Body Parts in Japanese: Head, Hand, Eyes & More (with Audio)

The short answer

Body is からだ. Head あたま, face かお, hand て, foot/leg あし.
あし covers both leg and foot; て covers hand and sometimes arm.
“My head hurts”: あたまがいたいです.
Japanese has fun body idioms: かおがひろい, literally “wide face” = well-connected.

Head and face

あたまatama
head
かおkao
face
かみkami
hair (on the head)
めme
eye
みみmimi
ear
はなhana
noseSame sound as flower (花), different pitch.
くちkuchi
mouth
はha
tooth
くびkubi
neck

Body

からだkarada
body
かたkata
shoulder
むねmune
chest
おなかonaka
stomach, belly
せなかsenaka
back
こしkoshi
lower back, hips
うでude
arm
てte
hand
ゆびyubi
finger
あしashi
leg, foot
ひざhiza
knee

Saying what hurts

The pattern is simple: body part + が + いたいです. いたい means painful.

あたまがいたいですatama ga itai desu
I have a headache.
おなかがいたいですonaka ga itai desu
I have a stomachache.
のどがいたいですnodo ga itai desu
I have a sore throat.
はがいたいですha ga itai desu
I have a toothache.
ねつがありますnetsu ga arimasu
I have a fever.
きぶんがわるいですkibun ga warui desu
I feel sick.
いたい！itai!
Ouch!

Fun idioms with body parts

Idiom	Literally	Meaning
かおがひろい	wide face	knows lots of people
はながたかい	high nose	proud
みみがいたい	ears hurt	a criticism hits home
てがたりない	not enough hands	short-handed
あしがぼうになる	legs become sticks	legs are exhausted from walking

Describing people

かみがながいですkami ga nagai desu
(She) has long hair.
めがおおきいですme ga ōkii desu
(He) has big eyes.
せがたかいですse ga takai desu
(He) is tall.せ = height, back.

The pattern person は body part が adjective is the same as the famous ぞうははながながい, elephants have long trunks. See は vs. が.

At the doctor’s

きのうからあたまがいたいですkinō kara atama ga itai desu
I’ve had a headache since yesterday.
せきがでますseki ga demasu
I have a cough.
はなみずがでますhanamizu ga demasu
I have a runny nose.
アレルギーがありますarerugī ga arimasu
I have allergies.
くすりをのんでいますkusuri o nonde imasu
I’m taking medication.Medicine is “drunk” (のむ) in Japanese.

Japanese gestures

Pointing at your nose means me?, where English speakers point at their chest.
Beckoning is done palm down, waving the fingers towards you.
Waving a hand in front of your face means no or not me.
Crossing your arms in an X (バツ) means no or not allowed; a circle (マル) means OK.

Body verbs

てをあらうte o arau
wash your hands
はをみがくha o migaku
brush your teeth
めをとじるme o tojiru
close your eyes
てをあげるte o ageru
raise your hand

Body check0/3

“I have a headache.”
あし means:
かおがひろい means someone is:

Frequently asked questions

How do you say body parts in Japanese?

Head is あたま (atama), face かお (kao), eye め (me), ear みみ (mimi), nose はな (hana), mouth くち (kuchi), hand て (te), arm うで (ude), leg/foot あし (ashi) and stomach おなか (onaka).

How do you say it hurts in Japanese?

Use body part + が + いたいです: あたまがいたいです means 'my head hurts'. A sudden 'ouch!' is いたい!

What is the difference between ashi meanings?

あし can mean both leg and foot. Different kanji (足 and 脚) exist, but in speech it's the same word.

How do you say I have a cold in Japanese?

Say 風邪をひきました (kaze o hikimashita). For a cough: 咳が出ます (seki ga demasu); for a runny nose: 鼻水が出ます (hanamizu ga demasu).