Greek2Me staff · Vocab
Greek Body Parts
Every Greek body part from head to toe, with the singular and plural forms so you can describe an ache, a stretch, or an outfit. Useful for the doctor, useful for daily life, and half of them will already look familiar from English medical terms.
| Greek | English | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| The body in general | |||
| σώμα | body | ||
| Head and face | |||
| κεφάλι | head | ||
| μαλλιά | hair (plural, always) | ||
| πρόσωπο | face | ||
| μέτωπο | forehead | ||
| μάτι / μάτια | eye / eyes | ||
| φρύδι / φρύδια | eyebrow / eyebrows | ||
| μύτη | nose | ||
| στόμα | mouth | ||
| χείλος / χείλη | lip / lips | ||
| δόντι / δόντια | tooth / teeth | ||
| γλώσσα | tongue / language | ||
| αυτί / αυτιά | ear / ears | ||
| Neck, shoulders, arms | |||
| λαιμός | neck / throat | ||
| ώμος / ώμοι | shoulder / shoulders | ||
| χέρι / χέρια | hand / arm (both) | ||
| δάχτυλο / δάχτυλα | finger / fingers | ||
| νύχι / νύχια | nail / nails | ||
| Torso | |||
| στήθος | chest / breast | ||
| καρδιά | heart | ||
| στομάχι | stomach | ||
| πλάτη | back | ||
| μέση | waist / lower back | ||
| Legs and feet | |||
| πόδι / πόδια | leg / foot (both) | ||
| γόνατο / γόνατα | knee / knees | ||
| αστράγαλος | ankle | ||
| πατούσα | sole of the foot | ||
| Skin, blood, bones | |||
| δέρμα | skin | ||
| αίμα | blood | ||
| κόκαλο / κόκαλα | bone / bones | ||
Χέρι and πόδι do double duty
Two Greek body words cover more ground than their English equivalents:
- χέρι means both 'hand' and 'arm'. Context tells you which. Έχω πόνο στο χέρι could be the arm or the hand.
- πόδι means both 'leg' and 'foot'. Same logic. Πονάει το πόδι μου could be either.
If you need to be specific, use παλάμη (palm) or δάχτυλα του χεριού (fingers of the hand) for the hand, and πατούσα (sole) or δάχτυλα του ποδιού (toes) for the foot. Most of the time, the shared word is enough.
Greek roots in English medical words
Half of English anatomy vocabulary is Greek borrowings, so a lot of Greek body words will already look familiar:
- δέρμα (skin), dermatology, epidermis
- καρδιά (heart), cardiac, cardiologist
- στόμα (mouth), stomatology
- γλώσσα (tongue / language), glossary, polyglot
- οφθαλμός (formal 'eye'), ophthalmology
- αίμα (blood), haemoglobin, anaemia
Ravi said learning body vocabulary in Greek felt like remembering words rather than learning them, because so many of the English medical terms slotted straight in.
Talking about pain (πονάει / πονάω)
Greek grammar for pain is a small mental flip. The body part is the subject:
- Πονάει το κεφάλι μου.: I have a headache. (literally: my head hurts)
- Πονάνε τα πόδια μου.: My legs hurt.
- Πονάει το στομάχι μου.: My stomach hurts.
Useful noun: ο πόνος (o pónos) means pain. So πονοκέφαλος is a headache and στομαχόπονος is a stomachache. The verb is πονάω for 'I feel pain' and πονάει for 'it hurts'.
At the doctor
A short kit of phrases for a Greek doctor's visit:
- Δεν αισθάνομαι καλά.: I don't feel well.
- Πονάει εδώ.: It hurts here.
- Έχω πυρετό.: I have a fever.
- Έχω πονόλαιμο.: I have a sore throat.
- Χτύπησα το γόνατό μου.: I hurt my knee.
- Είμαι αλλεργικός / αλλεργική σε...: I'm allergic to...
More full vocabulary in the [A2 doctor lesson](/levels/a2/lessons/vocabulary/doctor), which walks through a full appointment.
Body words that turn up as endearments
Greek loves turning body parts into terms of affection:
- καρδιά μου: my heart
- μάτια μου: my eyes
- ψυχή μου: my soul (not a body part, but the same slot)
All used for children, partners, and close family. A grandmother saying μάτια μου to her grandchild is one of the warmest Greek phrases going. More in the [Greek love words](/vocab/greek-love-words) page.
Frequently asked questions
Does χέρι mean hand or arm in Greek?+
Both. Χέρι covers the whole limb from shoulder to fingers, and context tells you which part is meant. If you need to be specific, use παλάμη for palm or βραχίονας for upper arm. Πόδι works the same way for leg and foot.
How do you say my head hurts in Greek?+
Πονάει το κεφάλι μου (ponái to kefáli mou), literally 'my head hurts'. The grammar flips from English, the body part is the subject and the verb πονάει (it hurts) agrees with it. For plural body parts, use πονάνε: πονάνε τα πόδια μου (my legs hurt).
What's the Greek word for heart?+
Καρδιά (kardhiá). It's the root of English cardiac, cardiology, and cardio. Used both for the organ and as an endearment: καρδιά μου (my heart) is one of the most common Greek terms of affection.
Are Greek body parts singular or plural?+
Most work like English, one hand, two hands. A few exceptions worth knowing: μαλλιά (hair) is always plural in Greek, and χείλη (lips), μάτια (eyes), αυτιά (ears), and νύχια (nails) show up mostly in the plural because you rarely mention just one.
What's the Greek word for skin?+
Δέρμα (dérma). This is the root of English dermatology, epidermis, and taxidermy. In everyday speech it's used the same way as 'skin' in English, έχω ξηρό δέρμα means 'I have dry skin'.
Practise this in the app
Learn body vocabulary in the app
Short quizzes on every body part, audio for the tricky ones, and a full lesson on how to describe pain at the doctor.
Start the body vocabulary lesson