While speaking different languages can help a person in their professional life and can also boost confidence, pop culture has become a great influence when it comes to which language to pick. Indian millennials and Gen-Z – especially between the age groups of 17 to 25 – are responsible for the rise of Korean learning in India. Korean has climbed up the ladder of most popular languages becoming the fastest growing language in India and has comfortably established itself as the 5th most popular language in the country, according to the 2021 Duolingo Language Report. This rise can be attributed in part to the release of the popular TV series Squid Games this year.
As India tunes into more Korean entertainment and listens to more K-pop, language study has been reframed as something that complements and supports interests and other activities—not just something required in a classroom. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Duolingo, over 56% of respondents said that they were influenced to learn a new language by pop culture trendsetters including movies, OTT shows and web series.
English, Hindi, French and Spanish are the other top languages that Indians are currently learning in the majority. It is interesting to note that English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese are the most popular languages on Duolingo globally.
