Duolingo Launches 148 New Language Courses Expands Access to Popular Languages Including Japanese and Korean

Rhea-AI Summary

Duolingo has launched its largest content expansion ever with 148 new language courses, more than doubling its current offering. The expansion makes their seven most popular non-English languages - Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin - available across all 28 supported user interface languages.

Through generative AI and automation, Duolingo completed this massive expansion in under a year, a process that previously took 12 years for the first 100 courses. The company's new "shared content" approach allows rapid customization of high-quality base courses for multiple languages.

The new courses focus on beginner levels (CEFR A1-A2) and include features like Stories and DuoRadio for reading and listening comprehension. The expansion significantly improves access for global learners, particularly in:

• Latin America: Spanish and Portuguese speakers gain access to Asian languages
• Europe: 15 language speakers can now learn Asian languages
• Asia: 11 languages gain access to all top seven languages

Positive

• Largest content expansion in company history with 148 new language courses, doubling current offering
• Dramatically reduced course development time from years to under 1 year using AI
• Expanded market reach to over 1 billion potential learners worldwide
• Successfully leveraged AI for cost-efficient scaling of content creation
• Enhanced product offering in high-demand Asian language markets

Negative

• None.

PITTSBURGH, April 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Duolingo (NASDAQ: DUOL), the world’s leading mobile learning platform, today announced the launch of 148 new language courses, more than doubling its current offering and marking the largest expansion of content in the company’s history.

This launch makes Duolingo’s seven most popular non-English languages – Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin – available to all 28 supported user interface (UI) languages, dramatically expanding learning options for over a billion potential learners worldwide.

“Developing our first 100 courses took about 12 years, and now, in about a year, we’re able to create and launch nearly 150 new courses. This is a great example of how generative AI can directly benefit our learners,” said Luis von Ahn, CEO and co-founder of Duolingo. “This launch reflects the incredible impact of our AI and automation investments, which have allowed us to scale at unprecedented speed and quality.”

Historically, building a single new course on Duolingo could take years. Through advances in generative AI, shared content systems, and internal tooling, the company created and launched this suite of 148 courses in less than a year. Duolingo’s new approach, known internally as “shared content,” enables the team to create a high-quality base course and quickly customize it for dozens of different languages.

“It used to take a small team years to build a single new course from scratch,” said Jessie Becker, Senior Director of Learning Design, Duolingo. “Now, by using generative AI to create and validate content, we’re able to focus our expertise where it’s most impactful, ensuring every course meets Duolingo’s rigorous quality standards.”

These new courses primarily support beginner levels (CEFR A1 – A2) and include immersive features such as Stories, to develop reading comprehension, and DuoRadio, to develop listening comprehension. More advanced content will roll out in coming months.

This expansion allows Duolingo to better serve global learners and meet the growing demand for learning popular Asian languages, like Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin. New course availability includes:

• Latin America: Spanish and Portuguese speakers can now learn Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin.
  
• Europe: Speakers of fifteen European languages like French, German, Italian, and Spanish can now learn Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin, among other top languages.
  
• Asia: Speakers of Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, Tagalog, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, and Tamil can now learn all of the top seven languages; previously many only had access to learning English.
  

About Duolingo
Duolingo is the leading mobile learning platform globally. Its flagship app has organically become the world's most popular way to learn languages and the top-grossing app in the Education category on both Google Play and the Apple App Store. With technology at the core of everything it does, Duolingo has consistently invested to provide learners with a fun, engaging, and effective learning experience while remaining committed to its mission to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available.

Media Contact:
press@duolingo.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/29b5a8c0-14cb-4337-8eea-e2938c660d69

FAQ

How many new language courses did Duolingo (DUOL) launch in April 2025?

Duolingo launched 148 new language courses in April 2025, more than doubling its current offering. This is the largest content expansion in the company's history.

Which languages are now available across all 28 Duolingo interface languages?

Duolingo's seven most popular non-English languages - Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin - are now available across all 28 supported user interface languages.

How did Duolingo (DUOL) use AI to speed up course development?

Duolingo used generative AI, shared content systems, and internal tooling to create 148 courses in less than a year, compared to the 12 years it took to develop their first 100 courses.

What proficiency levels do Duolingo's 2025 new language courses cover?

The new courses primarily support beginner levels (CEFR A1 - A2) and include features like Stories for reading comprehension and DuoRadio for listening comprehension. Advanced content will be released in coming months.

How will Duolingo's April 2025 expansion affect Asian language learners?

Speakers of Asian languages including Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, Tagalog, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, and Tamil can now access all seven top languages, expanding from previously only having English learning options.