Head to toe – a learner’s guide to the body parts in German

Understanding the names of body parts in German is not just about vocabulary; it’s a key to expressing yourself, discussing health matters, and navigating everyday situations in a new language.

Whether you’re making an appointment with a doctor, choosing the right attire and care products, or even expressing admiration for someone, having command over German body parts provides a foundation for effective communication.

In this guide, we’ll provide you with a detailed list of the most important body parts in German and their English counterparts to help you seamlessly integrate these German words into your everyday conversations.

• Parts of the human body as a vital part of our vocabulary
• The major parts of the body in German
• How we talk about parts of the torso in German
• How we talk about parts of the arms and legs
• Human organs and inner body parts in German
• Phrases involving body part names in German
• Why knowing the human body parts in the German language is helpful

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Parts of the human body as a vital part of our vocabulary

Dealing with language barriers is never fun but in certain situations, such as facing a medical emergency in a foreign country, it can even escalate from inconvenient to life-threatening.

So, knowing basic vocabulary to articulate information about your body in German, particularly indicating a body part where you feel pain or expressing concerns about a potential medical issue, can prove beneficial and could potentially be a matter of life and death.

For quick and easy reference, our overview of German words for the major body parts largely follows human anatomy and groups together related vocabulary, along with the article and plural form of each word so you can learn the gender at the same time.

Speaking of body and health issues, learn the history of Gesundheit to find out why English uses a German expression for “bless you”!

The major parts of the body in German

ENGLISH	GERMAN SINGULAR	GERMAN PLURAL
body	Der Körper	Die Körper
body part	Das Körperteil	Die Körperteile
head	Der Kopf	Die Köpfe
torso	Der Oberkörper / Torso / Rumpf	Die Oberkörper / Torsos / Rümpfe
arm	Der Arm	Die Arme
leg	Das Bein	Die Beine
anatomy	Die Anatomie	Die Anatomien

How we talk about our head and face in German

ENGLISH	GERMAN SINGULAR	GERMAN PLURAL
cheek	Die Wange, Backe	Die Wangen, Backen
chin	Das Kinn	Die Kinne
ear	Das Ohr	Die Ohren
ear lobe	Das Ohrläppchen	Die Ohrläppchen
eye	Das Auge	Die Augen
eyebrow	Die Augenbraue	Die Augenbrauen
eyelash	Die Wimper	Die Wimpern
eyelid	Das Augenlid, Lid	Die Augenlider, Lider
face	Das Gesicht	Die Gesichter
forehead	Die Stirn	Die Stirnen
hair	Das Haar	Die Haare
iris	Die Iris	Die Iriden
jaw	Der Kiefer	Die Kiefer
lip	Die Lippe	Die Lippen
mouth	Der Mund	Die Münder
nose	Die Nase	Die Nasen
nostril	Das Nasenloch	Die Nasenlöcher
pupil	Die Pupille	Die Pupillen
scalp	Die Kopfhaut	Die Kopfhäute
skull	Der Schädel	Die Schädel

How we talk about parts of the torso in German

ENGLISH	GERMAN SINGULAR	GERMAN PLURAL
Adam’s apple	Der Adamsapfel	Die Adamsäpfel
back	Der Rücken	Die Rücken
belly	Der Bauch	Die Bäuche
belly button (navel)	Der Bauchnabel	Die Bauchnabel
breast	Die Brust	Die Brüste
buttocks	Das Gesäß / der Hintern / der Po	Die Gesäße / die Hintern / die Pos
chest	Die Brust	Die Brüste
hip	Die Hüfte	Die Hüften
neck	Der Nacken	Die Nacken
nipple	Der Nippel	Die Nippel
pelvis	Das Becken	Die Becken
shoulder	Die Schulter	Die Schultern
shoulder blade	Das Schulterblatt	Die Schulterblätter
waist	Die Taille	Die Taillen

How we talk about parts of the arms and legs

ENGLISH	GERMAN SINGULAR	GERMAN PLURAL
ankle	Der Knöchel	Die Knöchel
armpit	Die Achsel	Die Achseln
arch	Der Bogen	Die Bögen
ball of the foot	Der Ballen	Die Ballen
calf	Die Wade	Die Waden
elbow	Der Ellenbogen	Die Ellenbogen
finger index finger middle finger ring finger pinky finger	Der Finger Der Zeigefinger Der Mittelfinger Der Ringfinger Der kleine Finger	Die Finger Die Zeigefinger Die Mittelfinger Die Ringfinger Die kleinen Finger
fingernail	Der Fingernagel	Die Fingernägel
foot	Der Fuß	Die Füße
hand	Die Hand	Die Hände
heel	Die Ferse, Hacke	Die Fersen, Hacken
instep	Der Spann, Rist	Die Spanne, Riste
knee	Das Knie	Die Knie
kneecap	Die Kniescheibe	Die Kniescheiben
palm	Die Handfläche	Die Handflächen
shin	Das Schienbein	Die Schienbeine
sole	Die Sohne	Die Sohlen
thumb	Der Daumen	Die Daumen
toe	Der Zeh	Die Zehen
toenail	Der Zehennagel	Die Zehennägel
wrist	Das Handgelenk	Die Handgelenke

Human organs and inner body parts in German

ENGLISH	GERMAN SINGULAR	GERMAN PLURAL
abdomen	Der Unterleib	Die Unterleibe
adrenal gland	Die Nebenniere	Die Nebennieren
appendix	Der Blinddarm	Die Blinddärme
artery	Die Arterie	Die Arterien
bladder	Die Blase	Die Blasen
blood	Das Blut	—
blood cell	Die Blutzelle	Die Blutzellen
blood vessel	Das Blutgefäß	Die Blutgefäße
bone	Der Knochen	Die Knochen
brain	Das Gehirn	Die Gehirn
capillary	Die Kapillare	Die Kapillaren
cell	Die Zelle	Die Zellen
cervix	Der Gebärmutterhals	Die Gebärmutterhälse
circulatory system	Das Kreislaufsystem	Die Kreislaufsysteme
clitoris	Die Klitoris	Die Klitorides
coccyx	Das Steißbein	Die Steißbeine
collar bone, clavicle	Das Schlüsselbein	Die Schlüsselbeine
colon	Der Dickdarm	Die Dickdärme
diaphragm	Das Zwerchfell	Die Zwerchfelle
digestive system	Das Verdauungssystem	Die Verdauungssysteme
endocrine system	Das Hormonsystem	Die Hormonsysteme
esophagus	Die Speiseröhre	Die Speiseröhren
fallopian tube	Der Eileiter	Die Eileiter
femur	Der Oberschenkelknochen	Die Oberschenkelknochen
gallbladder	Die Gallenblase	Die Gallenblasen
gland	Die Drüse	Die Drüsen
groin	Die Leiste	Die Leisten
gum	Das Zahnfleisch	Das Zahnfleisch
heart	Das Herz	Die Herzen
humerus	Der Oberarmknochen	Die Oberarmknochen
immune system	Das Immunsystem	Die Immunsysteme
kidney	Die Niere	Die Nieren
labia	Die Schamlippe	Die Schamlippen
larynx	Der Kehlkopf	Die Kehlköpfe
ligament	Das Band	Die Bänder
liver	Die Leber	Die Lebern
lungs	Die Lunge	Die Lungen
lymph node	Der Lymphknoten	Die Lymphknoten
mandible	Der Unterkiefer	Die Unterkiefer
molar	Der Backenzahn	Die Backenzähne
muscle	Der Muskel	Die Muskeln
nerve	Der Nerv	Die Nerven
organ	Das Organ	Die Organe
ovary	Der Eierstock	Die Eierstöcke
pancreas	Die Bauchspeicheldrüse	Die Bauchspeicheldrüsen
penis	Der Penis	Die Penisse
pharynx	Der Rachen	Die Rachen
pore	Die Pore	Die Poren
prostate	Die Prostata	Die Prostatae
rectum	Der Enddarm	Die Enddärme
respiratory system	Das Atmungssystem	Die Atmungssysteme
rib	Die Rippe	Die Rippen
skeleton	Das Skelett	Die Skelette
skin	Die Haut	Die Häute
spine	Die Wirbelsäule	Die Wirbelsäulen
spleen	Die Milz	Die Milzen
sternum	Das Brustbein	Die Brustbeine
stomach	Der Magen	Die Mägen
tendon	Die Sehne	Die Sehnen
testicle	Der Hoden	Die Hoden
thigh	Der Schenkel	Die Schenkel
thorax	Der Brustkorb	Die Brustkörbe
throat	Die Kehle	Die Kehlen
thyroid	Die Schilddrüse	Die Schilddrüsen
tissue	Das Gewebe	Die Gewebe
tongue	Die Zunge	Die Zungen
tooth	Der Zahn	Die Zähne
trachea	Die Luftröhre	Die Luftröhren
urethra	Die Harnröhre	Die Harnröhren
uterus	Der Uterus	Die Uteri
uvula	Das Zäpfchen	Die Zäpfchen
vagina	Die Vagina	Die Vaginae
vein	Die Vene	Die Venen
vertebra	Der Wirbel	Die Wirbel

Phrases involving body part names in German

Same as in English, German idioms often involve body parts or talk about the body. Here are a few choice examples which highlight how the two languages can use both similar and different expressions:

• Hals über Kopf: The German equivalent to “head over heels” literally means “neck over head”.
• Hand und Fuß: If something has both hand and foot in German, it’s solid and makes sense or is sensible.
• Ins Auge fallen: The English equivalent would be “to catch someone’s eye”.
• Die Finger von etwas lassen: In English, we keep our hands off something, whereas the Germans only refer to the fingers; the meaning stays the same!
• Ganz Ohr sein: This one is parallel to English, as “Ganz ohr sein” means “to be all ears”.
• Den Nacken / Die Ohren steif halten: To not lose hope, we keep our chin up in English and power through. Germans are all about keeping a stiff neck or stiff ears!
• Kalte Füße bekommen: When you’re having second thoughts and want to back out off something, you’re getting cold feet. The German expression is the same.
• Die Nase voll haben: When you’ve had enough of something, you can say that you have a full nose in German.
• Sich ins Knie schießen: If you fire a shot against yourself by accident, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. The German version aims a little higher and shoot themselves in the knee!

There are more similarities and differences between German and English: have a look at the differences in grammar!

Why knowing the human body parts in the German language is helpful

Knowing body parts in German equips you with useful vocabulary you can employ not only when going to the doctor but also in everyday conversations when you talk about how you’re feeling, about your skills, movements, and people’ s looks.

Using our overview of German body parts, you’ll learn articles and plural forms at the same time. Talking about the human body can also help you with the German possessive pronouns and reflexive verbs.

Do you want to deepen your knowledge of conversational German? Continue learning with our overview of the most common German phrases!

FAQs related to this guide to German body parts

Here are also some of the questions people ask about German words related to the body

How do I learn vocabulary for body parts in German?

To learn vocabulary for body parts in German, focus on recognizing similarities between German and English terms. Many German words for body parts closely resemble their English counterparts.

Seeking immersive experiences, such as conversing with native speakers or watching German content related to health and anatomy, can also enhance your understanding and retention of the vocabulary.

What are the German words for the parts of the face?

Learning German vocabulary for facial features is made easier by recognizing the linguistic parallels with English. For instance, the German word “der Arm” corresponds to “arm,” “die Lippen” to “lips,” “die Brust” to “breast”, ”die Nase” to ”nose” etc.

So, you’ll find that many German words related to the face share common roots with their English counterparts.

How do we make the plural forms of body parts in German?

In German, to form the plural of body parts, generally add “-en” to the singular noun. For instance, “der Zeh” (toe) -“die Zehen” (toes). Another example is “das Auge” (eye) – “die Augen” (eyes) in the plural form.

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Summing up: a learner’s guide to the body parts in German

In conclusion, learning all the body parts listed in our German guide will surely prove to be a rewarding aspect of learning the language, especially in situations where we might need to articulate concern about our health conditions.

By recognizing the linguistic parallels between German and English, such as “der Zeh” for toe and “die Zehen” for toes, learning German usually feels easier and less intimidating.

We hope that our guide can transform language learning from a daunting task into a navigable journey, empowering learners to express themselves effectively and navigate diverse linguistic contexts with ease.

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