Whether you are learning Japanese for use in everyday life or just for fun, body parts are a practical set of vocabulary to have under your belt!
Not only will it improve your speaking and comprehension skills in day-to-day conversations, it would also be extremely helpful if you find yourself in an emergency situation such as a doctor or hospital visit.
Face parts
Let’s go through some of the body parts found on our ‘head’, or atama (頭 / あたま).
It’s worth noting that in Japanese, nouns do not generally change to indicate whether they are singular or plural. Therefore, for body parts of which we have multiple, i.e eyebrows, arms etc, — the amount you are speaking about will depend on context or counters, as the word itself remains the same whether it is singular or plural.
| English | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Head | 頭 | あたま | atama |
| Face | 顔 | かお | kao |
| Forehead | 額 | ひたい | hitai |
| Hair | 髪 / 髪の毛 | かみ / かみのけ | kami / kami no ke |
| Eye | 目 | め | me |
| Eyelid | 瞼 | まぶた | mabata |
| Eyebrow | 眉毛 | まゆげ | mayuge |
| Eyelash | まつ毛 | まつげ | matsuge |
| Nose | 鼻 | はな | hana |
| Ear | 耳 | みみ | mimi |
| Mouth | 口 | くち | kuchi |
| Lip | 唇 | くちびる | kuchibiru |
| Teeth | 歯 | は | ha |
| Tongue | 舌 | した | shita |
| Cheek | 頬 / ホッペ | ほお or ほほ / ほっぺ | hoo or hoho / hoppe (hoppe is colloquial) |
Body parts
Next, let’s look at everything below the head, on our ‘body’, or karada (体 / からだ).
| English | Kanji | Katakana | Romaji |
| Body | 体 | からだ | karada |
| Neck | 首 | くび | kubi |
| Throat | 喉 | のど | nodo |
| Chest | 胸 | むね | mune |
| Shoulder | 肩 | かた | kata |
| Arm | 腕 | うで | ude |
| Elbow | 肘 | ひじ | hiji |
| Wrist | 手首 | てくび (hand neck) | tekubi |
| Hand | 手 | て | te |
| Finger | 指 | ゆび | yubi |
| Stomach | お腹 | おなか | onaka |
| Back | 背中 | せなか | senaka |
| Behind | お尻 | おしり | oshiri |
| Legs | 脚 / 足 | あし | ashi |
| Knee | 膝 | ひざ | hiza |
| Ankle | 足首 | あしくび | ashikubi (leg neck) |
| Foot | 足 | あし | ashi |
| Toe | 足の指 | あしのゆび | ashi no yubi (leg fingers) |
You may have noticed that the term for ‘leg’ and ‘foot’ in Japanese is the same: ashi.
The kanji variation 脚 is sometimes used when talking specifically about your ‘leg’, however the alternative 足 is also often used to mean ‘leg’.
Therefore, rather than solely relying on the kanji, you would have to use context clues to decipher which is being spoken about!
Learn more practical Japanese
Learning the names of body parts in Japanese is essential for beginners! For more practical Japanese lessons, we recommend the free courses at JapanesePod101. Try it out!
JapanesePod101 is our top recommendation to learn Japanese online. We love the fun, current audio lessons and interactive online tools. Sign up for your free lifetime account and see for yourself!
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Hannah is a half Irish/half Japanese girl living in Ireland. Her love for Japan and the Japanese language led her to studying languages and translation in university where she specialised in Japanese. She spent a year studying abroad at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. In her free time, Hannah enjoys using her sewing machine to upcycle clothes and create new pieces!