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 |