Today's words · 🦵 Parts of the body
Head to toe: 10 German body words
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Next time someone asks where it hurts, answer with words, not just pointing.
At your first yoga class, the teacher calls out fast: "Hebt die Arme! Beugt das Bein!" You copy the person next to you and just about keep up.
Today's ten words are the basic parts of the body. With them you can follow a sports class, tell a doctor where it hurts and even play singing games with children. From head to toe — let's go! 🦵
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
der Körper
[KUR-per]body(Pl. die Körper)
📌 Sport ist gut für Körper und Geist.
→ Sport is good for body and mind.
💡 From Latin corpus (body) 💪 A cousin of English corporal and corpse.
Bonus body and mind = Körper und Geist
der Kopf
[kopf]head(Pl. die Köpfe)
📌 Mein Kopf tut weh.
→ My head hurts.
💡 It originally meant ‘cup, bowl’ 🥣 Your head is the bowl for your thoughts!
Bonus Chin up! = Kopf hoch!
das Gesicht
[guh-ZIKHT]face(Pl. die Gesichter)
📌 Sie hat ein freundliches Gesicht.
→ She has a friendly face.
💡 From sehen (to see) 👀 What you see = a face. Related to English sight.
⚠ Plural with -er: die Gesichter
das Auge
[OW-guh]eye(Pl. die Augen)
📌 Sie hat blaue Augen.
→ She has blue eyes.
💡 Same root as English eye 👁️ You've got two, so you'll often use the plural Augen.
Bonus unter vier Augen = in private, just the two of you (‘under four eyes’)
der Mund
[moont]mouth(Pl. die Münder)
📌 Mach bitte den Mund auf.
→ Open your mouth, please.
💡 Same root as English mouth 👄 The final d sounds like t.
⚠ Plural with umlaut and -er: die Münder
die Hand
[hant]hand(Pl. die Hände)
📌 Wasch dir bitte die Hände!
→ Please wash your hands!
💡 Exactly like English hand ✋ But it's feminine: die Hand.
⚠ Plural with umlaut: die Hände
der Arm
[arm]arm(Pl. die Arme)
📌 Er hat sich den Arm gebrochen.
→ He broke his arm.
💡 Identical to English arm 💪 A free word for you!
⚠ Lower-case arm is the adjective ‘poor’: Er ist arm.
das Bein
[bine]leg(Pl. die Beine)
📌 Nach dem Sport tun mir die Beine weh.
→ My legs hurt after sport.
💡 It originally meant ‘bone’ 🦴 A leg = a long bone!
Bonus To wish good luck: Hals- und Beinbruch! (‘break your neck and leg’ = break a leg)
der Fuß
[foos]foot(Pl. die Füße)
📌 Mir tut der Fuß weh.
→ My foot hurts.
💡 Same root as English foot 🦶 Walking somewhere? zu Fuß!
⚠ Plural with umlaut: die Füße
der Bauch
[bowkh]belly, stomach, tummy(Pl. die Bäuche)
📌 Ich habe Bauchschmerzen.
→ I have a stomach ache.
💡 Pat your tummy — doesn't it go ‘bowkh’? 🫃
Bonus I've got a stomach ache = Ich habe Bauchschmerzen.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
To wish someone luck, Germans don't cross their fingers — they fold their thumbs inside their fists. It's called Daumen drücken: "Ich drücke dir die Daumen!" = Fingers crossed for you!
When you clink glasses (Prost!), it's polite to look the other person in the eyes (Augen). Many people find it a bit odd if you look away.
And if someone says "Hals- und Beinbruch!" before your exam or performance, it's not a curse — it's encouragement. German is full of body-part phrases! 🤞
✅ Quick quiz
Q. The doctor asks, "Wo tut es weh?" Your stomach hurts. What do you say?
- ① Ich habe blaue Augen.
- ② Mir tut der Bauch weh.
- ③ Ich gehe zu Fuß.
Show the answer
② Mir tut der Bauch weh.
Mir tut der Bauch weh. = My stomach hurts. Use ‘Mir tut … weh’ to say where it hurts.
Stand in front of a mirror today and point to each part as you say it: Kopf, Augen, Mund, Hand… Next time, we'll use these to talk about feeling ill! 🙌
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🤒 Illness & symptoms