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!

EnglishChinese characterPronunciationLiterally/notes
Exterior
bodysan1
hair頭髮tau4 faat3
headtau4
face面 / 頭min6 / tau4面 is probably more accurately cheeks
forehead額頭ngaak6 tau4
eyengaan5
* 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
cheekmin6
lips口唇hau2 seon4
mouth口 / 嘴hau2 / zeoi2
* tonguelei6
* teethnga4
chin下扒haa6 paa4
earsji5
neckgeng2
chest心口 / 胸sam1 hau2 / hung1
back背脊bui3 zek3
waistjiu1
abdominalstou5
* belly button肚池tou5 ci4
shoulders膊頭bok3 tau4
arm手臂sau2 bei3
* upper armgwang1
* armpit胳肋低gaak3 laak6 dai1
elbow手掙sau2 zaang1
handsau2
* 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*1how I had learned it
寶寶手指 bou2 bou2 sau2 zi2cute translation I found online
* fingernail手指甲sau2 zi2 gaap3
hipsgu2??
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 ngaan5foot eye
footgoek3
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
heartsam1
muscle肌肉gei1 juk6
bonesgwat1
blood vessel血管hyut3 gun2
bloodhyut3
lungfai3
livergon1apparently 膶 ( jeon2) is animal liver and not ours
stomach肚 / 胃tou5 / wai6
intestinecoeng4
gall bladderdaam2
kidneysan6