LearnFrisian

The world’s biggest free Frisian course.Nowhere online teaches more.

LearnFrisian.com offers free online lessons, audio and quizzes for West Frisian, the closest living language to English, spoken by about 450,000 people in Fryslân in the Netherlands. The free program has 900+ lessons, 7500+ questions and 1800+ audio files, with exercise points and competitive features for motivation.

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✅ 7500+ Questions

✅ 900+ Lessons

✅ 1800+ Audio

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 450,000 speakers

The Frisian language has around 450,000 speakers.

Explore a whole new world

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

The Frisian family

Other Frisian languages you can learn

Frisian was once spoken along the North Sea coast, from North Holland to the Danish border. Today it lives on in three places, and its medieval roots survive on paper. Every course below is free.

FryslânSaterlandNordfriesland
Old FrisianÂldfrysk
c. 1200 to 1550

The language of the old Frisian law codes. It is the ancestor of every Frisian spoken today and a close cousin of Old English. Read the oldest Frisian words and see where modern Frysk comes from.

300 wordsFree
Explore Old Frisian
SaterfrisianSeeltersk
Saterland, Germany

The last living East Frisian language, spoken in four villages in Lower Saxony by about 2,000 people. Learn it with recordings from a native speaker.

180 wordsNative audio
Explore Saterfrisian
North FrisianNordfriisk
North Frisia, Germany

Spoken on the islands and coast of Schleswig-Holstein, close to the Danish border. Pick one of three dialects: Mooring from the mainland, Sölring from Sylt or Fering from Föhr.

540 words3 dialects
Explore North Frisian
Better FryskBetter Frysk
For native speakers

Already speak Frisian? Clean out the Dutch words that crept in. Ten short lessons on 83 Hollandisms, taught in Dutch and Frisian.

83 Hollandisms10 lessons
Start Better Frysk

Start learning Frisian today.

Start now!
THE COURSE

What can you learn?

From your first words to full conversations, chapter by chapter. Every lesson is free.

Introduction
Basics 1: First words
Frisian Words
Countries
Phrases
Feelings
Body Parts
Verbs
De – It Words
Key Words
Colors
Calendar
Nature
Numbers
Family
Animals
Which Category?
Opposites
Word Trainer
Pronouns
Present Tense: core verbs
All about questions in Frisian
Adjectives
Place and Direction Words
Past Tense
Irregular Verbs
Adverbs of Time
Plural
Modal Verbs
Diminutives
This, that, these and those
Present Perfect
Conjunctions
Sentence Structure
Modal Particles
How to tell time
Find the mistake
Vocabulary Exercises
De- and It-words: extra practice
Basics 2: Simple sentences
Basics 3: Everyday sentences
Basics 4: Longer sentences
Present Tense: more verbs
Frisian Words: extra practice
Food and kitchen
Weather and sky
House and things
Town and transport
Negation
Possessives
Future with sille
Comparatives
Relative clauses
te + infinitive
Speaking Trainer

LearnFrisian
Arcade

Lessons teach you the words. The games make them stick. Seven free Frisian word games in your browser, no download and no account. Every round earns points towards your rank.

🫧

Word Pop

Match · Combo
PLAY >>
⚡

Word Drop

Arcade · Reflex
PLAY >>
🍯

Word Merge

Zen · Unhurried
PLAY >>
🔥

Quick Fire

60 seconds
PLAY >>
✍️

Type It

Spelling · Recall
PLAY >>
🃏

Memory Match

Pairs · No clock
PLAY >>
🔍

Word Search

Puzzle · Beginner
PLAY >>
* FREE PLAY * NO ACCOUNT NEEDED *
PRESS START

More ways to learn: the Frisian course, the Frisian dictionary, conversation practice with AI, articles in Frisian, the Wrâld League leaderboard and Frisian ranks.

Interested in Frisian articles?

Check all the articles

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 Frisian language 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 Frisian languages: West Frisian (spoken in the Netherlands), Saterland Frisian (the last living form of 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.

Still curious about Frisian?Your first lesson is one click away, and it’s free.Start learning free

Do you run a business in Fryslân? We can put your website in Frisian, and you may qualify for up to 80% subsidy from the province. Frysk op dyn webside