Body Parts

1. la tête

   Head

   Usage

   Show it at a clinic and point to your head. "J'ai mal à la tête" means my head hurts

   Grammar Note

   Feminine. Pain uses "avoir mal à" plus the definite article, not a possessive

2. les cheveux

   Hair

   Usage

   Used at a salon or barber. Head hair is always plural in French, and body hair is a different word, "les poils"

   Grammar Note

   Masculine plural; the singular "un cheveu" means one single strand

3. le visage

   Face

   Usage

   Use it to mark the treatment area at a spa or to show a skin problem. Casually people also say "la figure"

4. les yeux

   Eyes

   Usage

   Point to them for pain or redness, or to ask for "le collyre" — eye drops

   Grammar Note

   The singular is "un œil"; the plural "les yeux" is irregular

5. l'oreille

   Ear

   Usage

   Use it for ear trouble after a flight or a dive: "j'ai mal à l'oreille"

   Grammar Note

   Feminine; "la" elides to "l'" before a vowel

6. le nez

   Nose

   Usage

   Point to it at a pharmacy for a blocked nose ("le nez bouché") or a nosebleed

7. la bouche

   Mouth

   Usage

   Use it for pain inside the mouth. A mouth ulcer is "un aphte"

8. les dents

   Teeth

   Usage

   Show it at the dentist while pointing at the tooth. "J'ai mal aux dents" is the set phrase

   Grammar Note

   Feminine; a single tooth is "une dent"

9. la langue

   Tongue

   Usage

   For a burnt tongue or a sore on it. The same word also means "language"

10. le cou

    Neck

    Usage

    The outside of the neck. A crick in it has its own word, "le torticolis" — say that at a massage shop

11. la gorge

    Throat

    Usage

    Use it at a pharmacy or clinic. "J'ai mal à la gorge" is the set phrase

12. l'épaule

    Shoulder

    Usage

    Point to it to ask a masseur to focus there

    Grammar Note

    Feminine; plural "les épaules"

13. le bras

    Arm

    Usage

    Use it to show where you were hurt. French keeps the arm and the hand apart, as English does

    Grammar Note

    Same form in both numbers: "le bras", "les bras"

14. le coude

    Elbow

    Usage

    A common place for grazes — point to it after a bike or scooter spill

15. le poignet

    Wrist

    Usage

    Use it for a sprain: "je me suis foulé le poignet"

16. la main

    Hand

    Usage

    Use it to show an injury or the area to be treated at a nail salon

17. le doigt

    Finger

    Usage

    Point to it for an injury or a ring size. A toe has its own word, "l'orteil"

18. l'ongle

    Nail

    Usage

    Use it at a nail salon, or to show an ingrown nail. A manicure is "la manucure"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine; "le" elides to "l'" before a vowel

19. la poitrine

    Chest

    Usage

    Point to it for chest pain or tightness. This is urgent — show it early

20. le ventre

    Belly

    Usage

    The key word for food trouble: "j'ai mal au ventre". Diarrhoea is "la diarrhée"

21. l'estomac

    Stomach (organ)

    Usage

    French separates the belly you can touch ("le ventre") from the digestive organ ("l'estomac"). Use this one for stomach medicine or a stomach condition

    Grammar Note

    Masculine, and the final "c" is silent

22. le dos

    Back

    Usage

    Use it to direct a massage or to show where the pain is

23. le bas du dos

    Lower back

    Usage

    There is no single French word for it — use this or "les lombaires" for pain, and "la taille" for a waist measurement. A sudden strain is "un tour de reins"

24. la hanche

    Hip

    Usage

    The joint at the side of the pelvis. The buttocks themselves are "les fesses"

25. la jambe

    Leg

    Usage

    Point to it to show an injury or the area for a massage. The calf is "le mollet", the thigh "la cuisse"

26. le genou

    Knee

    Usage

    For knee pain after long travel or a hike, or to show a fall injury

    Grammar Note

    Irregular plural "les genoux", with an -x

27. le pied

    Foot

    Usage

    For blisters and injuries. A blister is "une ampoule" — the same word as a light bulb

28. la cheville

    Ankle

    Usage

    Point to it for a sprain: "je me suis tordu la cheville"

29. l'orteil

    Toe

    Usage

    For a stubbed toe or a split nail. Conversationally people also say "le doigt de pied"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine; "le" elides to "l'" before a vowel

30. la peau

    Skin

    Usage

    Use it at a pharmacy for bites, sunburn ("un coup de soleil") or a rash

31. l'os

    Bone

    Usage

    Use it when you think something is broken: "je pense que c'est cassé"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine. The final "s" is pronounced in the singular but silent in the plural "les os"

32. le sang

    Blood

    Usage

    For bleeding or a blood test. Your group is "le groupe sanguin" and a blood draw "une prise de sang"

33. le cœur

    Heart

    Usage

    For palpitations or a heart condition — but beware: "j'ai mal au cœur" means "I feel sick", not chest pain. For that say "j'ai une douleur à la poitrine"

34. le poumon

    Lung

    Usage

    For a cough, breathlessness or asthma. Say "les poumons" for both

35. l'intestin

    Intestine

    Usage

    Use it with a doctor for lasting diarrhoea or abdominal trouble

36. le foie

    Liver

    Usage

    For a liver condition or your medication. The French even have a phrase for over-indulgence: "une crise de foie"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine, and a homophone of "la foi" (faith) and "la fois" (time, occasion)

37. le rein

    Kidney

    Usage

    For a kidney condition or pain in your side; a stone is "un calcul rénal". Note that the plural "les reins" can also mean the small of the back

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