Kammala jumla mai zuwa: AKároly Than an haife shi a Óbecse, Masarautar Hungary, Daular Austriya (a yau Bečej, Serbia). Ya katse karatunsa kuma ya shiga sojojin Hungary a cikin
yakin neman 'yancin kai 1848 yana da shekaru 14. Da ya dawo, sai ya ga mahaifiyarsa ta mutu kuma mahaifinsa ya lalace. Sai ya yi aiki a gidajen magani da dama don samun kudi don kammala karatunsa. Bayan ya halarci makaranta a Szeged, Than ya fara karatun likitanci kuma daga baya kimiyyar sunadarai a Jami'ar Vienna. Ya sami digirinsa na PhD don aiki tare da Josef Redtenbacher a cikin 1858. Bayan ya yi aiki na ɗan lokaci a matsayin mataimakin Redtenbacher, ya bar karatu tare da Robert Bunsen a Jami'ar Heidelberg da Charles-Adolphe Wurtz a Jami'ar Paris. Bayan dawowarsa Redtenbacher a 1859, ya yi aiki a matsayin malami a Jami'ar Vienna.