Quick answer: Body in Chinese is 身体 (shēntǐ). The essentials are
头 (tóu, head), 手 (shǒu, hand), 眼睛 (yǎnjing, eyes),
脚 (jiǎo, foot) and 脸 (liǎn, face). To say something hurts, use
[part] + 疼 : 我头疼 (wǒ tóu téng, “I have a headache”). Tap
Jump to a section:
Head & Face ·
Arms, Hands & Torso ·
Legs & Feet ·
Inside the Body ·
At the Doctor ·
Measure Words
Character Pinyin Tone Meaning Listen
身 shēn 1st (high, flat) body / torso
体 tǐ 3rd (dip) body / form
身体 shēntǐ 1 – 3 body / health
Chinese Pinyin English Listen
头 tóu head
头发 tóufa hair (on the head)
脸 liǎn face
眼睛 yǎnjing eyes
眉毛 méimao eyebrows
鼻子 bízi nose
嘴 zuǐ mouth
嘴唇 zuǐchún lips
耳朵 ěrduo ears
牙齿 yáchǐ teeth
舌头 shétou tongue
下巴 xiàba chin
脖子 bózi neck
Chinese Pinyin English Listen
肩膀 jiānbǎng shoulder
胳膊 gēbo arm
手肘 shǒuzhǒu elbow
手腕 shǒuwàn wrist
手 shǒu hand
手指 shǒuzhǐ finger
指甲 zhǐjia fingernail
胸 xiōng chest
背 bèi back
肚子 dùzi belly / stomach
腰 yāo waist / lower back
Chinese Pinyin English Listen
腿 tuǐ leg
大腿 dàtuǐ thigh
膝盖 xīgài knee
脚 jiǎo foot
脚趾 jiǎozhǐ toe
脚踝 jiǎohuái ankle
屁股 pìgu bottom / buttocks
Chinese Pinyin English Listen
大脑 dànǎo brain
心脏 xīnzàng heart
肺 fèi lungs
胃 wèi stomach (organ)
肝 gān liver
肾 shèn kidney
骨头 gǔtou bone
肌肉 jīròu muscle
皮肤 pífū skin
血 xiě blood
The key pattern is [body part] + 疼 (téng) or + 痛 (tòng) — both mean
“to ache / hurt” and are interchangeable. Put 我 (wǒ, I) in front:
Chinese Pinyin English Listen
哪里不舒服？ nǎlǐ bù shūfu? Where does it hurt? (doctor asks)
我头疼。 wǒ tóu téng. I have a headache.
我肚子疼。 wǒ dùzi téng. I have a stomachache.
我嗓子疼。 wǒ sǎngzi téng. I have a sore throat.
我牙疼。 wǒ yá téng. I have a toothache.
我感冒了。 wǒ gǎnmào le. I've caught a cold.
Body parts don't all use the same measure word :
Measure word Used for Example Meaning
双 (shuāng) Parts that come in a pair 一双手 / 一双眼睛 a pair of hands / eyes 只 (zhī) One of a pair 一只手 / 一只耳朵 one hand / one ear 颗 (kē) Small round parts — teeth, heart 一颗牙 / 一颗心 one tooth / one heart 根 (gēn) Thin, long parts — fingers, hair 一根手指 / 一根头发 one finger / one hair
Study tip: a few of these come in confusable pairs — 眼睛 (yǎnjing, eyes) vs 眼镜
(yǎnjìng, glasses), and the ache verbs 疼 (téng) and 痛 (tòng) mean the same thing. Many parts also stack the
root twice: 手 (hand) builds 手指 (finger), 手腕 (wrist), and 手肘 (elbow); 脚 (foot) builds 脚趾 (toe) and
脚踝 (ankle).
Hear every word in the Interactive Pinyin Chart , drill them as
flashcards , and build sentences like “my head hurts” in our
English to Chinese Translator .
