an important language to learn. Italy is steeped in arts, culture, and history. Many world heritage sites are located in Italy, and many historical texts are written in Italian. This country is a popular travel destination, and knowing Italian will help you on a trip. Plus, knowing any of these similar romance languages — Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese will make it much easier to learn the others in the group.

Popular places to learn Hindi include: Italy and Switzerland

Related: Best apps to Learn Italian

11. English

English is definitely one of the most important languages to learn in 2023 and beyond. It is used in global business, worldwide travel, diplomatic affairs, and in computer technology. Not only that, but many of the top global economies are English-speaking ones — the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK. English has the highest number of second-language speakers as well, with almost a billion non-native English speakers in the world.

Related: Apps to Learn English

12. Korean

The Korean language is an interesting one to learn, as its characters are phonological: the shapes are similar to the shape of your mouth as you make the sound. It is a unique writing system that makes the language an easy one to learn.

Popular places to learn Korean include: South Korea

Related: Best apps to Learn Korean

What Makes A Language Useful To Learn?

Career Opportunities – Think of your current or future field, and location of business. If you are working in the United States, Spanish is a very useful language to learn. If you expect your industry or company will do a lot of international business, learn languages that will be useful in your field. It could be Chinese, Japanese, Italian, or German.

Geographic Region – This is where your goals and interests come into play. Do you plan to travel to one particular region for a while? If so, look into what languages are commonly spoken there. If you want to learn a language that is widely spoken throughout the world, you may want to opt for English, French, or Spanish, which are spoken on all continents.