The Languages of Love: The 5 Most Romantic Languages

Summer is just around the corner, and all those spring flowers and warm, sunny days will soon transform into a very romantic season. Whether planning a cozy picnic in the park, a relaxing day at the beach, or a trip to a romantic destination, summer is the perfect time to fall in love or fall in love again with your significant other. And what better way to embrace the romance of the season than by learning one of the languages of love?

In this article, we'll take a look at some of the world's most romantic languages, what makes them so charming, and how to say "I love you" in each one of them.  

1. Spanish

As one of the world's most widely spoken languages, Spanish tops off our list as one of the world's most romantic languages because of its passionate, sensual sound.

The Spanish language originated from Latin, the language of the Romans, and that's why Spanish is classified as a Romance language. While this classification has little to do with the actual characteristics of the language itself, it's no surprise that most Romance languages are also considered romantic because of how they sound. Spanish has softer consonants and longer vowels than Germanic and Slavic languages (English is commonly considered a Germanic language), and this helps speakers to make their words flow together more easily. Since Spanish also requires verb conjugations, it's easier to create rhymes in Spanish, which makes it an ideal language for poetry and music. As a descendent of Latin, Spanish also builds upon a long heritage of music, poetry, art and culture that contribute to its overall romantic reputation.

Spanish is spoken in over 20 counties by more than 420 million people across the globe. It's an official, national, or widely spoken language in 44 countries, including the United States. The wide spread of the language has created many beautiful Spanish dialects and accents, and with so many to choose from, you're guaranteed to find one that sounds beautiful to you.  

2. French

Often considered to be the most romantic language in the world, French is also a Romance language that originated from Latin.

French is a very euphonic language, and its pronunciation contributes to this euphony. One pronunciation rule, for example, is that speakers should avoid pronouncing the consonant at the end of a world unless followed by a vowel. Overall, vowels and consonants are well distributed in French, which helps words to better flow together. Like Spanish, the need to conjugate verbs in French makes French another perfect language for poetry and music, and the French have a reputation for beautiful, flowery lyrics. French also builds upon centuries of music, poetry, art and culture that contribute to its romance and allure.

French is the official language of over 29 countries throughout the world and is the second-most widely spoken first language in the European Union. The colonial history of France has helped spread this language throughout the world and has led to a wide variety of charming and unique accents and dialects.

3. Italian

Amore, tesoro, dolcezza, bellissima, innamorato... It's no surprise that a language with such lilting, rhythmic words is considered by many to be one of the world's most romantic languages.

In fact, these very words were considered to be some of the most romantic words in any language by 320 translators and interpreters surveyed at Today Translations . The survey not only revealed these language specialists' picks for some of the most romantic words in the world, but also revealed their pick for the world's most romantic language: Italian. As a Romance language that also evolved from Latin, Italian has a long history of beautifully written poetry, prose, and opera. It's rhythmic distribution of consonants and vowels contributes to its marked lilting sound, which is why speakers of other languages often say that Italian naturally sounds like singing.

The history and culture of the Italian language, combined with its easily recognizable rhythm, leads Italian to be widely considered as one of the world's most romantic languages.

4. Portuguese

No list of romantic languages would be complete without Portuguese, the sexy Latin-based language primarily spoken in Brazil and Portugal.

With its melodic and expressive intonations and drawn-out vowels, Portuguese lends itself perfectly to rhythmic and vocal music like marrabenta, samba, fado, and bossa nova. This is in part because Portuguese employs a very wide range of vowel sounds that allow an unrestricted air flow that's ideal for singing, and it has a limited set of tricky consonants to get in the way. Combine the sound of the Portuguese language with the tropical geography of Portuguese speaking countries and the exotic cultural and musical traditions, and you've got one of the world's most romantic and sexy languages.

Portuguese is spoken by over 215 million throughout the world. While the majority of Portuguese speakers live in Brazil and Portugal, Portuguese can also be heard in Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé.

5. Japanese

Romance languages aren't the only romantic languages, however. The final language on our list takes us on a trip to the east as we take a look at what many consider to be one of the world's most exotic romantic languages: Japanese.

With its impressively large expressive potential, complex levels of politeness and captivating simple-yet-beautiful sounds, Japanese pleases the ears and mind. Japanese is also considered to be one of the most useful languages for singing because all of the Japanese syllables are open. This gives the language a light, lyrical sound that is, quite simply, enchanting. Many aspects of the Japanese culture have also travelled to the western world, and the intricate Japanese cuisine, Japan's fascinating history and intriguing culture also contribute to the language's allure.

With roughly 130 million speakers, Japanese is primarily spoken in Japan, but Japanese speakers can be found throughout the world. Since Japan has one of the largest economies in the world, however, speaking Japanese is very practical for business opportunities in many fields.

"I love you" in Japanese: Aishiteru （愛してる), although it is important to note that, due to cultural difference, many Japanese people don't say "I love you" or express their love as opening as often as people in the west do. The phrases  Suki da (好きだ), suki dayo (好きだよ, male speech) or suki yo (好きよ, female speech) are more commonly used.

These are just a few of the world's most romantic languages based on their linguistic features and common reputation. In reality, ANY language can be romantic with the right words!

From Spanish to Japanese and everything any between, foreign languages are a beautiful way to learn new words to express our love and learn how love is expressed in different cultures. Learning a language opens our mind to new forms of expression and thinking, and the process of learning a language itself is a fascinating and romantic date with another culture.

So what are you waiting for? Start learning a romantic language today and learn a beautiful new way to express yourself.

What you do think is the world's most romantic language?

By Andrea Reisenauer, guest blogger. Andrea Reisenauer is a language lover, ESL teacher Rocket Languages fan with a Master's degree in Translation. She speaks Spanish, Catalan, and Italian and is currently studying French.

How about a lovely musical Celtic language such as Cymraeg (Welsh) ... if you add it to Rocket's menu, I will learn it.  Iechydd da!

I would have to say that Spanish is the most romantic language to learn, and like a couple of the languages listed, Spanish is a very good business language to learn. Especially since it is one of the most spoken languages here in the U. S. But like Dan and Diana, I wonder why some romantic and other languages developed phonetically, while others did not develop that way?

Regarding similar phonetics between French and Spanish, I have found this to be particularly true with some of the irregular verb tenses:
- Dis-moi. Dime.
- Je sais. Yo sé. 
- J'irai. Yo iré.
 

I thought I was insane for thinking Japanese was a romantic and beautiful language! It's on my list. I think I will tackle an easier romance language like French after I improve in German.