50 body parts in Spanish and how to use them

Learning how to describe the various body parts in Spanish is a fun and interesting part of your Spanish language. You will most likely use this very often, so it is definitely worth mastering this section as much as you can. 

LIST OF BODY PARTS IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH

Let’s take a look at a list of body parts with their translation to English:

• el cuerpo humano (human body)
• la cabeza (head)
• el pecho (chest)
• el oído / la oreja (ear)
• el ojo (eye)
• la cara (face)
• la mano (hand)
• la boca (mouth)
• el pie (foot)
• la espalda (back)
• el pelo (hair)
• el codo (elbow)
• el dedo (finger)
• la pantorrilla (calf)
• la pierna (leg)
• la muñeca (wrist)
• el talón (heel)
• el brazo (arm)
• el cuello (neck)
• el tobillo (ankle)
• la frente (forehead)
• el muslo (thigh)
• la barba (beard)
• el bigote (mustache)
• la lengua (tongue)
• el dedo del pie (toe)
• la cintura (waist)
• la cadera (hip)
• las nalgas (buttocks)
• el pulgar (thumb)
• la rodilla (knee)
• la nariz (nose)
• el seno (breast)
• la mejilla, el cachete (cheek)
• los labios (lips)
• el hombro (shoulder)
• la barbilla, el mentón (chin)
• las cejas (eyebrows)
• las pestañas (eyelashes)
• el ombligo (belly button / navel)
• la piel (skin)
• el vientre (abdomen / stomach)
• la garganta (throat)
• los dientes/las muelas (teeth)

HUMAN BODY IN SPANISH

When describing the human body in Spanish, there are two main differences to referring to them in English. 

Firstly, in Spanish, you need to include a definite article each time you describe a body part. Everybody part in Spanish will therefore be preceded by either “el” or “la” (or “los” or “las” if referring to the plural case). 

Even though you may use the definite article once with a body part in Spanish, you will need to use it again if you are talking about a body part, even if it is in the same sentence. For example:

If you want to say “the wrist and elbow” in Spanish, you would need to say “la muñeca y el codo”. 

Secondly, there is another important difference between Spanish and English with the body parts. In English, we often use possessive adjectives when we refer to a body part. For example:

“My hand” or “her head”. In Spanish, you will need to use (almost without exception) a definite article for a body part, regardless of the possessive case. For example, “I broke my ankle and leg”. In Spanish, you would say “Me rompí el tobillo y la pierna”. Directly translated, it would be “I broke the ankle and the leg” but this is grammatically correct in Spanish. 

If you are currently learning the body parts in Spanish, an easy way to do this would be to have a drawing of the body and then have the body parts labeled in Spanish. This is a fun and exciting way to memorize them, especially if you are teaching the body parts for kids. 

Would you like to learn more vocabulary in Spanish? Discover 20 popular Spanish words used in English.

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