German Parts of the Body Vocabulary
This set covers the words you need to talk about the body in general, before you get into specific organs or medical detail: der Körper for the body as a whole, der Rücken for the back, and die Haut for skin. One trap for English speakers is der Knochen versus das Bein: Bein means leg in modern German, not bone, so "he broke his Bein" sounds odd until you remember the bone is der Knochen.
Learn these 22 words
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All 22 words
plural: die Bäuche
belly/stomach
Seit gestern tut mir der Bauch weh. — My belly has been hurting since yesterday.
plural: die Körper
body
Der Arzt sagt, ich muss etwas für meinen Körper tun, z. B. schwimmen oder Fahrrad fahren. — The doctor says I need to do something for my body, such as swimming or cycling.
plural: die Rücken
back (body)
Mein Rücken tut mir weh. — My back hurts.
plural: die Beine
leg
Andreas hat sich das Bein gebrochen. — Andreas broke his leg.
plural: die Brüste
chest; breast
Ich habe Schmerzen in der Brust. — I have pain in my chest.
skin
Haben Sie eine Creme für trockene Haut? — Do you have a cream for dry skin?
plural: die Knochen
bone
Ich bin hingefallen. Jetzt tun mir alle Knochen weh. — I fell down. Now all my bones hurt.
plural: die Druckpunkte
a pressure point
Der Druckpunkt lindert Kopfschmerzen. — The pressure point relieves headaches.
plural: die Gehirne
brain / mind
Das Gehirn kontrolliert all deine Gedanken und Bewegungen. — The brain controls all your thoughts and movements.
plural: die Glieder
member / link / limb / part
Das Glied ist ein wesentlicher Teil des Körpers. — A limb is an essential part of the body.
plural: die Leiber
body / flesh
Der Leib braucht Bewegung und gute Ernährung. — The body needs exercise and good nutrition.
plural: die Leisten
the groin / bar / strip
Die Leiste ist der Bereich zwischen Oberschenkel und Bauch. — The groin is the area between the thigh and abdomen.
plural: die Rippen
rib / fin
Der Arzt tastete meine Rippen ab. — The doctor palpated my ribs.
uncircumcised
Viele Kulturen praktizieren unbeschnittene Traditionen. — Many cultures practice uncircumcised traditions.
plural: die Ellen
the ulna / a cubit / yardstick
Die Elle ist ein Knochen im Unterarm. — The ulna is a bone in the forearm.
plural: die Fußgewölbe
the arch of the foot
Die Fußgewölbe stabilisieren den Fuß beim Gehen. — The arch of the foot stabilizes it while walking.
balls / testicles (informal)
Er verletzte sich die Klöten beim Sport. — He injured his balls during sports.
plural: die Klumpfüße
clubfoot
Der Klumpfuß ist eine angeborene Deformation. — Clubfoot is a congenital deformation.
plural: die Schädeldecken
a skullcap
Die Schädeldecke schützt das Gehirn. — The skullcap protects the brain.
plural: die Schwielen
a callus (wenig benutzt)
Eine Schwiele bildete sich an seiner Hand. — A callus formed on his hand.
welts / stretch marks
Die roten Striemen zeigten frühere Verletzungen. — The red welts showed previous injuries.
plural: die Warzenhöfe
areola
Der Warzenhof wird beim Stillen dunkler. — The areola darkens during breastfeeding.
How to learn this set
Notice that most of the basic, high-frequency words here (Bauch, Rücken, Fuß, Knochen) are masculine, while a lot of the more specific or anatomical terms (Haut, Rippe, Leiste, Elle) are feminine - it's worth drilling the articles as a block rather than word by word. Also watch the compounds: der Klumpfuß (clubfoot) and die Fußgewölbe (arch of the foot) both build on der Fuß, and der Warzenhof (areola) literally combines Warze (wart/nipple) with Hof (yard), which is a useful image for remembering it. For the rarer C1 words like die Schwiele or die Striemen, don't drill them in isolation - attach each one to a short sentence describing where on the body it appears, since that context is what will actually make them stick.
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Frequently asked questions
Is der Bauch the same as der Magen?
No. Der Magen is the stomach as an internal organ, while der Bauch is the belly area you can see and touch, like a beer belly (Bierbauch). If you're talking about digestion, use Magen; if you're talking about the body part, use Bauch.
What's the difference between der Körper and der Leib?
Der Körper is the standard, neutral word for body used in everyday and clinical German. Der Leib is older and more literary or biblical, often carrying a sense of 'flesh' or the living body as opposed to the corpse (Leiche) - you'll meet it in phrases like 'Leib und Seele' (body and soul).
Why is die Brust used for both chest and breast?
German doesn't split these into separate words the way English does. Die Brust covers the whole chest area on a man or woman, and also refers specifically to a woman's breast, so context does the work that separate vocabulary does in English.
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