Cantonese vocabulary: body parts
Kids like to know there’s a name for everything and what is more personal than their own bodies? Even as a baby, I was saying E’s body parts in Cantonese to him and it’s one of those vocabulary sets where where he has the Chinese and English word for everything – awesome.
But I found that I wasn’t thorough enough. We kind of do say 手/sau2 for everything along our arms and E – smart as can be – translates that and says “hand” for everything along our arms too!
I didn’t find a listing as comprehensive as the one I made below which lists body parts in order, external then internal and from head to toe.
Happy learning!
| English | Chinese character | Pronunciation | Literally/notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior | |||
| body | 身 | san1 | |
| hair | 頭髮 | tau4 faat3 | |
| head | 頭 | tau4 | |
| face | 面 / 頭 | min6 / tau4 | 面 is probably more accurately cheeks |
| forehead | 額頭 | ngaak6 tau4 | |
| eye | 眼 | ngaan5 | |
| * eyebrow | 眼眉 | ngaan5 mei4 | |
| * eyelash | 眼 泣 毛 | ngaan5 jap1 mou4 | |
| * eyelid | 眼皮 | ngaan5 pei4 | "eye skin" |
| 眼蓋 | ngaan5 goi3 | "eye cover" | |
| nose | 鼻哥 | bei6 go1 | |
| ear | 耳仔 | ji5 zai2 | |
| cheek | 面 | min6 | |
| lips | 口唇 | hau2 seon4 | |
| mouth | 口 / 嘴 | hau2 / zeoi2 | |
| * tongue | 脷 | lei6 | |
| * teeth | 牙 | nga4 | |
| chin | 下扒 | haa6 paa4 | |
| ears | 耳 | ji5 | |
| neck | 頸 | geng2 | |
| chest | 心口 / 胸 | sam1 hau2 / hung1 | |
| back | 背脊 | bui3 zek3 | |
| waist | 腰 | jiu1 | |
| abdominals | 肚 | tou5 | |
| * belly button | 肚池 | tou5 ci4 | |
| shoulders | 膊頭 | bok3 tau4 | |
| arm | 手臂 | sau2 bei3 | |
| * upper arm | 肱 | gwang1 | |
| * armpit | 胳肋低 | gaak3 laak6 dai1 | |
| elbow | 手掙 | sau2 zaang1 | |
| hand | 手 | sau2 | |
| * palm | 手掌 | sau2 zoeng2 | |
| finger | 手指 | sau2 zi2 | |
| * thumb | 手指公 | sau2 zi2 gung1 | |
| * baby/pinky finger | 手指尾 | sau2 zi2 mei5*1 | how I had learned it |
| 寶寶手指 | bou2 bou2 sau2 zi2 | cute translation I found online | |
| * fingernail | 手指甲 | sau2 zi2 gaap3 | |
| hips | 股 | gu2 | ?? |
| butt | 屁股 | pei3 gu2 | |
| thigh | 大髀 | daai6 bei2 | |
| knee | 膝頭哥 | sat1 tau4 go1 | |
| calf | 小腿 | siu2 teoi2 | |
| ankle | 腳眼 | goek3 ngaan5 | foot eye |
| foot | 腳 | goek3 | |
| heel | 腳掙 | goek3 zaang1 | |
| toes | 腳 趾 | goek3 zi2 | |
| * big toe | 腳 趾公 | goek3 zi2 gung1 | |
| * toenails | 腳指甲 | goek3 zi2 gaap3 | |
| Interior | |||
| skin | 皮膚 | pei4 fu1 | |
| brain | 腦袋 | nou5 doi6 | |
| throat | 喉嚨 | hau4 lung4 | |
| heart | 心 | sam1 | |
| muscle | 肌肉 | gei1 juk6 | |
| bones | 骨 | gwat1 | |
| blood vessel | 血管 | hyut3 gun2 | |
| blood | 血 | hyut3 | |
| lung | 肺 | fai3 | |
| liver | 肝 | gon1 | apparently 膶 ( jeon2) is animal liver and not ours |
| stomach | 肚 / 胃 | tou5 / wai6 | |
| intestine | 腸 | coeng4 | |
| gall bladder | 膽 | daam2 | |
| kidney | 腎 | san6 | |