So you want to learn either Farsi or Arabic but don’t know which one to pick. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
In this article, I’ll shed some light on the pros and cons for each language to help you decide.
Table of Contents
Should I Learn Farsi Or Arabic – A Comparison
Here’s the short answer:
- As an English speaker, Farsi is easier to learn than Arabic.
- There is less variation between Farsi dialects. Arabic has many non-mutually intelligible dialects spoken in different countries.
- It will take you longer to learn Arabic than Farsi.
- Arabic, as a whole, is spoken by more people than Farsi.
- Learning Arabic will give you better job prospects.
- Arabic has very complicated grammar, Farsi does not.
Overall, Farsi is easier and quicker to learn and you’ll be able to communicate with everyone that speaks Farsi in several different countries.
Arabic is spoken by more people overall but each country speaks a different dialect that other Arabic speakers can’t always understand. Arabic is also a great language to know for work purposes.
Of course, part of your decision comes from your own personal reasons for wanting to study the language.
Perhaps you have friends that speak the language, maybe it’s your ancestral language or maybe you have a keen interest in the country it’s spoken in.
This should also be considered when choosing which language to learn as this will be your main motivating factor for learning the language.
Farsi vs Arabic
Arabic
Arabic is a Semitic language which falls under the Afro-Asiatic language family. Hebrew is actually the most closely related language to Arabic.
Arabic has many different dialects and the formal ‘Modern Standard Arabic’ variety which is mainly used in media and in government.
Almost everyone who speaks a dialect of Arabic can understand Modern Standard Arabic but virtually nobody speaks conversationally.
Overall there are 350 million Arabic speakers around the world (this includes all dialects which are not always mutually intelligible).
Farsi
Farsi is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The closest related languages are Kurdish and Pashto.
There are approximately 110 million native speakers of Farsi around the world making it one of the world’s most spoken languages.
There are 3 main dialects of Farsi – Iranian Persian (spoken in Iran), Dari (spoken in Afghanistan) and Tajiki (spoken in Tajikistan).
All of the varieties of Farsi are mutually intelligible so if you learn Farsi you can communicate with people from Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan with ease.
Is Farsi or Arabic Easier to Learn?
Assuming you’re an English speaker then Farsi is easier to learn than Arabic.
And here’s why…
Dialects
One of the main reasons why Farsi is easier to learn than Arabic is because there are less dialects.
Arabic is the official language in 25 countries including Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Palestine, Algeria and more. It is spoken by 350 million people worldwide.
However, learning Arabic doesn’t mean that you will be able to speak with all 350 million Arabic speakers…
Arabic has huge regional differences so if you choose to learn it then you will have to pick one dialect to focus on.
Arabic dialects don’t just vary from country to country but town to town.
These dialects vary drastically and speakers of one dialect can not always understand speakers of another.
For example, an Arabic speaker from Kuwait would find it very difficult to understand an Arabic speaker from Morocco.
Some dialects have a degree of mutual intelligibility, for example, someone from Saudi Arabia could maybe work out what a Syrian was saying.
However the North African dialects, like Algerian, are notoriously different from the rest and are even sometimes considered completely different languages.
This makes learning Arabic difficult as you won’t be able to communicate with everyone who speaks Arabic, only those that speak the same dialect as you.
What About Modern Standard Arabic?
The only dialect of Arabic that every Arabic speaker can understand is Modern Standard Arabic.
The problem with learning Modern Standard Arabic is that this is a formal version of Arabic that is mainly only used in media and government.
Whilst pretty much everyone who speaks an Arabic dialect can understand Modern Standard Arabic, it is never used conversationally.
It sounds very strange to use Modern Standard Arabic in everyday conversations. It would be like if you went into a shop in the US or UK and started speaking Shakespearean English.
To really become fluent in Arabic you need to know both Modern Standard Arabic and a dialect. Of course, this will take you a long time to master and is not an easy feat.
Farsi, on the other hand, has only 3 main dialects and all of them are mutually intelligible.
This means that if you learn Farsi, you will be able to communicate with over 110 million speakers and it doesn’t matter if they are from Iran, Afghanistan or Tajikistan.
The bottom line is that if you learn Farsi, you will be able to communicate with everyone that speaks Farsi but if you learn Arabic then you can only communicate with people who speak the same Arabic dialect as you.
Which is Easiest to Learn?
Farsi is easier to learn than Arabic.
The Foreign Service Institute has spent decades teaching foreign languages and over the years has ranked them in terms of difficulty.
The categories start from category I, which includes easy languages like French and Spanish, and go to category IV, which includes super hard languages like Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.
Farsi falls into category III which they estimate takes 44 weeks to reach ‘professional working proficiency’ in the language.
Arabic however falls into category IV which they estimate takes 88 weeks to learn.
Please bear in mind that these estimates assume you do 25 hours of studying per week so if you can’t dedicate this much time it will take you longer.
I actually wrote a whole post of how hard is Farsi to learn but here’s a quick overview.
Whilst Farsi isn’t as easy to learn as French, Spanish or Dutch, it is easier to learn than Slavic languages like Russian and much easier than languages like Japanese, Chinese and Arabic.
Farsi grammar is actually very simple. Farsi has no gender, no irregular verb conjugations and nouns only have one form.
Pronunciation can take some time to get the hang of but it’s not too difficult.
You’ll also need to learn to read the Persian script (which was borrowed from Arabic). This will take some time to learn but isn’t too difficult.
Learn more about why Farsi is written in the Arabic script.
Arabic, on the other hand, has very complicated grammar. It has an extremely elaborate verb conjugation system.
Pronunciation can also be tough for English speakers as there are many sounds in Arabic that don’t exist in English.
Additionally, you will also need to learn the Arabic script which can seem hard at first but doesn’t take too long to get used to.
The main difficulty is that, in writing, vowels are usually omitted from spelling. It’s kind of like if English was written like this: ths s lng nd dffclt.
This can be confusing when you’re starting out but you’ll pick it up over time.
It’s like how as English speakers we know how to pronounce both ‘bought’ and ‘tough’. The pronunciations are different even though it’s not obvious from the spelling.
Interested in learning Farsi? Start with this…
Can Arabic Speakers Understand Farsi?
I actually wrote a whole post on how hard it is for Arabic speakers to learn Farsi but here’s a quick overview.
If you’re thinking of learning Farsi after Arabic because you think it might be easier then there’s a few things to bear in mind.
Many people think that Arabic and Farsi are closely related but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Arabic and Farsi are actually two completely different languages which come from two different language families.
This means they have very little in common and didn’t even descend from the same ancestral language.
The confusion probably comes because, in writing, Farsi looks a lot like Arabic. This is because in the 7th century Farsi started using the Arabic script.
The bottom line is that Arabic speakers cannot understand Farsi.
Whilst Farsi does use many Arabic loanwords which does give you a bit of a head start, an Arabic speaker would not be able to understand someone speaking Farsi.
Additionally, most of the Arabic loanwords are pronounced differently making it harder.
Farsi is actually an Indo-European language which is the same language family as English. This means that English actually has more in common with Farsi than Arabic does.
Which is Better for Tourism?
If you want to learn Farsi or Arabic for traveling then both would be very useful.
It entirely depends on which regions of the world you are wanting to travel to.
Farsi can be used in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Arabic is spoken in 25 countries around the world (remember that each country speaks a different dialect that are not always mutually intelligible).
Countries which speak a dialect of Arabic include Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Morocco, Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Jordan, Palestine, Oman, Eritrea, Lebanon, Iraq, Bahrain and several others.
All of these countries offer a range of fantastic experiences for tourists including a wealth of history, nature, food and much more.
Iran has incredible nature and so much history including one of the oldest human settlements. It has lavish mosques, beautiful palaces and interesting bazaars to explore.
Egypt of course needs no introduction. Everyone must see the iconic pyramids and sphinx of Giza at least once in their lifetime.
Other North African countries like Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia are also super popular tourist destinations. From beautiful bazaars to the vast desert and delicious food, you’ll have a great time visiting these countries.
Arabian Gulf countries are fast becoming major tourist hotspots known for extreme luxury. Dubai (part of the UAE), Kuwait and Qatar are the places to be if you love skyscrapers and opulence.
Millions of people travel to Saudi Arabia each year to Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. This is Islam’s holiest city and the birthplace of Prophet Muhammed so is definitely worth visiting if this is important to you.
Levantine countries including Lebanon and Jordan are also great places to visit. Jordan features some impressive archaeological sites including the ancient city of Petra.
Of course, you need to remember that each of these Arabic speaking countries speaks a different version of Arabic.
Although the local populations in these countries will all understand Modern Standard Arabic, if you try speaking it they may give you a strange look, an awkward smile or even a laugh.
It would be like going to New York and turning up speaking Shakespearean English with everyone.
If you learn Farsi, on the other hand, you will be able to communicate with all Farsi speakers in any country with ease.
Which Would Be More Useful For Jobs?
If you’re trying to decide which language to learn based on which language will give you better job prospects then, arguably, Arabic would be better.
Whilst Farsi could be an advantageous language to learn as Iran has a sizable economy, there also has been a lot of political disagreements and sanctions over the years with other Western countries.
Find out more about if Farsi is worth learning.
There are many fantastic job opportunities in the richer Arab countries where speaking Arabic would be a huge advantage for you and would definitely help you secure a well-paid job.
Certain Middle Eastern countries like the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia all have attractive job opportunities with fantastic salaries.
For example, working in Saudi Arabia is tax-free.
Having said that, Farsi speakers are in high demand in the US and Europe.
Many government agencies, especially those involved in intelligence, military and diplomatic fields, urgently need Farsi speakers.
The US government describes Farsi as a ‘critical need language’ and currently offers scholarships for students wanting to learn it.
Conclusion – Should I Learn Farsi or Arabic?
Hopefully this article gave you an insight into the pros and cons of learning Farsi or Arabic.
By now you may have a clearer idea of which one is better for you to learn.
In conclusion, Arabic is more widely spoken than Farsi and provides access to better job opportunities.
However Arabic is harder to learn than Farsi due to complex grammar and it also has the added difficulty of several different dialects that aren’t always mutually intelligible.
Don’t forget to consider your own personal motivation for learning Farsi or Arabic as this is arguably the most important thing to consider.
If you have a particular love for Persian poetry instead of Egyptian films, you may already have your answer on which language to learn.
If a friend or partner speaks one of these languages natively then that might also influence your decision.
You need to be extremely motivated to learn a language (if you’re not then you’ll give up) so choose wisely.
The difficulty or range of a language is far less important than the key reason as to why you want to learn it.
For example, if your mind is telling you to learn Gulf Arabic for the job opportunities but your heart is telling you to learn Farsi because you love Persian culture, then choose Farsi.
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