Parts of the body in English
Learn the parts of the body in English from head to toe, plus useful phrases for aches and pains such as I have a headache and my back hurts.
In this lesson
Parts of the body in English are words such as head, arm, hand, leg and foot. You need them to describe people, follow a doctor’s advice and say when something hurts. This lesson covers the head and face, the body, arms and hands, legs and feet, and inside the body, plus phrases such as I have a headache.
Key point
Use a possessive word such as my, your or his with parts of the body: I washed my hands, not I washed the hands. Learn the irregular plurals: one foot, two feet; one tooth, two teeth.
What are the parts of the head and face?
Start at the top. These words help you describe what people look like and say where you feel pain.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| head | The top part of your body, above your neck. | She nodded her head. |
| hair | The thin threads that grow on your head. | My sister has long black hair. |
| face | The front of your head, where your eyes, nose and mouth are. | Wash your face with cold water. |
| forehead | The part of your face above your eyes. | Mum touched my forehead to check for a fever. |
| eyebrow | The line of hair above each eye. | She raised her eyebrows in surprise. |
| eyelash | One of the short hairs on the edge of your eyelid. | The baby has long eyelashes. |
| eye | The part of your face that you see with. | Close your eyes and listen. |
| ear | The part of your head that you hear with. | He whispered in my ear. |
| nose | The part of your face that you breathe and smell with. | Breathe in through your nose. |
| cheek | The soft part of your face below each eye. | Her cheeks were red from the sun. |
| mouth | The part of your face that you eat and speak with. | Don’t talk with your mouth full. |
| lip | One of the two soft edges of your mouth. | My lips are dry in this weather. |
| tooth | One of the hard white things in your mouth that you bite with. The plural is teeth. | Brush your teeth twice a day. |
| tongue | The soft part inside your mouth that you taste with. | The hot soup burnt my tongue. |
| chin | The part of your face below your mouth. | He has a small scar on his chin. |
| jaw | The lower part of your face that moves when you talk or eat. | My jaw hurts when I chew. |
| neck | The part of your body between your head and your shoulders. | She wore a gold chain around her neck. |
| throat | The passage inside your neck that food and air go down. | I have a sore throat. |
Examples
- She has long black hair and big brown eyes.
- My grandfather has a round face and a grey beard.
- The baby has her mother’s nose and her father’s chin.
What are the main parts of the body?
These words name the large parts of your body between your neck and your legs.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| body | The whole of a person: the head, arms, legs and everything else. | Exercise is good for your body and your mind. |
| shoulder | The part where your arm joins your body. | He carried the bag on his shoulder. |
| chest | The front of your body between your neck and your stomach. | The doctor listened to my chest. |
| back | The part of your body from your neck to your bottom, on the other side from your chest. | My back hurts after a long bus ride. |
| stomach | The front of your body below your chest, or the organ inside it where food goes. Informal: tummy. | I lay on my stomach on the beach. |
| waist | The middle part of your body, above your hips. | She tied a belt around her waist. |
| hip | The part at each side of your body between your waist and your legs. | My grandmother had an operation on her hip. |
| bottom | The part of your body that you sit on. | I slipped and fell on my bottom. |
| skin | The outer layer that covers your body. | Use sun cream to protect your skin. |
Note
Stomach has two meanings: the front of your body below your chest, and the organ inside where food goes. Children and parents often say tummy. The skin is the largest organ of the human body.
What are the parts of the arm and hand?
Your arm goes from your shoulder to your hand. The places where it bends, such as your elbow and wrist, are called joints.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| arm | The long part of your body between your shoulder and your hand. | She held the baby in her arms. |
| elbow | The joint in the middle of your arm, where it bends. | Don’t put your elbows on the table. |
| wrist | The joint between your hand and your arm. | He wears a watch on his left wrist. |
| hand | The part at the end of your arm, with four fingers and a thumb. | Raise your hand if you know the answer. |
| palm | The inside part of your hand. | Hold the seeds in the palm of your hand. |
| finger | One of the four long, thin parts at the end of your hand. | She wears a ring on her finger. |
| thumb | The short, thick finger at the side of your hand. | He hurt his thumb playing cricket. |
| nail | The hard part at the end of each finger and toe. Also fingernail and toenail. | Cut your nails every week. |
| knuckle | One of the joints in your fingers. | She knocked on the door with her knuckles. |
Note
The five fingers are the thumb, the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger and the little finger. In American English, the little finger is often called the pinkie.
What are the parts of the leg and foot?
Your leg goes from your hip to your foot. Like the arm, it has joints that bend: the knee and the ankle.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| leg | One of the two long parts of your body that you stand and walk on. | I hurt my leg playing football. |
| thigh | The top part of your leg, above your knee. | Cyclists have strong thighs. |
| knee | The joint in the middle of your leg, where it bends. | He fell and cut his knee. |
| shin | The front of your leg, between your knee and your ankle. | The ball hit me on the shin. |
| calf | The back of your leg, between your knee and your ankle. The plural is calves. | My calves hurt after the long walk. |
| ankle | The joint between your foot and your leg. | She twisted her ankle on the stairs. |
| foot | The part at the end of your leg that you stand on. The plural is feet. | Take off your shoes and rest your feet. |
| heel | The back part of your foot. | These new shoes hurt my heels. |
| toe | One of the five small parts at the end of your foot. | The children wiggled their toes in the sand. |
| sole | The bottom part of your foot. | The hot sand burnt the soles of my feet. |
Common mistake
My foots hurt and I brush my tooths every day. → My feet hurt and I brush my teeth every day.
What is inside the body?
The parts inside your body are called organs, such as the heart and the lungs. You will need these words when you read about health or talk to a doctor.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| brain | The organ inside your head that you think with. | The brain controls the whole body. |
| heart | The organ in your chest that pumps blood around your body. | Your heart beats faster when you run. |
| lungs | The two organs in your chest that you breathe with. | Smoking damages your lungs. |
| liver | A large organ that cleans your blood. | Too much alcohol can damage the liver. |
| kidneys | The two organs that clean your blood and make urine. | Drink plenty of water to keep your kidneys healthy. |
| blood | The red liquid that moves around your body. | He gave blood at the hospital. |
| bone | One of the hard white parts inside your body. | An adult has 206 bones. |
| muscle | A part of the body that tightens and relaxes to help you move. | Exercise makes your muscles stronger. |
| vein | A thin tube that carries blood back to your heart. | The nurse found a vein in my arm. |
Examples
- The heart pumps blood around the body.
- We breathe in air with our lungs.
- He broke a bone in his foot.
How do you say that something hurts?
When you feel pain, you can say I have a … with a word that ends in -ache, or you can say My … hurts. Use hurts with one body part and hurt with two or more: My back hurts. My feet hurt.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| headache | A pain in your head. | I have a headache, so I’m going to lie down. |
| toothache | A pain in one of your teeth. | I have toothache. I need to see a dentist. |
| earache | A pain inside your ear. | The baby is crying because she has earache. |
| stomach ache | A pain in your stomach. | I have a stomach ache after eating too much. |
| backache | A pain in your back. | Sitting at a desk all day gives me backache. |
| sore throat | A painful throat, often when you have a cold. | I have a sore throat, so I can’t sing today. |
| runny nose | A nose with liquid coming out of it, usually because of a cold. | I have a runny nose and a cough. |
| cold | A common illness that gives you a sore throat, a runny nose and sneezing. | I’ve got a cold, so I’m staying at home. |
| fever | A high body temperature because you are ill. British English also says a temperature. | She has a fever, so she can’t go to school. |
| cough | A loud noise when air comes suddenly out of your throat. It is also a verb. | He has a bad cough. |
| hurt | To feel pain, or to cause pain. The past form is also hurt. | My back hurts. I hurt my ankle playing netball. |
| ache | To feel a dull pain that does not stop. | My legs ache after the long walk. |
Examples
- I have a headache. (British English also: I’ve got a headache.)
- My back hurts.
- My feet hurt after walking all day.
- I hurt my ankle yesterday.
- My eyes are sore.
- I feel sick. I think I’m going to be sick.
- What’s the matter? My stomach hurts.
- Where does it hurt? It hurts here, on my knee.
Common mistake
My head is paining. → My head hurts. or I have a headache.
Note
In British English, toothache, earache, backache and stomach ache are often used without a: I have toothache. Headache always takes a: I have a headache. In British English, I feel sick usually means you feel you are going to vomit.
How can you learn body words quickly?
Tip
Play the game Simon says with a friend or with children. One person gives orders such as Simon says touch your nose! or Simon says raise your left hand! The others move only when they hear Simon says.
Use body words with colours in English to describe people (brown eyes, black hair) and with family members in English to say who looks like whom (I have my mother’s eyes). To choose between hurts and hurt, see singular and plural verbs, and learn past forms such as hurt and broke in regular and irregular verbs. Every word from this lesson is also in our English Word Bank.
For more words, explore the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries topic list of body words and the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries list of words for health problems.
Now test yourself with the practice quiz.
Summary
- Learn body words in groups: head and face, body, arms and hands, legs and feet, and inside the body.
- Use my, your or his with body parts: I washed my hands.
- Remember the irregular plurals: foot and feet, tooth and teeth.
- Say I have a headache or My back hurts to talk about pain.
- Use hurts with one body part and hurt with two or more.
Frequently asked questions
What is the plural of foot and tooth?
The plural of foot is feet, and the plural of tooth is teeth. These plurals are irregular, so they do not add -s.
Is it my head hurts or my head is paining?
Say My head hurts or I have a headache. My head is paining is heard in South Asian English, but it is not standard English.
What is the difference between hurt and ache?
Hurt is the general word for feeling pain: My arm hurts. Ache means a dull pain that goes on for some time: My legs ache after the walk.
What are the names of the five fingers?
They are the thumb, the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger and the little finger. In American English, the little finger is often called the pinkie.
What is the largest organ of the human body?
The skin is the largest organ. Inside the body, the largest organ is the liver.
Practise this lesson
12 questions
