All right, time for a lesson in German body parts! Knowing how to refer to body parts in German is a crucial cornerstone of your vocabulary. After all, we human beings are quite literally our bodies!
The Importance of Knowing Body Parts in German
Body parts will often come up naturally in many conversations, such as when you’re complimenting someone or when you’re working out in the gym.
But it’s also incredibly important for emergencies, such as if you ever (knock on wood) find yourself ill or injured in Germany. Knowing how to refer to different body parts in German can save your or someone else’s life! (That’s why we included organs too).
Plus, just like in English, it’s used in a lot of idioms as well. For example, the saying “At the tip of my tongue” is used in German as well: auf der Zunge liegen.
You might encounter such idioms in real life or in German language certification exams like the telc or the DTZ, which focus on practical applications of the language.
Different Body Parts in German
The good news is, like other words, some German words sound similar to English, such as Knie for knee or Nase for nose.
Below, we’ve listed down a comprehensive list of German body parts (without going too medical). For organization, we also divided them into five categories: head, torso, arms, legs, and organs.
We also included their plural forms for body parts commonly referred to in the plural. And since each German noun has a distinct gender (and you should memorize the gender of each noun you come across!), we also put the article used with it based on their gender.
The Head
*Haar is a more formal and old-fashioned word; Haare is a more colloquial word.
The Torso
*Brustwarze is the more formal word; Nippel has a more sexual connotation and can also be used to refer to anything protruding from a surface.
The Arms
*Ellbogen is a contraction of Ellenbogen. They can be used interchangeably.
The Legs
*Hacke is more colloquial
Organs in German
Tips for Memorizing Body Parts in German
As with any vocabulary, simply use them as much as possible in conversation. Compliment a German person about their Haare or talk about working out your Biene in the gym.
And think to yourself in German about your body parts too. Instead of thinking “Why are my arms so itchy?” think to yourself “Warum jucken meine Arme?"
And as I’ve said before, whenever you encounter a new noun, always memorize its gender. It makes article usage so much easier for proper grammar. That’s why we included it in our list too!
All right, enough chatter - scroll back up and go memorize these body parts!
