81 awesome anatomy words to conquer head and body parts in French

It’s a Romance language, and they say it’s also the language of love. But to be truly romantic, you’ll need to know how to talk about body parts in French.

Indeed, being able to compliment your chéri(e)’s face, hair, and eyes will get you far. But besides romantic endeavors, knowing the parts of the body in French can be super important—and potentially life-saving.

If you need a doctor while visiting Paris or Québec, you’ll likely find it very useful to know how to communicate where the pain is coming from.

So, whether you’re looking to be romantic for a special someone or wanting to be prepared for any mishaps, we’ve got your back. This guide will show you how to talk about the parts of the body in French, both inner and outer. We’ll also include some tips and fun songs to help you memorize every body part.

Ready to get started? Allez-y !

Learn the head and body parts in French with this free poster.

Why learn about French body parts?

Doctors visits

As you can imagine, fewer things can be scarier than being in a foreign country and not being able to communicate with medical personnel. Even if you’re a healthy person and not prone to sickness, you should know about the body parts in case of an accident while abroad.

Once you learn the French body parts along with a little vocabulary for pains and aches, you’ll be prepared for any unforeseen illnesses and injuries.

Understand charcuterie

Who doesn’t love a good charcuterie board? France is known for its spectacular cheeses as well as their artisanal cold cuts. Next time you pay a visit to your charcutière, you can be prepared to ask for specific animal body parts, especially if you’ve already studied the animals in French.

Learn French sayings and expressions

French is a language as diverse as it is beautiful. With francophone countries in every continent, you’ll find that there are countless French slang words and expressions that involve the body parts.

While this diversity of expressions can be exciting, it can also be a challenge if you don’t have solid vocabulary foundations. Keep reading this blog to learn a few dozen French sayings and expressions that involve body parts!

Learn the head and body parts in French with this free poster

For those of you who don’t like traditional study methods, we get you. Print this poster and stick it to your fridge for a great way to learn the parts of the body that don’t involve long hours at the library. I'm ready!

How to say “body” in French

Now, let’s get started. The first thing you should know is how to say body in French: le corps. If it reminds you of the English corpse, you’re right. The English word for corpse comes from Old French, although its meaning has changed to a dead body. This is not the case in French, as le corps still very much refers to a living body (a dead one is called un cadavre).

Another thing you should keep in mind is the pronunciation of corps. If you’ve been studying French for a while, you may already be familiar with French pronunciation rules. In this word, the final consonants are silent, so you only pronounce “cor.” It should sound almost like core, but with a little of that French “arr” sound that we all love.

Head in French

Moving on to the rest of the body, the next most important word to know is head: la tête. In addition to being one of the most important parts of the body, this word is also one of the most popular for phrases and sayings. It can also be used figuratively to represent other non-tangible things, like the mind or the top of something.

If you’re trying to flirt with a beautiful francophone, you may also find the parts of their face worth complimenting. Let’s get into the facial vocabulary in the easy-to-follow table below.

Face parts in French

There are many parts of the face that you need to study in French in order to be effective at communicating. After all, you can’t say that your head hurts when you really meant to say that your eye hurts.

We will cover each part of the face in French and provide you with the translation as well as pronunciation so that you can start using them right away.

We’ll first list the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) spelling followed by the intuitive pronunciation for English speakers, so feel free to follow whichever you prefer.

English	French	French IPA spelling	French pronunciation
Head	La tête	la tɛt	La teht
Face	Le visage	lə vizaʒ	Luh vee-sash
Ears	Les oreilles	lez‿ ɔʁɛj	Les oh-ray
Eyes	Les yeux	lez‿ jø	Les zheuh
Nose	Le nez	lə ne	Luh neh
Chin	Le menton	lə mɑ̃tɔ̃	Luh mahn-ton
Cheeks	Les joues	le ʒu	Lay zhu
Forehead	Le front	lə fʁɔ̃	Luh frohn
Jaw	La mâchoire	la maʃwaʁ	La ma-shoo-ar
Eyebrows	Les sourcils	le suʁsil	Lay soor-see
Eyelashes	Les cils	le sil	Lay see
Temple	Le temple	lə tɑ̃pl	Luh tahm-pluh
Nostril	La narine	la naʁin	La na-reen
Lips	Les lèvres	le lɛvʁ	Lay leh-vreh
Mouth	La bouche	la buʃ	La boosh
Teeth / tooth	Les dents / Le dent	lə dɑ̃ / le dɑ̃	Le dohn / les dohn
Tongue	La langue	a lɑ̃ɡ	La lawng
Hair	Les cheveux	le ʃəvø	Lay shay-vuh
Neck	Le cou	lə ku	Le coo

Other body parts in French

Besides the head, there are dozens of other anatomy words that you should learn. Let us walk you through some of the most common ones along with their pronunciation so that you can talk about the body in French like a pro.

English	French body part	French IPA spelling	French pronunciation
Legs	Les jambes	le ʒɑ̃b	Les zhahmb
Right leg	La jambe droite	la ʒɑ̃b dʁwat	La zhamb droo-at
Left leg	La jambe gauche	la ʒɑ̃b ɡoʃ	La zhamb gohsh
Hands	Les mains	le mɛ̃	Lay mahn
Right hand	La main droite	la mɛ̃ dʁwat	La mahn droo-at
Left hand	La main gauche	la mɛ̃ ɡoʃ	La mahn gohsh
Foot / feet	Le pied / Les pieds	lə pje / le pje	Luh pee-ed / lay pee-ed
Right foot	Le pied droit	lə pje dʁwa	Luh pee-ed droo-at
Left foot	Le pied gauche	lə pje ɡoʃ	Luh pee-ed gohsh
Shoulders	Les épaules	lez‿ epol	Les ay-paul
Right shoulder	L’épaule droite	lepol dʁwat	Lay-paul droo-at
Left shoulder	L’épaule gauche	lepol ɡoʃ	Lay-paul gohsh
Toes	Les orteils	lez‿ ɔʁtɛj	Les or-tay
Elbow	Le coude	lə kud	Luh cood
Forearm	L’avant bras	lavɑ̃ bʁa	La-vahn brah
Wrist	Le poignet	lə pwaɲɛ	Luh poo-ah-gnet
Fingers	Les doigts	le dwa	Les doo-aht
Thumb	Le pouce	lə pus	Luh poos
Index / pointer finger	L’indice	lɛ̃dis	luhn-deez
Middle finger	Le majeur	lə maʒœʁ	Luh ma-zhur
Ring finger	L’annulaire	lannylɛʁ	la-nu-lehr
Pinky finger	Le petit doigt	lə pəti dwa	Luh puh-tee doo-ah
Knuckles	Les jointures	le ʒwɛ̃tyʁ	Les zhuan-tour
Fingernails	Les ongles	lez‿ ɔ̃ɡl	Les ohn-gluh
Fingertips	Du bout des doigts	dy bu de dwa	Doo boo deh doo-aht
Hip	L’hanche	lɑ̃ʃ	lansh
Butt	Le bout	lə bu	Luh boo
Thigh	La cuisse	la kɥis	La coo-is
Knee	Le genou	lə ʒənu	Luh zhuh-noo
Calf	Le veau	lə vo	Luh voh
Ankle	La cheville	la ʃəvij	La sheh-veey
Heel	Le talon	lə talɔ̃	Luh ta-loh
Waist	La taille	la taj	La tah-eey
Abs	Les abdos	lez‿ abdo	Les ab-doh
Breast	Le sein	lə sɛ̃	Luh sah
Chest	Le coffre	lə kɔfʁ	Luh cohfr
Skin	La peau	la po	La poh

Inside body parts in French

We will often need to talk about our inside body parts. Whether we want to share that we feel butterflies in our stomach, or whether we need to describe an unusual ache to a doctor, knowing how to talk about internal organs will be very helpful.

Here is a table with some of the most common inside body parts in French.

English	French body part	French IPA spelling	French pronunciation
Brain	Le cerveau	lə sɛʁvo	Luh ser-voh
Heart	Le cœur	lə kœʁ	Luh kuhr
Lungs	Les poumons	le pumɔ̃	Lay poo-moh
Muscle	Le muscle	lə myskl	Luh moose-cluh
Stomach	L’estomac	lɛstɔma	les-toh-mac
Bones	Les os	lez‿ ɔs	Les oh
Liver	Le foie	lə fwa	Luh foo-ah
Kidneys	Les reins	le ʁɛ̃	Lay rahn
Ribcage	La cage thoracique	la kaʒ tɔʁasik	La cazh toh-rah-sic
Rib	La côte	la kot	La cot
Spine	La colonne vertébrale	la kɔlɔn vɛʁtebʁal	La coh-lonne ver-tay-bral
Blood	Le sang	lə sɑ̃	Luh sahng
Veins	Les veines	le vɛn	Lay vahn
Arteries	Les artères	lez‿ aʁtɛʁ	Les ar-tayr
Esophagus	L’œsophage	lezɔfaʒ	luh-so-fash
Gallbladder	La vésicule biliaire	la vezikyl biljɛʁ	La vay-see-cool
Pancreas	Le pancréas	lə pɑ̃kʁeas	Luh pan-cray-as
Bladder	La vessie	la vesi	La vay-see
Appendix	L’appendice	lapɛ̃dis	La-pehn-deez
Tonsils	Les amygdales	lez‿ amiɡdal	Les ah-meeg-dahl
Trachea	La trachée	la tʁaʃe	La trahn-shay
Spleen	Le spleen	lə splin	Luh spleen
Large intestine	Le gros intestin	lə ɡʁo ɛ̃tɛstɛ̃	Luh groh sin-tay-stahn
Small intestine	L’intestin grêle	lɛ̃tɛstɛ̃ ɡʁɛl	Lahn-tay-stahn graylle
Colon	Le côlon	lə kolɔ̃	Le coh-loh

Body parts in French songs

Learning a foreign language by listening to music is one of the greatest life hacks you can discover. Your brain is smart enough to absorb the lyrics of music, even if you’re not paying close attention to it. With these songs, learning this new vocab will almost feel like cheating!

Les parties du corps - Des os, il en faut - alain le lait

If there’s something the French can do, it’s make extremely catchy music. Even if you’re not into children’s music, this catchy song about body parts is sure to stick with you if you listen to the song a couple of times.

Jean Petit qui danse

If you’re looking for something a little more dynamic, then this song about Jean Petit is sure to get you dancing. This can be a great song to play in class, especially if you’re looking for a dance that can be easily choreographed and performed, while keeping instructive.

Alouette, gentille alouette

This popular French children’s song is about body parts, just not human body parts. This song is about a little alouette (lark) and how you are going to pluck its feathers body part by body part. This song is very popular all over the world, as it is thought that foreign soldiers learned the song during World War I and brought it back home with them.

Regardless, it is an extremely catchy song that is sure to get you to sing along. You’ll practice some body parts like tête and cou and learn some bird vocabulary, such as bec (beak) and ailes (wings).

Body-related French words, expressions and sayings

Learning the different body parts in French will help you understand one crucial part of French culture: idioms. There are countless popular phrases and sayings in French that involve body parts, and trust us when we say that you’ll have a hard time understanding francophones if you’re not familiar with these idioms.

Here are some popular words and sayings in French that involve body parts.

English	French	French IPA spelling	French pronunciation
Nobody	Personne	pɛʁsɔn	per-son
Somebody	Quelqu’un	kɛlkɛ̃	Quel-cuh
Everybody	Tout le monde	tu lə mɔ̃d	Too luh mohnd
Headache	Mal de tête	mal də tɛt	Mal duh teht
Bodyguard	Le garde du corps	lə ɡaʁdə dy kɔʁ	La gard doo cohr
Homebody	Un casanier / Une casanière	ɛ̃ kazanje / yn kazanjɛʁ	An ca-sa-nee-er / oon ca-sa-nee-ere
To be level-headed	Être bien dans sa tête	ɛtʁə bjɛ̃ dɑ̃ sa tɛt	Ehtr bee-ahn dahn sa teht
To have your head in the clouds	Avoir la tête dans les nuages	avwaʁ la tɛt dɑ̃ le nyaʒ	Ah-voo-ar la teht dahn lay noo-ash
To have your head on your shoulders (to have common sense)	Avoir la tête sur les épaules	avwaʁ la tɛt syʁ lez‿ epol	Ah-voo-ar la teht soor les eh-paul
To be hard-headed	Avoir la tête dure	avwaʁ la tɛt dyʁ	Ah-voo-ar la teht door
To be focused on a task	Avoir la tête dans le guidon	avwaʁ la tɛt dɑ̃ lə ɡidɔ̃	Ah-voo-ar la teht dah luh gee-doh
To live in your own imagination	Avoir la tête ailleurs	avwaʁ la tɛt‿ ajœʁ	Ah-voo-ar la teht ay-yur
To have a long face	Faire la tête	fɛʁ la tɛt	Fehr la teht
To have a big head (arrogant)	Avoir une grosse tête	avwaʁ‿ yn ɡʁos tɛt	Ah-voo-ar oon gross teht
To look tired	Avoir une sale tête	avwaʁ‿ yn sal tɛt	Ah-voo-ar sal teht
To think very hard	Se creuser la tête	sə kʁøze la tɛt	Suh croo-say la teht
To not be scared very easily	Ne pas avoir froid aux yeux	nə pa avwaʁ fʁwa oz‿ jø	Nuh pah ah-voo-ar froo-ah oz zheuh
Yeah, right! (ironically)	Mon oeil!	mɔ̃n‿ ɔɛj ‖	Mon uy
To be very focused	Ne pas lever le nez	nə pa ləve lə ne	Nuh pah luh-vay luh neh
To keep your mouth shut	Rester bouche cousue	ʁɛste buʃ kuzy	Res-tay boosh coo-zoo
To have trouble speaking because of a sore throat	Avoir un chat dans la gorge	avwaʁ‿ ɛ̃ ʃa dɑ̃ la ɡɔʁʒ	Ah-voo-ar an sha dahn la gorsh
A little bird told me	Mon petit doigt m’as dit	mɔ̃ pəti dwa ma di	Mon puh-tee doo-ah mah dee
A very generous person	Avoir le coeur sur la main	avwaʁ lə kɔœʁ syʁ la mɛ̃	Ah-voo-ar le kur sur la mah
To have a wide network, to be well-connected	Avoir le bras long	avwaʁ lə bʁa lɔ̃	Ah-voo-ar luh brah long
A piece of cake	Avoir les doigts dans le nez	avwaʁ le dwa dɑ̃ lə ne	Ah-voo-ar lay doo-ah dahn luh nay
To be very hungry	Avoir l'estomac creux	avwaʁ lɛstɔma kʁø	Ah-voo-ar les-toh-mac kroo
To annoy someone	Casser les pieds à quelqu’un	kase le pje a kɛlkɛ̃	Cah-say lay pee-eh a quel-cah
To be very precise	Avoir le compas dans l’œil	avwaʁ lə kɔ̃pa dɑ̃ lœj	Ah-voo-ar luh come-pah dahn luy
To have a lisp	Avoir un cheveu sur la langue	avwaʁ‿ ɛ̃ ʃəvø syʁ la lɑ̃ɡ	Ah-voo-ar an shay-vuh sur la lang
Someone who is very lazy	Avoir un poil dans la main	avwaʁ‿ ɛ̃ pwal dɑ̃ la mɛ̃	Ah-voo-ar poo-al dan la mah
To hold a grudge against someone	Avoir une dent contre quelqu’un	avwaʁ‿ yn dɑ̃ kɔ̃tʁə kɛlkɛ̃	Ah-voo-ar oon dohn contr quel-cuh
Confident in one’s skin	Bien dans sa peau	bjɛ̃ dɑ̃ sa po	Bee-ah dahn sa poh
To brainwash someone	Bourrer le crâne	buʁe lə kʁan	Boo-reh la crahn
To sleep like a baby	Dormir sur ses deux oreilles	dɔʁmiʁ syʁ se døz‿ ɔʁɛj	Dore-meer sur say dooz oh-ray
A hangover	La gueule de bois	la ɡœl də bwa	La goll duh boo-ah

Tips for learning French body parts

If you don’t like traditional study methods, we get you. And we’ve got your back. There are many ways to learn the parts of the body in French that don’t involve flashcards or long hours at the library.

Here are some of our top tips.

1. Make it a game

As always, learning is much more effective when you’re having fun. French vocabulary is no exception. Luckily, there are many fun games that you can play if you want to learn the parts of the body.

Some of our favorites are:

• Twister. This classic board game will make you focus on different body parts as well as left (gauche) and right (droite). Unfortunately, you’ll need at least two other people to play this game.
• Operation. This is another classic board game that will help you get acquainted with many more body parts. If you can’t find a French version, you can just make your own cards in French.
• Jacques a dit. This is the French version of the popular game Simon Says. With at least three players, one person assumes the role of Jacques and issues instructions to the players. You can play a body parts version of Jacques a dit where the instructions have to involve body parts in French, such as “hold your oreille droite with your main gauche.”

Feel free to think of more games you can play to practice the human anatomy in French! The important part is for you to engage with this new vocabulary so that it eventually sticks, so don’t be afraid to get creative. The sky’s the limit!

2. Attend a yoga class in French

If you’re already in a French-speaking region, you might find a yoga class to be extremely helpful at getting you to learn the body parts. Not only will you get a workout, but you’ll also be practicing your French body parts as you follow the instructor’s commands to move through the different positions.

If you don’t live in a place where you can find yoga classes in French, you can always turn to YouTube. Although there are plenty of French instructors offering classes at all levels, here is a great vinyasa video for any level.

3. Watch medical dramas

Are you a fan of Grey’s Anatomy? If so, you may be thrilled to learn that you could learn the body parts in French as you watch your favorite medical drama. As medical professionals, many of their conversations tend to focus on body parts, organs, and what is wrong with patients. Great way to learn about body parts!

No matter where you are in the world, Netflix offers many audio and subtitle options for its shows. You can either change the language of the show (which we recommend!) or simply add French subtitles in order to get more out of your unwinding activities.

If you’d rather watch an authentic French production, you can watch the hit TV show Hippocrate. This show follows the lives of four medical students and, as you can imagine, there is plenty of discussion about body parts!

Keep your momentum!

Now that you’ve started learning about the body parts in French, the last thing you should do is stop! Even if it takes you a while to learn them all, the most important thing is that you keep moving forward along your journey.

And if you think you can learn the body parts avec les doigts dan le nez, then check out some of our other guides on French slang, the different ways to say hello in French, and more.

Bon courage et à bientôt!