LearnFrisian

Frisian is a language from Friesland in the Netherlands. LearnFrisian.com offers a free Frisian learning program, which includes audio for listening practice, exercise points, and competitive features for motivation. It’s a great resource for those exploring Frisian language and culture.

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Why you should learn Frisian

Closest language to English

Makes it the easiest language to learn as an English speaker.

The Coolest Words

Frisian’s vowel system has some unique features that make it distinct from other Germanic languages.

Oldest living Germanic language

Frisian is the oldest living Germanic language.

Viking-Age Heritage

The Frisians share a fascinating warrior heritage with the Scandinavians and were known as fierce seafarers themselves.

Join a community of only 500,000 speakers

The Frisian language has around 500,000 speakers.

Explore a whole new world

Explore the Frisian history, myths, folktales, culture and much more.

Start learning Frisian today.

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What can you learn?

Introduction

Frisian Words

Pronouns

Basics

Countries

Interested in Frisian articles?

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Frisian Articles

Frisian Wrestling: The Ancient Sport Where Farmers Became Champions

Let me tell you about a sport that sounds like someone made it up after too many drinks, but it’s absolutely real and seriously competitive. It’s called keatsen, and it’s basically Frisian handball mixed with tennis, played without rackets, and it’s been around for centuries. Picture this: three players on each team, a small hard…

Read More Frisian Wrestling: The Ancient Sport Where Farmers Became Champions
Frisian Articles

Frisian Fierljeppen: The Sport Where You Pole Vault Across Canals and Hope Not to Fall In

Picture this: You’re standing at the edge of a canal in Friesland. You grab a ridiculously tall pole, sprint toward the water, and launch yourself across while climbing the pole mid-air. The goal? Get to the other side without getting wet. Welcome to fierljeppen, possibly the most Frisian sport ever invented. The name literally means…

Read More Frisian Fierljeppen: The Sport Where You Pole Vault Across Canals and Hope Not to Fall In
Frisian Articles

Frisian Shoes: The Wooden Clogs That Became a Cultural Icon

Let’s talk about wooden shoes. Yes, those chunky, clunky things that tourists buy as souvenirs and never actually wear. But here’s what most people don’t know: wooden clogs, or “klompen” as they’re called in Dutch (and “klompen” or “klompe” in Frisian), were serious business in Friesland for centuries. These weren’t fashion statements. They were survival…

Read More Frisian Shoes: The Wooden Clogs That Became a Cultural Icon
Frisian Articles

Frisian Storytelling: The Oral Tradition That Kept a Language Breathing

Before Friesland had printing presses or radio stations or TikTok, it had something better. It had storytellers. Not the polished, written-down kind of stories. The living, breathing, constantly-changing kind that got passed from grandparent to grandchild on cold winter nights. The kind that shifted a little bit every time someone told them. And these stories…

Read More Frisian Storytelling: The Oral Tradition That Kept a Language Breathing
Frisian Articles

Frisian Street Names Tell Stories That Most People Walk Right Past

You know what’s wild? Every time you walk down a street in Friesland, you’re basically reading a history book. Except nobody told you that, and you probably can’t read Frisian anyway. Frisian street names are absolutely packed with stories. And I’m not talking about boring “Main Street” or “Oak Avenue” stuff. These names tell you…

Read More Frisian Street Names Tell Stories That Most People Walk Right Past
Frisian Articles

The Shadowy Realm of Frisian Folklore

Friesland has always been a landscape shaped by water, wind, and isolation. Flat fields stretch toward the horizon, fog rolls in from the Wadden Sea, and in winter, darkness falls early. It is exactly the kind of place where folklore thrives. Over the centuries, the Frisian people developed a rich collection of supernatural creatures, ghosts,…

Read More The Shadowy Realm of Frisian Folklore

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Common Questions

Everything you want to know about the Frisian language and this website.

Yes, it’s completely free to use.

www.learnfrisian.com is an online platform dedicated to teaching and promoting the Frisian language. Designed for both beginners and advanced learners, the website offers comprehensive resources, interactive lessons, and engaging content to help users grasp the nuances of Frisian. Whether you’re curious about Frisian culture, aiming to communicate with native speakers, or simply want to add another language to your repertoire, www.learnfrisian.com is your go-to destination to start your linguistic journey.

An account is only necessary for those who wish to track and save their progress, as well as for a more streamlined navigation experience.

We focus on teaching West Frisian, the dialect predominantly spoken in the Netherlands.

No, Frisian is considered one of the oldest Germanic languages, with its roots predating Dutch. Both languages, however, have evolved considerably over the centuries.

There are three main Frisian languages: West Frisian (spoken in the Netherlands), East Frisian (spoken in a small part of Germany), and North Frisian (spoken in parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany).

The ease of learning Frisian largely depends on your linguistic background. For English or Dutch speakers, certain aspects of Frisian might be easier to grasp due to some similarities in vocabulary and structure.

Frisian and English share a common Germanic origin. As a result, they have linguistic similarities, and some say that Frisian is the closest living language to English. However, they have also diverged over time and are distinct languages.

While both Frisian and Dutch are West Germanic languages and share some vocabulary, they have different phonetics, grammar, and vocabulary. They are distinct languages and are not mutually intelligible.

Frisian is a minority language, but efforts are being made to promote and preserve it. In Friesland, for instance, it’s taught in schools and used in public life.

Most Dutch people outside of Friesland do not understand Frisian. However, in Friesland, many residents are bilingual and can speak both Dutch and Frisian.

Frisian has ancient roots, tracing back to the early Germanic languages around the 1st century AD. It has evolved over the centuries and has distinct historical phases like Old, Middle, and Modern Frisian.

Like all living languages, the exact number of words in Frisian is difficult to pin down as it continually evolves. However, it has a rich vocabulary that serves the needs of its speakers in daily communication, literature, and other forms of expression.

Learning Frisian not only allows you to communicate with native speakers but also provides insight into a rich cultural heritage and history. It can also enhance cognitive abilities, as learning any language does.

‘â’ ‘aw’ as in ‘Dawn’
‘ê’ ‘he’ as in ‘Where’
‘g’ ‘g’ as in ‘Girl’
‘i’ ‘i’ as in ‘Bin’. Can also sound like ‘e’.
‘i’/‘y’ ‘e’ as in ‘He, She, We’
‘j’ ‘y as in ‘You’
‘û’ ‘o’ as in ‘Two’
‘w’ in Frisian is a sound in between ‘v’ and ‘w’ at the beginning of words.

‘oe’ ‘oo’ as in ‘Good’
‘ie’/’ii’ ‘ea’ as in ‘Leader’
‘ij’ ‘y’ as in ‘By’
‘ei’ it is near to ‘y’ as in ‘My’
‘oa’ ‘o’ as in ‘Bore’
‘ea’ ‘ea’ as in ‘Gear’
‘ch’ as in Scottish ‘loch’
‘iuw’ like ‘ee’ in ‘bee’ and ‘oo’ in ‘boot’ said together quickly.

The letters b, d, t, f, h, k, l, m, n, s are (nearly) the same as English.
The little ‘hat’ (circumflex) on top of these letters: â, ô, ê make the sound of the regular ‘a’, ‘o’, ‘e’ longer. This is not always the case with ‘û’.

While Frisian is predominantly spoken in the Netherlands, especially in Friesland, understanding the language can be beneficial in regions of Germany where East and North Frisian are spoken.

Yes, West Frisian, the variety taught on our platform, has a standardized orthography. However, like all languages, there are dialectal variations.

Frisian has its own set of phonetic rules which differ from both Dutch and English. Our platform provides guides and exercises to help learners with correct pronunciation.