Have you heard about the 13-letter alphabet?

Every language is like a secret map, revealing how its speakers experience the world. Some maps are minimalist—like Hawaiian, with only 13 letters—while others, like !Xóõ, are full of complex paths and over 100 consonant sounds.

And then there are languages that teach life lessons, like Japanese kintsugi, where even broken things have beauty.

Set a timer for 2–5 minutes and talk about any topic in your target language—your day, what you see around you, or your weekend plans. The short time limit forces you to think fast, reduces overthinking, and simulates real-life conversation pressure.

Do this daily, and you’ll notice:

Kintsugi (金継ぎ) (Japanese)

Meaning: The art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum—highlighting cracks instead of hiding them.

Why it’s cool: Beyond pottery, kintsugi has become a metaphor for embracing imperfections and seeing “flaws” as part of life’s beauty. It’s often used in self-development and language learning communities to encourage patience with mistakes.

In Hawaiian, there are only 13 letters in the entire alphabet (A, E, I, O, U, H, K, L, M, N, P, W, and the ‘okina, a glottal stop). Yet with these few sounds, Hawaiian creates thousands of unique words and a rhythm that’s instantly recognisable.

LingQ

What it is: A platform that lets you learn languages through reading and listening to real-world content like news articles, podcasts, and books.

Why it’s great:

The language with the most words isn’t English, it’s Korean Sign Language!

Sign languages often have incredibly rich vocabularies because they use hand shapes, movements, facial expressions, and even body orientation to convey meaning, making them far more nuanced than most people realise.

In Japan, a bow isn’t just a hello. It’s a gesture of respect, with depth and meaning based on how deep and long the bow is. In contrast, in many Latin American countries, a warm hug or a cheek kiss is the norm, even for casual greetings.

Language isn’t just words—it’s how we connect. Learning greetings the local way can instantly build trust and show respect for the culture you’re stepping into.

The !Xóõ language (spoken in Botswana and Namibia) has over 100 distinct consonant sounds, many of them clicks. That’s more than any other known language on Earth—and for comparison, English has only about 24 consonant sounds.

What’s your favourite example of how language reflects culture? Share your thoughts with our community on Facebook, X, Bluesky, and LinkedIn.