To learn Lithuanian, start with its letters and sounds, then learn every new word together with where its stress falls. About 4 million people spoke Lithuanian as their first language in 2022, Lithuania and the European Union both list it as an official language. Its alphabet has 32 letters.

How to Learn Lithuanian, Step by Step

Steps 1 to 3 are for your first weeks. Keep steps 4 to 6 going after that.

Learn the Letters With MarksLithuanian adds letters like č, š and ž, plus ą, ę, į and ų, whose small hooks now mark long vowels. A short word to start with is čia (here).
Learn Each Sound With AudioPlay a recording for every new word, like vanduo (water), and copy it out loud until it sounds like the speaker.
Learn Where the Stress GoesStress can land on a different syllable in each word, and books leave it unmarked. Dictionaries also mark its tone, so áukštas means “tall” and aũkštas means “floor of a building.”
Learn Nouns With Their GenderEach noun is masculine or feminine, and its ending doesn't always tell you which. Žuvis (fish) ends in -is and is feminine.
Watch the Endings ChangeOne noun has a different ending for each of its seven cases, so výras (man) turns into výro (of the man).
Talk With a TutorBook a tutor once you know some greetings, and say verb forms out loud with them, like skaitau (I read) from skaityti (to read).

You can hear vanduo and many other words on Wiktionary, and Vytautas Magnus University's Kirčiuoklis adds stress marks to any text you paste in. For easy reading, LRT Paprastai writes news in plain Lithuanian, and italki lists Lithuanian tutors. To compare study methods, read the best way to learn Lithuanian, and to see what makes Lithuanian easy or hard at the start, read the easiest way to learn Lithuanian.

Find Where You Are

Bubblegum is a language app with Lithuanian lessons about topics you choose, and you can listen to each line. Poppy, your AI tutor, picks one of six levels for every lesson she writes. Pick the sentence below that fits you best.

Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
Play each line of a short lesson, then say it back with the same stress.
Level 2
I can read simple sentences.
Read the 12 Lithuanian Duostories, and note which word changes its ending from one line to the next.
Level 3
I can read short stories and messages.
Read LRT Paprastai's news, and tell a tutor about one story each week.
Level 4
I can read longer texts about everyday life.
Listen to the Lithuanian with Paulius episodes made for intermediate learners, and tell your tutor about one.
Level 5
I can follow complex topics, but miss some details.
Listen to radio shows on LRT Radioteka, and look up a word once you've heard it twice.
Level 6
I can read almost anything.
Read Lithuanian novels, and check the stress of new words with Kirčiuoklis.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does It Take to Learn Lithuanian?

Lithuanian is in the U.S. Foreign Service Institute's third group, with about 1,012 class hours over roughly 44 weeks for its English-speaking students. The guide to learning Lithuanian fast shows a 13-week study budget at three to five hours a week.

How Many Cases Does Lithuanian Have?

Seven: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, locative and vocative. Wiktionary shows all seven forms of a noun on its page for vanduo (water).

Which Lithuanian App Should a Beginner Choose?

If you are serious about learning Lithuanian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. The Lithuanian app comparison compares courses, tutor sites and reading apps.

Is Bubblegum Free?

Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.

How to Learn Lithuanian, Step by Step