102 incredibly useful body parts in German that you need to know

In all languages, we use figurative speech to describe unknown or abstract concepts with something we know well, something close and tangible, and there is nothing in this world we know as well as our own bodies.

That’s why figurative speech so often borrows words related to the body, and you can’t escape learning body-related terms when learning a new language.

If you’re learning German online, you’ll want to know how to say “face” or “feet” in German, too. So we collected all the important body parts in German for you - top to bottom and inside out, plus some fun idioms.

Once you know those, you can use them to talk about so much more than just the physical body!

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

Why learn about German body parts?

Be prepared for medical emergencies

Language barriers are never fun, but they can actually become dangerous if you find yourself in a foreign country and have troubles communicating through a medical emergency.

Knowing how to describe your body in German and specifically where it might hurt or where you suspect a medical condition that needs attention is helpful and potentially even life-saving.

Understand all figurative speech

In both English and German, a word you’re about to remember is on (the tip of) your tongue (in German: “auf der Zunge liegen)”, but other idioms vary.

While you’re picking someone’s brain in English, you’re actually asking them “holes into their stomach” in German (“Löcher in den Bauch fragen”). So many idioms are related to parts of the body. To understand them, you’ll need body-related vocabulary.

Give a compliment

Until we know someone well enough to compliment their personality, an easy way to compliment someone is by knowing some basic body-related vocabulary. “You have beautiful eyes” is “Du hast schöne Augen” and “I like your hair” is “Ich mag deine Haare”. Compliments are often appreciated. Just don’t overdo it. Be nice.

Learn the head and body parts in German 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 German

The German word for body has one of those famous Umlaut-letters: The Ö, which is somewhere between an “oh” and an “ey”.

Other than that, it’s pretty straightforward, cöre - pah [ˈkœʁ pɐ]. If you’re still unsure about how to pronounce any of the letters, you can always reference our guide on how to pronounce each letter of the German alphabet.

Head in German

Head in German is “Kopf” [kɔp͡f]. It’s pronounced exactly as you’d expect, like the English “cop” directly followed by an “f” - no surprises there.

It gets slightly more complex when you encounter words like “Zähne” (teeth) or “Nasenloch” (nostril) but don’t worry. We’re here to help.

Face parts in German

Let’s begin with the head and face, your center of emotional expression. This is where smiles are born, and words are formed - a great place to start learning parts of the body in German.

English	German body part	German pronunciation
Head	Kopf	[kɔp͡f]
Face	Gesicht	[ɡəˈzɪçt]
Ears	Ohren	[ˈoːɐ̯n]
Eyes	Augen	[ˈaʊ̯ɡn̩]
Nose	Nase	[ˈnaːzə]
Chin	Kinn	[kɪn]
Cheeks	Wangen	[ˈvaŋən]
Forehead	Stirn	[ʃtɪʁn]
Jaw	Kiefer	[ˈkiːfɐ]
Eyebrows	Augenbrauen	[ˈaʊ̯ɡn̩ˌbʁaʊ̯ən]
Eyelashes	Wimpern	[ˈvɪmpɐn]
Temple	Schläfe	[ˈʃlɛːfə]
Nostril	Nasenloch	[ˈnaːzn̩ˌlɔx]
Lips	Lippen	[ˈlɪpm̩]
Mouth	Mund	[mʊnt]
Teeth, Tooth	Zähne, Zahn	[ˈt͡sɛːnə], [t͡saːn]
Tongue	Zunge	[ˈt͡sʊŋə]
Hair	Haar	[haːɐ̯]
Neck	Hals	[hals]

Other body parts in German

Now we’ll make our way further down from our scalp over our bellybutton to our toes.

English	Body part in German	Pronunciation
Scalp	Kopfhaut	[ˈkɔp͡fˌhaʊ̯t]
Throat	Kehle	[ˈkeːlə]
Shoulders	Schultern	[ˈʃʊltɐn]
Arms	Arme	[ˈaʁmə]
Left arm	Linker Arm	[lɪŋkɐ aʁm]
Right arm	Rechter Arm	[ˈʁɛçtɐ aʁm]
Armpits	Achseln	[ˈaksəln]
Torso	Oberkörper	[ˈoːbɐˌkœʁpɐ]
Collarbone	Schlüsselbein	[ˈʃlʏsl̩ˌbaɪ̯nəs]
Back of the neck	Nacken	[ˈnakn]
Back	Rücken	[ˈʁʏkn̩]
Upper back	Oberer Rücken	[ˈoːbəʁɐ ˈʁʏkn̩]
Lower back	Unterer Rücken	[ˈʊntəʁɐ ˈʁʏkn̩]
Buttom	Hintern, Po	[ˈhɪntɐn], [pɔ]
Buttocks	Pobacken	[ˈpoːˌbakn̩]
Chest	Brust	[bʁʊst]
Breast nipple	Brustwarze	[ˈbʁʊstˌvaʁt͡sə]
Waist	Taille	[ˈtaljə]
Abdomen	Bauch	[baʊ̯x]
Bellybutton	Bauchnabel	[ˈbaʊ̯xˌnaːbl̩]
Hip	Hüfte	[ˈhʏftə]
Hands	Hände	[ˈhɛndə]
Left hand	Linke Hand	[ˈlɪŋkə hant]
Right hand	Rechte Hand	[ˈʁɛçtə hant]
Flat hand	Flache Hand	[ˈflaxə hant]
Fist	Faust	[faʊ̯st]
Knuckle	Fingerknöchel	[ˈfɪŋɐˌknœçl̩]
Finger	Finger	[ˈfɪŋɐ]
Finger tips	Fingerspitzen	[ˈfɪŋɐˌʃpɪt͡sən]
Fingernail	Fingernagel	[ˈfɪŋɐˌnaːɡl̩]
Palm	Handfläche	[ˈhantˌflɛçə]
Thumb	Daumen	[ˈdaʊ̯mən]
Index finger	Zeigefinger	[ˈt͡saɪ̯ɡəˌfɪŋɐ]
Middle finger	Mittelfinger	[ˈmɪtl̩ˌfɪŋɐ]
Ringfinger	Ringfinger	[ˈʁɪŋˌfɪŋɐ]
Little finger	Kleiner Finger	[ˈklaɪ̯nɐ ˈfɪŋɐ]
Legs	Beine	[ˈbaɪ̯nə]
Left leg	Linkes Bein	[ˈlɪŋkəs baɪ̯n]
Right leg	Rechtes Bein	[ˈʁɛçtəs baɪ̯n]
Knee	Knie	[kniː]
Kneecap	Kniescheibe	[ˈkniːˌʃaɪ̯bə]
Knee pit	Kniekehle	[ˈkniːˌkeːlə]
Calf	Wade	[ˈvaːdə]
Shin	Schienbein	[ʃiːnbaɪ̯n]
Ankle	Knöchel	[ˈknœçl̩]
Feet	Füße	[ˈfyːsə]
Left foot	Linker Fuß	[ˈlɪŋkɐ fuːs]
Right foot	Rechter Fuß	[ˈʁɛçtɐ fuːs]
Heel	Hacke	[ˈhakə]
Toe	Zeh	[t͡seː]
Big toe	Großer Zeh, Großer Onkel	[ˈɡʁoːsɐ t͡seː], [ˈɡʁoːsɐ ˈɔŋkl̩]
Little toe	Kleiner Zeh	[ˈklaɪ̯nɐ [t͡seː]
Toe nails	Zehennägel	[ˈt͡seːənˌnɛːɡl̩]

Inside body parts in German

We all know it’s what’s inside that matters most. So we don’t want you to miss out on the inner body parts in German. Some of these have interesting names, not all of them that appetizing.

In German, tonsils have the same name as almonds (Mandeln) and the placenta is called the “mother cake” (Mutterkuchen) after its Latin origin. Guten Appetit!

English	Body part in German	Pronunciation
Brain	Gehirn	[ɡəˈhɪʁn]
Cerebellum	Kleinhirn	[ˈklaɪ̯nˌhɪʁn]
Brainstem	Stammhirn	[ʃtamhɪʁn]
Heart	Herz	[hɛʁt͡s]
Lungs	Lungen	[ˈlʊŋən]
Liver	Leber	[ˈleːbɐ]
Bladder	Blase	[ˈblaːzə]
Kidneys	Nieren	[ˈniːʁən]
Stomach	Magen	[ˈmaːɡn̩]
Intestines	Gedärme	[ɡəˈdɛʁmə]
Appendix	Blinddarm	[ˈblɪntˌdaʁm]
Bones	Knochen	[ˈknɔxn̩]
Bone marrow	Knochenmark	[ˈknɔxn̩ˌmaʁk]
Bronchi	Bronchien	[ˈbʁɔnçi̯ən]
Tonsils	Mandeln	[ˈmandln]
Larynx	Kehlkopf	[ˈkeːlkɔp͡f]
Diaphragm	Membran	[mɛmˈbʁaːn]
Gallbladder	Gallenblase	[ˈɡalənˌblaːzə]
Genitals	Genitalien, Geschlechtsorgane	[ɡeniˈtaːli̯ən], [ɡəˈʃlɛçt͡sʔɔʁˌɡaːnə]
Ovaries	Eierstöcke	[ˈaɪ̯ɐˌʃtœkə]
Uterus	Uterus	[ˈuːtəʁʊs]
Placenta	Plazenta, Mutterkuchen	[plaˈt͡sɛnta], [ˈmʊtɐˌkuːxn̩]
Prostate	Prostata	[ˈpʁɔstata]
Lymph Nodes	Lymphknoten	[ˈlʏmfˌknoːtn̩]
Pancreas	Pankreas, Bauchspeicheldrüse	[ˈpankʁeas], [ˈbaʊ̯xʃpaɪ̯çl̩ˌdʁyːzə]
Pharynx	Rachen	[ˈʁaxn̩]
Spinal cord	Rückenmark	[ˈʁʏkn̩ˌmaʁk]
Spleen	Milz	[mɪlt͡s]
Thyroid	Schilddrüse	[ˈʃɪltˌdʁyːzə]
Capillaries	Kapillaren	[kapɪˈlaːʁən]

Body parts in German song

One fun way to learn the most important body parts in German is with songs. We found three great options for you.

Kopf, Schulter, Knie and Fuß | Monster Mash | German Poem For Children | Kids Poem | Toffee TV

Join these three German monsters in their workout, learn the lyrics as they exercise and see if you can keep up with their pace. You’ll soon be as fit in German as they are in tapping and squatting.

Kopf und Schultern, Knie und Fuß - Kinderlieder zum Mitsingen | Sing Kinderlieder

What makes this video especially helpful is that it starts with the German version of the song and then introduces the same song in English. The second time you listen to it, you will already have the English lyrics memorized as they are that easy and it will be easy for you to understand the German part.

Körperteil Blues (Offizielles Tanzvideo) - Lichterkinder | Kinderlieder | Bewegungslieder

These kids sing and dance to the Body Part Blues, explaining not only the body parts but also what they do, so you’ll learn the corresponding verbs as well: “Wir sehen mit den Augen und riechen mit der Nase”. It’s true, we see with our eyes and smell with our nose” and with this song, we’ll soon be dancing with our whole body as it’s surprisingly catchy!

Body-related German words, expressions and sayings

There are many more body-related words than just the body parts. Some are the same as in English, while others vary but you’ll see that both languages like to use the body to describe abstract concepts like character traits or mental states.

English	German	Pronunciation	Literal Translation
Nobody	Niemand	[ˈniːmant]	-
Somebody	Jemand	[ˈjeːmant]	-
Everybody	Jeder	[ˈjeːdɐ]	-
Break a leg!	Hals- und Beinbruch!	[hals ʔʊnt ˈbaɪ̯nbʁʊx]	Break a neck and a leg!
It’s on the tip of my tongue	Es liegt mir auf der Zunge	[ɛs liːkt miːɐ̯ aʊ̯f deːɐ̯ ˈt͡sʊŋə]	It lies on my tongue
To be all ears	Ganz Ohr sein	[ɡant͡s oːɐ̯ zaɪ̯n]	To be all ear
To swear by your life	Stein und Bein schwören	[ˈʃtaɪ̯n ʊnt ˈbaɪ̯n ˈʃvøːʁən]	To swear stone and leg
To pick someone’s brain	Jemandem Löcher in den Bauch fragen	[ˈjeːmandm̩ ˈlœçɐ ɪn deːn ˈbaʊ̯x ˈfʁaːɡn̩]	To ask someone holes into their stomach
To have butterflies in the stomach	Schmetterlinge im Bauch haben	[ˈʃmɛtɐlɪŋə ɪm baʊ̯x ˈhaːbn̩]	To have butterflies in the stomach
To be aggressively confrontational	Haare auf den Zähnen haben	[ˈhaːʁə aʊ̯f deːn ˈt͡sɛːnən ˈhaːbn̩]	To have hair one one’s teeth
To be on edge	Auf dem Zahnfleisch gehen	[aʊ̯f deːm ˈt͡saːnflaɪ̯ʃ ˈɡeːən]	To walk on the gums
To get to someone	Jemandem an die Nieren gehen	[ˈjeːmandm̩ an diː ˈniːʁən ˈɡeːən]	To get to someone’s kidneys
To cheat someone	Jemanden übers Ohr hauen	[ˈjeːmandn ˈyːbɐs oːɐ̯ ˈhaʊ̯ən]	To punch someone above the ear
Body language	Körpersprache	[ˈkœʁpɐˌʃpʁaːxə]	Bodylanguage
From head to toe	Von Kopf bis Fuß	[fɔn kɔp͡f bɪs fuːs]	From head to foot

You can find more fun German expressions and slang in this comprehensive article here.

Tips for learning German body parts

Make it a game

Games are always the most fun ways to learn something new. Find a partner and start by tapping a body part of yours. Tap your nose, for example and your partner has to say the German word “Nase”. Whoever runs out of the correct vocabularies first, loses.

Or try writing body parts on your body with skin-friendly ink.

Try the English word

Many German words related to the body are very similar to the English words, even more so than in other vocabulary groups: “Mund” and ”Mouth”, “Lippen” and “Lips”, “Nase” and “Nose”, “Fuß” and “Foot”, “Knie” and “Knee”.

When you’re not sure about the German word, try saying the English word with a bit of a German touch, and more often than not, you will get away with it when it comes to body parts.

Use sports

One area where you will hear people talk about body parts is in sports. Watch a game of soccer or a boxing match with German commentary and listen for the body parts.

A player touched the ball with his elbow? The boxer injured his ankle? Find a game you enjoy, kick back, listen while you learn some new words.

Our most important tool for language learning

Our body is our most important tool in everything we do - including language learning and speaking. It’s the way we experience the world and what we use when we run out of words. As a language learner, you’ll know that our faces often say more than a thousand words and we can use our hands to count in German, to point, and to show a whole variety of hand gestures, from a thumbs up to a wavy ‘so-so’.

Bear in mind that those, too, vary from country to country, but in general, the body is our number one tool for language learning and it helps to know all the body parts when using it.