Body Parts in Japanese: Complete Vocabulary List
Body part vocabulary is essential for medical situations, describing yourself, understanding Japanese idioms, and basic daily communication. Japanese uses a mix of native Japanese words (和語) and Sino-Japanese compounds (漢語) for body parts — knowing both is important because doctors and medical contexts prefer the formal compound forms.
Head and Face (頭と顔)
- 頭 (あたま) — head
- 顔 (かお) — face
- 目 (め) — eye(s)
- 鼻 (はな) — nose
- 口 (くち) — mouth
- 歯 (は) — teeth / tooth
- 舌 (した) — tongue
- 唇 (くちびる) — lips
- 耳 (みみ) — ear(s)
- あご (顎) — jaw / chin
- ほほ / ほっぺた (頬) — cheek(s)
- まゆ毛 (まゆげ) — eyebrows
- まつ毛 (まつげ) — eyelashes
- 額 (ひたい) — forehead
- 喉 (のど) — throat
Upper Body (上半身)
- 首 (くび) — neck
- 肩 (かた) — shoulder(s)
- 胸 (むね) — chest
- 背中 (せなか) — back
- 腕 (うで) — arm
- 肘 (ひじ) — elbow
- 手 (て) — hand
- 手首 (てくび) — wrist
- 指 (ゆび) — finger(s)
- 爪 (つめ) — nail(s)
- 脇 (わき) — armpit / side
Lower Body (下半身)
- 腰 (こし) — lower back / waist / hips
- お腹 (おなか) — stomach / abdomen
- 足 (あし) — leg / foot
- 太もも (ふともも) — thigh
- 膝 (ひざ) — knee
- すね (脛) — shin
- ふくらはぎ — calf (of leg)
- 足首 (あしくび) — ankle
- かかと — heel
- つま先 (つまさき) — toes / tip of foot
Internal Organs (内臓)
- 心臓 (しんぞう) — heart
- 肺 (はい) — lungs
- 胃 (い) — stomach
- 腸 (ちょう) — intestines
- 肝臓 (かんぞう) — liver
- 腎臓 (じんぞう) — kidneys
- 脳 (のう) — brain
At the Doctor: Describing Symptoms
Body Part Idioms in Japanese
Japanese has dozens of idioms built from body part vocabulary. These are used constantly in everyday speech and writing.
| Phrase | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 手を貸す | てをかす | To help / lend a hand |
| 足を引っ張る | あしをひっぱる | To hold back / drag someone down / be a deadweight |
| 頭が固い | あたまがかたい | Stubborn / inflexible-minded |
| 目を覚ます | めをさます | To wake up / come to one's senses |
| 顔が広い | かおがひろい | Well-connected / knows many people |
| 口が軽い | くちがかるい | Loose-lipped / talks too much |
| 耳が早い | みみがはやい | Quick to hear news / well-informed |
| 胸が痛い | むねがいたい | To feel heartache / be grieved |
Practice body part vocabulary in Japanese
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Check My Japanese free →Travel phrases guideFrequently Asked Questions
How do you say "it hurts" for a body part in Japanese?
Use the pattern: [body part] + が + 痛い (itai). Examples: 頭が痛い (atama ga itai — my head hurts), 喉が痛い (nodo ga itai — my throat hurts), お腹が痛い (onaka ga itai — my stomach hurts). At a doctor, you can point and say ここが痛いです (koko ga itai desu — it hurts here).
What Japanese body part words are most important for travelling?
For medical emergencies and doctor visits: 頭 (atama — head), 喉 (nodo — throat), お腹 (onaka — stomach/abdomen), 胸 (mune — chest), 足 (ashi — leg/foot), 腰 (koshi — lower back). Also: 熱がある (netsu ga aru — I have a fever), 吐き気がします (hakike ga shimasu — I feel nauseous).
What is the difference between 手 and 腕 in Japanese?
手 (te) refers to the hand, but in casual Japanese it can also mean the arm more broadly. 腕 (ude) specifically means the arm (upper limb). Similarly, 足 (ashi) means both leg and foot, while 脚 (ashi, written differently) specifically means the leg, and 足 (足首 = ankle, 足の甲 = top of foot) is more foot-specific in compound words.
How do Japanese people describe swelling or injury?
Common medical description patterns: 〜が腫れています (~ ga harete imasu — ~ is swollen), 〜が赤くなっています (~ ga akaku natte imasu — ~ has become red), 〜にあざがあります (~ ni aza ga arimasu — there is a bruise on ~), 〜を骨折しました (~ o kossetsu shimashita — I fractured my ~).