The body parts in Spanish are called las partes del cuerpo, which are the parts of the human body, in Spanish: el cuerpo humano. The main body parts in Spanish from head to toe are:
Quick tip: In Spanish, body parts are usually preceded by the definite article el, la, los, las meaning “the” rather than by possessive adjectives, as happens in English:
Me duele el tobillo.
My ankle hurts.
Los ojos de Pedro son azules.
Pedro’s eyes are blue.María tiene un bello rostro.
María has a beautiful face.Sus brazos son fuertes.
His arms are strong.
Body parts in Spanish: the head
The main parts of the human head (la cabeza) are:
| la cara the face | la frente the forehead | el ojo the eye |
| el párpado the eyelid | las pestañas the eyelashes | la ceja the eyebrow |
| la nariz the nose | la mejilla the cheek | la oreja the ear (outer part) |
| el oído the ear (inner part) | los labios the lips | la boca the mouth |
| la lengua the tongue | los dientes the teeth | la piel the skin |
| la garganta the throat | el mentón the chin | la mandíbula the jaw |
| el cerebro the brain | el cabello the hair | el cráneo the skull |
Body parts in Spanish: torso and arms
The main parts of the human torso (el torso) are:
| cuello neck | hombro shoulder | pecho chest |
| espalda back | columna spine | columna vertebral backbone |
| costilla rib | brazo arm | antebrazo forearm |
| codo elbow | muñeca wrist | mano hand |
| palma palm | dedo finger | nudillo knuckle |
| pulgar thumb | uña fingernail | cintura waist |
| cadera hip | ombligo navel | hueso bone |
| músculo muscle | corazón heart | pulmón lung |
| estómago stomach | hígado liver | riñón kidney |
| vejiga bladder | intestino intestine | estómago stomach |
Body parts in Spanish: legs and feet
Grammar rules: Body parts in Spanish
Like all nouns in Spanish, body parts have gender, which means they are either feminine (la cabeza) or masculine (el hombro). They also have number, meaning they are either singular (la cara) or plural (los ojos).
The parts of the body in Spanish are usually preceded by the definite article el, la, los, las (meaning “the”), unlike in English, in which possessive adjectives (my, your, their) are used:
Levanten las manos.
Raise your hands.Me duele el hombro.
My shoulder hurts.Me quebré el brazo.
I broke my arm.
When talking about physical description, body parts take the possessive adjective mi, tu, su (my, your, his):
Sus ojos son verdes.
His eyes are green.Tu cara es redonda.
Your face is round.
Common verbs used with body parts
Some of the most common verbs that are used to refer to body parts in Spanish are:
Sus labios son color rubí.
Her lips are ruby.
Ella tiene el cabello rizado.
She has curly hair.
Me duele la garganta.
I have a sore throat.
Le duele la cabeza.
He has a headache.
Me pica el pie.
My foot is itchy.
Juan se quebró el brazo.
Juan broke his arm.
Necesitas cortarte las uñas.
You need to cut your nails.
Olivia se peina cada mañana.
Olivia combs her hair every morning.
Los niños se están cepillando los dientes.
The kids are brushing their teeth.
Lávate las manos antes de cenar.
Wash your hands before dinner.
Most verbs related to body parts describing a temporary action or ailment are preceded by the pronouns me, te, le.
Spanish idioms with body parts
Just like English, Spanish has idiomatic expressions related to the body parts which are used in everyday colloquial language. Some have a literal sense, while others are used figuratively:
- ¡Ojo!
It means “Watch out!”
¡Ojo! Te vas a caer.
Watch out! You’re about to fall.
- Ser todo oídos
It literally means “to be all ears”
Cuéntame el secreto; soy todo oídos.
Tell me the secret; I’m all ears.
- Meter la pata
It literally means “to put one’s foot in it” (pata: colloquial word for foot)
Metí la pata; no debí decir eso.
I put my foot in it; I shouldn’t have said that.
- Cerrar la boca
It literally means “to shut one’s mouth”
Cierra la boca, niño; no hables más.
Shut your mouth, kid; don’t speak any more.
- Hablar hasta por los codos
It is equivalent to “to talk someone’s ear off”
Ella habla hasta por los codos cada vez que la veo.
She talks my ear off every time I see her.
- Dar una mano
It literally means “to give a hand”
¿Me puedes dar una mano con esto?
Can you give me a hand with this?
- Tener la lengua afilada
It literally means “to have a sharp tongue”
Es hipercrítico y tiene la lengua afilada.
He is overcritical and has a sharp tongue.
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