Japanese Body Parts: Vocabulary from Head to Toe

At a doctor’s office, while shopping for clothes, or when describing an ache, body-part vocabulary becomes useful surprisingly fast. Japanese has everyday words such as karada (体, body) as well as more formal or anatomical terms such as jintai (人体, human body).

The lists below pair kanji, kana, rōmaji, and English so you can recognize the words in writing and start using the ones that matter to you. Many body terms are written in kanji, although kana also appears often in everyday Japanese.

For a closer look at how kanji shape Japanese vocabulary, see our guide to kanji in the Japanese language.

Contents 6

Core Japanese body vocabulary

Start with these common terms for the body, limbs, and internal organs.

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Kanji	Kana	Rōmaji	English
頭	あたま	atama	Head
肩	かた	kata	Shoulder
胸	むね	mune	Chest
腹	はら	hara	abdomen
お腹	おなか	onaka	abdomen
腰	こし	koshi	Waist
腕	うで	ude	Arm
肘	ひじ	hiji	Elbow
手首	てくび	tekubi	Wrist
手	て	te	Hand
指	ゆび	yubi	Finger
足	あし	ashi	Leg / Foot
太腿	ふともも	futomomo	Thigh
脛	すね	sune	Shin
膝	ひざ	hiza	Knee
踝	くるぶし	kurubushi	Ankle
踵	かかと	kakato	Heel
脳	のう	nou	brain
肺	はい	hai	lung
気管	きかん	kikan	trachea
心臓	しんぞう	shinzō	heart
肝臓	かんぞう	kanzō	liver
胆嚢	たんの う	tannō	gallbladder
食道	しょくどう	shokudō	esophagus
胃袋	いぶくろ	ibukuro	stomach
膵臓	すいぞう	suizō	pancreas
腎臓	じんぞう	jinzō	kidney
腸	ちょう	chō	intestine
盲腸	もうちょう	mōchō	cecum / appendix
虫垂	ちゅうすい	chūsui	appendix
肛門	こうもん	koumon	anus
血管	けっかん	kekkan	blood vessel
骨	ほね	hone	bone
筋肉	きんにく	kinniku	muscle
臍	へそ	heso	navel
脂肪	しぼう	shibō	fat

Hands and fingers in Japanese

These words are especially useful when describing hands, fingers, and small details.

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Kanji	Kana	Rōmaji	English
親指	おやゆび	oyayubi	thumb
人差し指	ひとさしゆび	hitosashiyubi	index finger
中指	なかゆび	nakayubi	middle finger
薬指	くすりゆび	kusuriyubi	ring finger
小指	こゆび	koyubi	little finger
手の甲	てのこう	tenokou	back of the hand
手の平/ 掌	てのひら	tenohira	palm
手首	てくび	tekubi	wrist
指輪	ゆびわ	yubiwa	ring
爪	つめ	tsume	nail
甘皮	あまかわ	amakawa	cuticle (the skin at the root of a nail)
拳	こぶし	kobushi	fist

Face and head in Japanese

Here are the words you will hear most often for the face and head.

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Kanji	Kana	Rōmaji	English
髪の毛	かみのけ	kaminoke	hair
額	ひたい	hitai	forehead
目	め	me	eye
眉	まゆ	mayu	eyebrow
睫 / 睫毛	まつげ	matsuge	eyelash
耳	みみ	mimi	ear
鼻	はな	hana	nose
口	くち	kuchi	mouth
頬	ほお / ほほ	hō / hoho	cheek
顎	あご	ago	chin / jaw
首	くび	kubi	neck
皺	しわ	shiwa	wrinkle
笑窪	えくぼ	ekubo	dimple
雀斑	そばかす	sobakasu	freckle
面皰	にきび	nikibi	pimples / acne
痘痕	あばた	abata	pockmark
髭, 鬚, 髯	ひげ	hige	mustache / beard / sideburns
黒子	ほくろ	hokuro	mole / mark
歯	は	ha	tooth
唇	くちびる	kuchibiru	lip
舌	した	shita	tongue
肌, 膚	はだ	hada	skin

足 and 脚: foot or leg?

One word needs a little context: ashi. With the kanji 足, it commonly means foot; with 脚, it refers to a leg. In conversation, the sound alone can be ambiguous, so the rest of the sentence usually tells you which meaning is intended.

足 and 脚: foot or leg?

One word needs a little context: ashi. With the kanji 足, it commonly means foot; with 脚, it refers to a leg. In conversation, the sound alone can be ambiguous, so the rest of the sentence usually tells you which meaning is intended.

More useful body words

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Kanji	Kana	Rōmaji	English
顔	かお	kao	Face
髪	かみ	kami	Hair
耳たぶ	みみたぶ	mimitabu	Earlobe
頬	ほお / ほほ	hō / hoho	Cheek
頬っぺた	ほっぺた	hoppeta	Cheek
おでこ	おでこ	odeko	Forehead
眉	まゆ	mayu	Eyebrow
瞼	まぶた	mabuta	Eyelids
鼻孔	びこう	bikō	Nostril
口	くち	kuchi	Mouth
唇	くちびる	kuchibiru	Lips
歯	は	ha	Teeth
歯茎	はぐき	haguki	gum
体	からだ	karada	Body
喉	のど	nodo	Throat
脇の下	わきのした	waki no shita	Armpit
肘	ひじ	hiji	Elbow
脹脛	ふくらはぎ	fukurahagi	Calf
膝頭	ひざがしら	hizagashira	Patella
足首	あしくび	ashikubi	Ankle
爪先	つまさき	tsumasaki	Toe / Tiptoe
背中	せなか	senaka	Back (of the body)
お尻	おしり	oshiri	Buttocks
胃	い	i	Stomach (organ)