With over 106,230 complex logograms, commonly known as "ideograms", Chinese is undoubtedly one of the most difficult languages in the world.
However, the complexity of the Chinese language also lies in its spoken aspect. Linguists claim that, at any moment, there are more than 250 different dialects spoken in the vast 22-province country. Most of the dialects are more like separate languages, as they are generally mutually unintelligible.
According to a recent study published in China, the ten "most obscure dialects" were the following:
1. Wenzhou dialect
2. Cantonese
3. Fujian Minnan dialect & Suzhou dialect
5. Shanghai dialect
6. Shaanxi dialect
7. Changsha dialect
8. Sichuan dialect
9. Tianjin dialect
10. Dongbei dialect
The rankings were chosen after an analysis of each dialect's tonal variations, vocabulary variations, and syntactical variations. For example, the Fujian Minnan dialect is part of the seven Chinese Hokkien dialects, which are "the most complex linguistic phenomena" in the Chinese language. They comprise of large internal differences.
The study says it has been postulated that if a foreigner without linguistics talent were to spend his/her whole life in Fujian, the foreigner might still not be able to comprehend the dialect.
A commentator who goes by the pseudonym "IslandFisherman" claims that he had worked in Quanzhou for many years, but still could not understand the dialect.