What is the most widely used language in the world?

Question

I heard Chinese

Answer 1

English - by far. You will rarely hear any of the Chinese languages outside China and border countries. English is world-wide.

Seems too many people are confusing native speakers with speakers. There are more people speaking Mandarin as their native language, but Mandarin is rarely a second (or even third) language. English is is the second language of choice around the world, including huge numbers in India and in Nigeria and all the other ex-British colonies. You can go to any country in the world and see signs and advertisements in English. Outside of Chinese districts in major cities (and of course China and surrounding countries), where do you see Chinese signs?

Answer 2

Usually the "world" language is from the country that is currently the political or economic power. For a long time it was French. Now it's English. Chinese may well be next. English has advantages over some other languages which also make it the international business language. It is flexible and readily adds new words as they are needed. Using an alphabet system makes it easier to write. In spite of its inconsistencies, its grammar isn't too complex. So, for now, it's the second language many people choose to learn.

Answer 3

Since you said "widely used" it makes me think you mean a language that can cover a lot of ground if you travel with it.
So it's English, hands down. People on all continents use English as a common language to communicate with other nationalities.
Surely there are more people who speak Chinese due to population, but could you really use Chinese all over the world as an international language while traveling? I doubt it.

Answer 4

Interesting question! Chinese has the most native speakers in the world, however, because Chinese isn't spoken much outside of China it is not the most widely used language.

English is the most widespread language in the world. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many English speakers there are, but according to one estimate there are more than 350,000,000 native English speakers and more than 400,000,000 speakers of English as a second language (a language used in everyday life, even though it is not the native language) or foreign language (a language studied but not used much in everyday life).

Answer 5

Chinese

Answer 6

Chinese as a first language, but I think English as a second language is more widely used.

Answer 7

I have been told at university that Chinese may have the largest number of speakers as a first language, but the number of people who can speak English, even if they don't speak it as their first language is greater than the number of chinese speakers.

Answer 8

Mandarin Chinese is spoken by the largest number people because China has such a large population. English is spread out the most due to the period of British colonization. However, if you consider it to be a language, mathematics is used globally. It is like the universal language that (almost) everyone understands.

Answer 9

I think because the Chinese population is bigger than any other people group that is why more people speak it. As far as a language that has been successful in being carried over and used in multiple people groups, I would say, English.

Answer 10

I think English. ok if you count the people in China and assume this is how many people speak chinese compared to native english speakers, maybe yeah. but also consider how many people speak english, as a second, third language...and then consider how many people speak english as a first, or second, or third language. so yes, english is the most widely used language in the world.