German Arms, Hands & Legs Vocabulary
This set covers the arm and leg from shoulder to toe, including joints like das Handgelenk (wrist) and der Knöchel (ankle), plus smaller parts such as die Ferse (heel) and der Daumen (thumb). One trap for English speakers: der Knöchel means both ankle and knuckle in German, so you have to rely on context where English uses two separate words.
Learn these 21 words
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All 21 words
plural: die Daumen
thumb
Er drückt mir die Daumen für die Prüfung. — He's keeping his thumbs crossed for my exam.
plural: die Hände
hand
Er gibt mir die Hand. — He shakes my hand.
plural: die Zehen
toe
Ich habe mir die Zehe gestoßen. — I bumped my toe.
plural: die Ellbogen
elbow
Er stützt seinen Ellbogen auf den Tisch. — He rests his elbow on the table.
plural: die Fäuste
fist
Sie ballte die Faust vor Wut. — She clenched her fist in anger.
plural: die Füße
foot
Gehen Sie zu Fuß zur Arbeit? — Do you go to work on foot?
plural: die Handgelenke
wrist
Mein Handgelenk tut nach dem Sturz weh. — My wrist hurts after the fall.
plural: die Fersen
heel
Die Ferse tut mir beim Gehen weh. — My heel hurts when I walk.
plural: die Finger
finger
Alessandro hat sich in den Finger geschnitten. — Alessandro cut his finger.
plural: die Knie
knee
Ich habe mich am Knie verletzt. Jetzt kann ich nicht laufen. — I injured my knee. Now I cannot walk.
plural: die Oberarme
upper arm
Der Oberarm ist stärker als der Unterarm. — The upper arm is stronger than the forearm.
plural: die Oberschenkel
thigh
Nach dem Laufen schmerzt sein Oberschenkel. — After running, his thigh hurts.
plural: die Schultern
shoulder
Ich habe Schmerzen in der rechten Schulter. — I have pain in my right shoulder.
plural: die Unterarme
forearm
Sie hat sich am Unterarm verletzt. — She injured herself on the forearm.
plural: die Waden
calf
Beim Radfahren trainiert man die Waden. — Cycling trains the calves.
plural: die Beine
leg
Das Bein ist nach der Operation geschwollen. — The leg is swollen after the operation.
plural: die Hände
hand
Ich wasche mir die Hand vor dem Essen. — I wash my hand before eating.
plural: die Knöchel
ankle / knuckle
Ich habe mir den Knöchel beim Fußballspiel verletzt. — I hurt my ankle during the football match.
plural: die Schulterblattes
a shoulder blade / scapula
Das Schulterblatt ist ein flacher Knochen. — The shoulder blade is a flat bone.
plural: die Handwurzeln
wrist / carpus (wenig benutzt)
Die Handwurzel verbindet Unterarm und Mittelhand. — The wrist connects the forearm and metacarpus.
plural: die Mittelhandknochen
metacarpal
Der Mittelhandknochen verbindet die Finger mit der Hand. — The metacarpal connects the fingers to the hand.
How to learn this set
Notice how German builds body parts by compounding a location word onto a base noun: Oberarm and Unterarm split "arm" into upper and lower, Oberschenkel does the same for the leg, and Schulterblatt literally means "shoulder blade" (Blatt = leaf/blade). Once you know der Arm, das Bein, and die Hand, you get several other words almost for free just by attaching Ober-, Unter-, or a body part name in front. Drill the joints together as a small group: Ellbogen, Knie, Handgelenk, Knöchel, since they're the words you'll actually need when describing an injury. For gender, group by root noun rather than memorizing each compound separately, since Hand stays feminine in die Handwurzel but Gelenk pulls das Handgelenk into neuter.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Hand masculine or feminine in German?
Die Hand is feminine, and it keeps that gender in compounds like die Handwurzel and das Handgelenk (which flips to neuter once Gelenk takes over as the base word). The plural is irregular too: die Hände, not a simple -e ending.
What is the difference between Knöchel and Ellbogen?
Der Knöchel covers both the ankle and the knuckle, so context decides which joint someone means. Der Ellbogen is only the elbow, no ambiguity there.
Why does German have separate words for arm and Oberarm/Unterarm?
German builds precise terms for arm and leg segments by compounding: Oberarm (upper arm) and Unterarm (forearm) split what English arm covers into two parts, and the same pattern gives you Oberschenkel (thigh) for the leg. Learn Arm and Bein first, then treat the Ober-/Unter- versions as add-ons.
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