Body Parts in Japanese: Vocabulary and Phrases!

Knowing how to say body parts in Japanese can be super useful! It’s not the first thing Japanese learners will want to learn, but it is an essential set of vocabulary. Imagine that you’re in Japan for the first time, and you need to go to the doctor. With this vocabulary, you can tell your doctor exactly what part of your body hurts.

Contents hide

1 Introduction to body parts in Japanese:

2 How to say Body in Japanese

3 Head/face

4 Upper body

5 Lower body

6 Internal body parts

7 Useful phrases with body parts:

8 Japanese Idioms that use body parts

Introduction to body parts in Japanese:

Before we get into body parts in Japanese there are a few things I would like to mention about how to use the vocabulary.

Polite form of the body part word:

With some of the vocabulary words, it is possible that there are multiple ways to say the same word. For example, へそ(heso) and おへそ (oheso) meaning belly button. Notice how one has お(o) and the other doesn’t. The お(o) adds politeness to the word.

There are no real rules for which words can have polite versions. You’ll just have to learn them through listening to native speakers.

Lack of plural form:

Another thing is that there are no plural forms for these words. The Japanese language uses context and extra words to show the amount. For example, 目め(me) or eye can refer to one, two, three, or multiple eyes!

How to say Body in Japanese

There are three different ways to say “body” in Japanese!

体からだ – karada

This is the most standard way that you might see the word for “body”. It can apply to animals and human bodies. When in doubt, use karada to refer to the body!

身体しんたい – shintai

When you see shintai, it’s usually a bit more formal. For example, full body checkup at a doctor is called 身体検査しんたいけんさ (shintai kensa). Unlike karada, it only applies to humans.

身み – mi

This word refers to the body on the inside, and can refer to your consciousness of self. Don’t use this one for “body” unless you’re talking about your inner self. However, note that this kanji does combine with other kanji to refer to different parts of the physical body. For example, 上半身じょうはんしん (upper body) or 身体しんたい (whole body).

Head/face

First let’s get started with parts of the head and face! Here’s a list of words that you’ll want to learn.

頭あたま – atama – head

髪かみ – kami – hair on your head

耳みみ – mimi – ear

顔かお – kao – face

額ひたい/おでこ – hitai/odeko(informal) – forehead

目め– me – eye

まぶた – mabuta – eyelid

まつ毛げ – matsuge – eye lash

眉毛まゆげ – mayuge – eyebrow

鼻はな – hana – nose

鼻はなの穴あな – hana no ana – nostril

髭ひげ – hige – beard/mustache

口くち – kuchi – mouth

歯は – ha – teeth

舌した – shita – tongue

唇くちびる – kuchibiru – lips

頬ほほ/ほっぺた – hoho/hoppeta(informal) – cheek

顎あご – ago – chin

首くび – kubi – neck

喉のど – nodo – throat

Upper body

Now let’s move on to upper body parts in Japanese!

上半身じょうはんしん – jouhanshin – upper body

胸むね – mune – breast/chest/sometimes means heart

腹はら/お腹なか – hara/onaka(polite) – stomach

へそ/おへそ – heso/oheso(polite) – bellybutton

肩かた – kata – shoulder

背中せなか – senaka – back

腕うで – ude – arm

肘ひじ – hiji – elbow

手首てくび – tekubi – wrist

手て – te – hand

指ゆび – yubi – finger

親指おやゆび – oya yubi – thumb

人差ひとさし指ゆび – hitosashi yubi – pointer finger

中指なかゆび – naka yubi – middle finger

薬指くすりゆび – kusuri yubi – fourth finger

小指こゆび – koyubi – little finger

Lower body

Next up is the lower body parts in Japanese!

下半身かはんしん – kahanshin – lower body

腰こし – koshi – hip

尻しり/お尻しり – shiri/oshiri(polite) – butt

足あし – ashi – feet

太腿ふともも – thigh

膝ひざ – hiza – knees

足首あしくび – ashikubi – ankle

踵かかと – kakato – heel

つま先さき – tsumasaki – toes

Internal body parts

Finally, these can be useful when you need to talk to a doctor.

内臓ないぞう – naizou – internal organs

大腸だいちょう – daichou – large intestine

小腸しょうちょう – shouchou – small intestine

肺はい – hai – lungs

心臓しんぞう – shinzou – heart (organ)

骨ほね – hone – bone

筋肉きんにく – kinniku – muscle

脳のう– nou – brain

肝臓かんぞう – kanzou – liver

腎臓じんぞう – jinzou – kidney

膵臓すいぞう – suizou – pancreas

血ち – chi – blood

Useful phrases with body parts:

In the following phrases, the verbs are in dictionary form. This means that you can change the verbs according to how you want to say the sentence. In the blank, add the body part you want to talk about.

_____が痛いたむ – ga itamu – _____ hurts
Ex. 腰こしが痛いたむ – koshi ga itamu – my hip hurts.

_____が重おもい – ga omoi – _____ is heavy
Ex. 体からだが重おもい – karada ga omoi – my body feels heavy.

_____が疲つかれる – _____ is tired
Ex. 目めが疲つかれる – me ga tsukareru – my eyes feel tired.

お体からだに気きをつけてください。- okarada ni ki o tsukete kudasai – Take care with your body

This phrase is often used in polite situations if you want to wish for another person’s health. You might hear this in a hospital or if you won’t see someone for a long time.

Japanese Idioms that use body parts

In every language, there are idioms that relate to body parts. For example, the phrase “break a leg” in English means “good luck”. Japanese is no exception and idioms can be a fun way to remember the body parts!

腹はらが減へる – hara ga heru
Literal translation: stomach is less
Meaning: Hungry

腹はらが立たつ – hara ga tatsu
Literal translation: stomach is standing
Meaning: Angry

口くちが硬かたい – kuchi ga katai
Litereal translation: mouth is hard
Meaning: refers to someone who can keep secrets

鼻はなが高たかい – hana ga takai
Literal translation: nose is high
Meaning: Someone who is full of themself

頭あたまから火ひが出でる – atama kara hi ga deru
Literal translation: Fire coming out of the head
Meaning: Very angry

死人しにんに口くちなし – shinin ni kuchi nashi
Literal translation: No mouth for dead people
Meaning: Someone who’s dead can speak for themselves

I hope this article can be useful when you want to talk about body parts in Japanese! I also recommend knowing these words for complimenting people. See my article on How to compliment men in Japanese or How to compliment women in Japanese

~ Tanuki

Author: Tanuki

Filed Under: Blog Home, Japanese Language Learning

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