Insperium Chinese
Body Parts in Chinese: 17 Words and the Phrases You Need at the Doctor
October 16, 2026 · 5 min read
Body parts are some of the most useful words you can learn early: you need them to describe how you feel, to understand a doctor, and they appear in dozens of everyday expressions. Here are 17 body parts in Chinese with pinyin and native audio (press ▶), and the sentences that matter most when something hurts.
Head and face
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 头 | tóu | head | |
| 头发 | tóufa | hair | |
| 脸 | liǎn | face | |
| 眼睛 | yǎnjing | eyes | |
| 鼻子 | bízi | nose | |
| 嘴 | zuǐ | mouth | |
| 耳朵 | ěrduo | ears |
The rest of the body
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 身体 | shēntǐ | body; health | |
| 手 | shǒu | hand | |
| 手指 | shǒuzhǐ | finger | |
| 背 | bèi | back | |
| 肚子 | dùzi | stomach, belly | |
| 心 | xīn | heart | |
| 腿 | tuǐ | leg | |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot | |
| 皮肤 | pífū | skin | |
| 骨头 | gǔtou | bone |
Notice how the words build on each other: 头发 is "head hair", and 手指 is "hand finger". 身体 means both "body" and "health" — 身体好吗？ asks whether someone is well.
At the doctor: saying what hurts
The key word is 疼 (téng), "to hurt". Put the body part in front of it: 头疼 is a headache, 肚子疼 a stomach ache, 腿疼 a sore leg.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我头疼。 | wǒ tóuténg. | I have a headache. | |
| 我肚子疼。 | wǒ dùzi téng. | My stomach hurts. | |
| 我的腿很疼。 | wǒ de tuǐ hěn téng. | My leg hurts a lot. | |
| 我不舒服。 | wǒ bù shūfu. | I don't feel well. | |
| 你哪儿不舒服？ | nǐ nǎr bù shūfu? | Where do you feel unwell? | |
| 我很累。 | wǒ hěn lèi. | I'm very tired. | |
| 你要多休息。 | nǐ yào duō xiūxi. | You should rest more. | |
| 身体很重要。 | shēntǐ hěn zhòngyào. | Health is very important. |
你哪儿不舒服？ is the first thing a Chinese doctor or pharmacist will ask you. Answer with the body part + 疼, and you will be understood.
Body parts in everyday expressions
- 小心 (xiǎoxīn) — "small heart" — means "be careful".
- 开心 (kāixīn) — "open heart" — means happy.
- 丢脸 (diūliǎn) — "to lose face" — to be embarrassed.
- 手机 (shǒujī) — "hand machine" — is your mobile phone.
Listen and repeat: all 25 words and phrases
Free PDF: body parts in Chinese
All 17 body parts and 8 phrases for the doctor or pharmacy on one printable sheet, with pinyin and English. We send it to your inbox.
Get the free PDFFrequently asked questions
How do you say "I have a headache" in Chinese?
我头疼 (wǒ tóuténg).
How do you say "I don't feel well" in Chinese?
我不舒服 (wǒ bù shūfu).
What is the Chinese word for body?
身体 (shēntǐ), which also means "health".
From body parts to reading
手, 头, 心 and 口 turn up in hundreds of other words — that is why learning the most frequent characters first pays off so quickly. See the most common Chinese characters, or Character Mastery, which takes you through the 2,500 characters behind 98% of everyday Chinese with meanings in your own language — $1 for the first seven days, then $29/month.