Where to even start with Final Fantasy?

I’ve been wanting to jump in on the final fantasy universe for a while now but I’m not sure where to start.

To be clear, I don’t have hundreds of hours to play the whole series. Someone told me that each game tends to be somewhat separate from the series as a whole.

So what is the most recent game in the series that I can start with that is worth it to play and wouldn’t confuse a newcomer?