Body and Face Parts in German

Learning body parts in German sounds simple until German politely shows up with der Arm, das Ohr, die Schulter, and a very committed love of noun genders. Charming, really.

This guide gives you the most useful German words for the body and face, plus real example sentences, pronunciation help, and a few common usage notes so you do not accidentally point at your hand and call it your arm. That happens more often than people admit.

By the end, you will be able to talk about basic body parts, describe pain or appearance, and understand everyday phrases like Ich habe Kopfschmerzen and Mir tut der Rücken weh. Handy stuff. Literally.

For a related overview of everyday German words, you can also check this essential German words and phrases guide.

Table of Contents

Most Useful Body And Face Parts

Here are the words you will hear and use most often. The pronunciation help is simple and beginner-friendly, not a tiny phonetics dissertation in a lab coat.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
der Kopf	kopf	head	Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.	I have a headache.	Very common. The plural is die Köpfe.
das Gesicht	guh-ZIKHT	face	Sie hat ein freundliches Gesicht.	She has a friendly face.	ch is soft, not like English “k”.
das Auge	OW-guh	eye	Mein Auge ist rot.	My eye is red.	Plural: die Augen.
das Ohr	ohr	ear	Ich höre das mit einem Ohr.	I hear that with one ear.	Plural: die Ohren.
die Nase	NAH-zuh	nose	Ich habe eine kalte Nase.	I have a cold nose.	Also used in many idioms.
der Mund	moont	mouth	Mach den Mund auf.	Open your mouth.	Direct, common, and useful.
die Zunge	TSOONG-uh	tongue	Ich habe mir auf die Zunge gebissen.	I bit my tongue.	z sounds like “ts”.
der Zahn	tsahn	tooth	Der Zahn tut weh.	The tooth hurts.	Plural: die Zähne.
das Haar	haar	hair	Sie hat langes Haar.	She has long hair.	Often plural in English, but singular in German.
das Kinn	kin	chin	Er hat ein rundes Kinn.	He has a round chin.	Short, easy word.

Upper Body And Arms

These words come up constantly in everyday talk, medical situations, and gestures. Yes, Germans also point at things with their hands like everybody else. Humanity survives.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
der Hals	hals	throat / neck	Mein Hals tut weh.	My throat hurts.	Context decides whether it means throat or neck.
der Nacken	NAH-kun	back of the neck	Ich habe Verspannungen im Nacken.	I have tension in my neck.	Very useful for office pain.
der Rücken	RUE-ken	back	Mein Rücken ist müde.	My back is tired.	Common in health and posture talk.
die Schulter	SHUL-ter	shoulder	Er klopft mir auf die Schulter.	He pats me on the shoulder.	Plural: die Schultern.
der Arm	arm	arm	Ich hebe den Arm.	I raise my arm.	Accusative here: den Arm.
der Ellbogen	EL-boh-gen	elbow	Ich habe mich am Ellbogen gestoßen.	I bumped my elbow.	Also written der Ellenbogen.
die Hand	hahnt	hand	Wasch dir die Hände.	Wash your hands.	Plural: die Hände, with umlaut.
der Finger	FIN-ger	finger	Ich habe kalte Finger.	I have cold fingers.	Plural usually stays die Finger.
der Daumen	DOW-men	thumb	Er zeigt mit dem Daumen nach oben.	He shows a thumbs-up.	Useful with gestures.
die Brust	broost	chest / breast	Ich habe Druck auf der Brust.	I have pressure on my chest.	Choose carefully by context.

Lower Body And Legs

If you travel, exercise, or complain about stairs, these words will earn their keep.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
der Bauch	bowkh	belly / stomach area	Mein Bauch ist voll.	My stomach is full.	The ch sound is gentle, not harsh.
der Magen	MAH-gen	stomach	Mein Magen ist empfindlich.	My stomach is sensitive.	More internal than Bauch.
die Hüfte	HUEF-tuh	hip	Ich habe Schmerzen in der Hüfte.	I have pain in my hip.	Plural: die Hüften.
das Bein	bine	leg	Ich habe mir das Bein verletzt.	I injured my leg.	Plural: die Beine.
das Knie	knee	knee	Ich bin auf das Knie gefallen.	I fell on my knee.	Plural: die Knie.
die Wade	VAH-duh	calf	Meine Wade tut weh.	My calf hurts.	Good sports word.
der Fuß	foos	foot	Mein Fuß ist eingeschlafen.	My foot has fallen asleep.	Plural: die Füße.
der Zeh	tsay	toe	Ich habe mir den Zeh gestoßen.	I hit my toe.	Plural: die Zehen.
die Ferse	FEHR-zuh	heel	Meine Ferse schmerzt.	My heel hurts.	Very practical for shoes and walking.
die Sohle	ZOH-luh	sole of the foot / shoe sole	Die Sohle ist abgenutzt.	The sole is worn out.	Useful for shoes, not everyday conversation.

Useful Phrases For Pain, Symptoms, And Description

These are the phrases people actually say when something hurts, feels strange, or needs a quick description. Not glamorous, but extremely useful.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
weh tun	vay toon	to hurt	Mein Kopf tut weh.	My head hurts.	Very common phrase. Literally “do pain”.
Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.	ikh HAH-buh KOPF-shmahrt-sen	I have a headache.	Ich habe Kopfschmerzen nach dem langen Tag.	I have a headache after the long day.	Plural form: Kopfschmerzen.
Mir ist schwindelig.	meer ist SHVIN-duh-likh	I feel dizzy.	Mir ist schwindelig, wenn ich schnell aufstehe.	I feel dizzy when I stand up quickly.	Very useful medical phrase.
Ich habe Halsschmerzen.	ikh HAH-buh HALL-shmahrt-sen	I have a sore throat.	Ich habe Halsschmerzen und Husten.	I have a sore throat and a cough.	Hals + Schmerzen.
Ich habe Rückenschmerzen.	ikh HAH-buh RUEK-en-shmahrt-sen	I have back pain.	Ich habe Rückenschmerzen vom Sitzen.	I have back pain from sitting.	Again, plural Schmerzen.
Mein Knie ist geschwollen.	mine knee ist guh-SHVOL-len	My knee is swollen.	Mein Knie ist nach dem Sport geschwollen.	My knee is swollen after sport.	Past participle comes at the end in German.
Ich habe mich geschnitten.	ikh HAH-buh mikh guh-SHNIT-ten	I cut myself.	Ich habe mich beim Kochen geschnitten.	I cut myself while cooking.	Reflexive verb: sich schneiden.
Es blutet.	es BLOO-tet	It is bleeding.	Mein Finger blutet ein bisschen.	My finger is bleeding a little.	Very short and practical.
Ich kann meinen Arm nicht bewegen.	ikh kan MY-nen arm nikt buh-FAY-gen	I cannot move my arm.	Ich kann meinen Arm nicht bewegen, weil er weh tut.	I cannot move my arm because it hurts.	bewegen = move.
Bitte rufen Sie einen Arzt.	BIT-tuh ROO-fen zee IN-en arzt	Please call a doctor.	Bitte rufen Sie einen Arzt, wenn es schlimmer wird.	Please call a doctor if it gets worse.	Formal Sie form.

Face Parts You Will Use For Descriptions

Face vocabulary is handy for describing people, giving directions with gestures, or understanding comments like Sie hat blaue Augen. Also, German loves describing someone’s face in perfectly normal, very specific ways.

German	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
die Stirn	shtirn	forehead	Er legt die Stirn in Falten.	He wrinkles his forehead.	Good for facial expressions.
die Wange	VAHNG-uh	cheek	Sie hat rote Wangen.	She has red cheeks.	Plural: die Wangen.
die Augenbraue	OW-gen-brow-uh	eyebrow	Er hebt eine Augenbraue.	He raises an eyebrow.	Long compound noun, very German.
die Wimper	VIM-per	eyelash	Ich habe etwas im Auge und in der Wimper.	I have something in my eye and eyelash.	Plural: die Wimpern.
die Lippe	LIP-puh	lip	Sie beißt sich auf die Lippe.	She bites her lip.	Plural: die Lippen.
das Kinn	kin	chin	Er streicht sich über das Kinn.	He strokes his chin.	Useful in gestures and descriptions.
die Schläfe	SHLEH-fuh	temple	Ich habe Schmerzen an der Schläfe.	I have pain at my temple.	Good for headaches.
die Zähne	TSAY-nuh	teeth	Ich putze mir die Zähne.	I brush my teeth.	Plural of der Zahn.

Quick Grammar Notes

Body parts are a nice way to practice German grammar without falling asleep over a textbook. Here are the main patterns you will meet.

Pattern	Meaning	German Example	English Translation	Learner Note
Ich habe + body part + Schmerzen	I have pain in…	Ich habe Bauchschmerzen.	I have stomach pain.	Very common complaint pattern.
Mir tut + body part + weh	My … hurts	Mir tut der Fuß weh.	My foot hurts.	mir is the dative form here; don’t overthink it too hard.
Ich habe meinen / meine / mein …	my + body part	Ich habe meinen Arm verletzt.	I injured my arm.	Possessive changes with gender and case.
Was tut weh?	What hurts?	Was tut dir weh?	What hurts?	Useful in conversations and doctor visits.
der / die / das	the	der Kopf, die Hand, das Ohr	the head, the hand, the ear	Learn the article with the noun from the start.

A small but important note: in German, body parts are often used with a possessive or a dative structure, especially when talking about pain. English says “my head hurts.” German often says Mir tut der Kopf weh or Ich habe Kopfschmerzen. Same human misery, different sentence shape.

Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes

Let’s save you from the classic learner faceplants. Some are tiny, but German notices everything, as if it is being graded by a very serious grandma.

Wrong: Ich habe Schmerz im Kopf. Better: Ich habe Kopfschmerzen. or Mir tut der Kopf weh.
Wrong: Mein Hand tut weh. Better: Meine Hand tut weh. because Hand is feminine: die Hand.
Wrong: Der Haar. Better: das Haar or often simply die Haare for hair in general.
Wrong: Ich habe ein Zahn. Better: Ich habe einen Zahn. because the accusative masculine article is einen.
Wrong: Mein Fuß tun weh. Better: Mein Fuß tut weh. Singular noun, singular verb.
Wrong: Ich bin schwindelig. Better: Mir ist schwindelig. That feeling is usually expressed with mir ist.

Pronunciation Tips Worth Knowing

A few German sounds show up again and again in body vocabulary. Nothing terrifying, just the usual German little surprises.

ch in Gesicht, Bauch, ich is usually a soft sound, not English “k”.
z in Zunge, Zeh, Zähne sounds like ts.
ü in Hüfte, Füße is a rounded front vowel. If it feels weird, good news: it usually does at first.
ä in Hände, Zähne often sounds like a short “eh”.
ß in Fuß is pronounced like s, not “b”.
Final g in words like Nacken is still a normal g; in some regions it may sound softer in speech.

For a reliable dictionary check on pronunciation and meaning, Duden is about as boring and trustworthy as it gets, which is exactly the point.

Mini Practice

Try these quick swaps. If your brain complains, that usually means it is learning something.

Change to plural: der Fuß → __________
Change to “my hand hurts”: die Hand → __________
Choose the correct article: __________ Arm / __________ Auge / __________ Nase
Translate: “I have a sore throat.” → __________
Translate: “My knee is swollen.” → __________
Translate: “Open your mouth.” → __________

Answers

der Fuß → die Füße
Mir tut die Hand weh.
der Arm / das Auge / die Nase
Ich habe Halsschmerzen.
Mein Knie ist geschwollen.
Mach den Mund auf.

Germany, Austria, And Switzerland Notes

Most of these words are standard across German-speaking countries. Still, a few small differences are worth knowing so nobody acts shocked in a conversation over a perfectly normal body part.

Ellenbogen / Ellbogen: both spellings are seen in standard German.
Bauch, Kopf, Hand, Fuß, Ohr, and Bein are broadly standard and safe in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Some regional speech may prefer different everyday terms for parts of the body or medical complaints, but the words in this article are the safest starting point.

Quick Reference Summary

Area	High-Value Words
Head And Face	der Kopf, das Gesicht, das Auge, das Ohr, die Nase, der Mund, die Zunge, der Zahn, die Wange, die Stirn
Upper Body	der Hals, der Nacken, der Rücken, die Schulter, der Arm, der Ellbogen, die Hand, der Finger, der Daumen
Lower Body	der Bauch, der Magen, die Hüfte, das Bein, das Knie, die Wade, der Fuß, der Zeh, die Ferse
Pain Phrases	weh tun, Ich habe …, Mir ist schwindelig, Es blutet, Ich habe mich geschnitten

For more practice with gestures and movement language, see Body Actions And Gestures In German. For the broader learning path, the main hub is Learn German.

Yak takeaway: Learn the body and face words with their articles, not as lonely little dictionary zombies. German likes its nouns dressed properly. Rude, but consistent.