Body Parts in Japanese :Now that we know the proper words for our bodies, let’s talk about popular idioms or expressions that have body parts in them. Don’t worry, it’s not as morbid as it sounds!
Contents
- 1 Body Parts in Japanese
- 2 What are idioms?
- 2.1 首になる-くびになる (Kubi ni naru) – “to be a neck”
- 2.2 頭はいい-あたまがいい (Atama ga ii) – “a good head/ to have a good head”
- 2.3 手が早い-てがはやい (Te ga hayai) – “fast hands/ to have fast hands”
- 2.4 顔が広い-かおがひろい (Kao ga hiroi) – “large face/ones face is big”
- 2.5 鼻が高い-はながたかい (Hana ga takai) – “high nose/ ones nose is high”
- 2.6 胸をなでおろす-むねをなでおろす (Mune wo nade orosu) – “to stroke your chest”
- 2.7 小耳に挟む-こみみにはさむ (Komimi ni hasamu) – “to sandwich something between small ears”
- 2.8 手の内を明かす-てのうちをあかす(Te no uchi wo akasu) -“Clear the inside of your hand”
- 2.9 足が棒になる-あしがぼうになる (Ashi ga bou ni naru) – “Feet becomes sticks”
- 2.10 足を引っ張る-あしをひっぱる (Ashi wo hipparu) – “pull someone’s legs”
- 3 Head and Neck
- 4 Head and Neck Vocabulary
- 5 Upper Body
- 6 Upper Body Vocabulary
- 7 Lower Body
- 8 Lower Body Vocabulary
- 9 General Body Parts Vocabulary
- 10 Learn Japanese Online with BondLingo?
Body Parts in Japanese
Hey, everyone, and welcome back for another daily dose of Japanese! Today, we’re going to take a look at the most important thing in all of our lives: our bodies (体, karada)! From the tops of our heads (頭, atama) to the bottoms of our feet (足, ashi), we’re going to learn the Japanese words for all of the major body parts that keep us alive and looking good! Let’s get crackin’!
What are idioms?
Idioms are usually phrases or expressions that are used in everyday conversations. These expressions should not be taken literally and usually have a different meaning to the words used. A few English equivalents can be how we say “Break a leg” before someone is about to perform or about to do something quite important. It doesn’t literally mean you’d like the person you’re speaking to to actually break a leg but you actually just wanted to wish them good luck! A few more popular idioms we have in English include “Hit the sack”, “Feeling under the weather”, “Barking up the wrong tree”,”Let the cat out of the bag”, and so much more.
Expressions like these are used more commonly than you think and of course, the Japanese language has it;s fair share of expressions and idioms as well. Understanding and being able to apply idioms and expressions in your vocabulary like the examples we have mentioned above shows a sign of fluency so in a classroom setting as this little blog we have prepared for you can help you sound a little bit more native! Idioms are phrases that you don’t really learn in a classroom setting as idioms and expressions are mainly used in casual conversations!
A few examples of commonly heard and used idioms
As mentioned in the title, we will mainly be giving you examples of idioms and expressions that have body parts (in japanese) incorporated in them. TO bae honest, we doubt we can fit ALL idioms with body parts in them in one blog so we just compiled a few common ones that you are bound to hear at some point!
首になる-くびになる (Kubi ni naru) – “to be a neck”
This phrase is one of the most common phrases that one might hear from popular social media. くび(kubi) means neck and where になる(ni naru) means to become. This actually means “to be fired” or to be laid-off from work.
頭はいい-あたまがいい (Atama ga ii) – “a good head/ to have a good head”
A phrase mostly used as an adjective to describe someone, this is actually very common and there’s a high possibility that you’ll encounter this when you begin learning vocabulary. あたま(atama) means head and いい (ii) means good. This expression is used to describe someone who is smart.
手が早い-てがはやい (Te ga hayai) – “fast hands/ to have fast hands”
て(te) means hand/s and はやい(hayai) means fast. This idiom is again used mainly as a phrase to describe someone who works fast or moves fast. This idiom can be used as a sentence by itself.
顔が広い-かおがひろい (Kao ga hiroi) – “large face/ones face is big”
かお(kao) means face and ひろい(hiroi) means big. Some idioms give out context clues about what it means. In this case, the phrase means “to know many people”. It kinda does make sense…right?
鼻が高い-はながたかい (Hana ga takai) – “high nose/ ones nose is high”
はな(hana) means nose and たかい(takai) means high or tall. This can be both good or bad depending on the context but this expression can be used to describe someone that is orou or the action of being proud.
胸をなでおろす-むねをなでおろす (Mune wo nade orosu) – “to stroke your chest”
むね(mune) means chest なでおろす(nadeorosu) means to stroke. feel relieved
小耳に挟む-こみみにはさむ (Komimi ni hasamu) – “to sandwich something between small ears”
こみみ(komimi) means small ears and はさむ(hasamu) means to scissor or in a way, to wedge. ans Eavesdrop
手の内を明かす-てのうちをあかす(Te no uchi wo akasu) -“Clear the inside of your hand”
てのうち (te no uchi) meas the inside of your hand/s and あかす(akasu) means to clarify or to divulge. This is a bit difficult to guess but it means to open up your heart/hands to someone.
足が棒になる-あしがぼうになる (Ashi ga bou ni naru) – “Feet becomes sticks”
あし(ashi) means feet and ぼうになる(bou ni naru) means to become a stick. This idiom actually makes a lot of sense as it means stiff legs!
足を引っ張る-あしをひっぱる (Ashi wo hipparu) – “pull someone’s legs”
あし(ashi) means feet and ひっぱる(hipparu) means pull. This means to drag someone down–quite similar to the “crab mentality”.
So what do you think of idioms? Idioms are actually quite fun to learn although cannot be translated in a literal sense, kinda do make sense when you think about it more! Like what we mentioned before, we cannot teach you ALL idioms and expressions that incorporate body parts in them as 1 blog simply isn’t enough. We encourage you to search for a few more as there are a lot! We hope you enjoyed reading this blog as Japanese can be a piece of cake as long as you keep on studying!
Head and Neck
Let’s begin at the very top with our heads! This is the region where our ears, eyes, noses and mouths are. We use these in order to hear (聞く, kiku), see (見る, miru), smell (嗅ぐ, kagu), and taste (味わう, ajiwau). This is also the area that feels the most uncomfortable if we catch a cold! We might develop a cough (咳, seki), a runny nose (鼻水, hana mizu), and/or a sore throat (喉が痛い, nodo ga itai). The following is a list of vocabulary related to the head and neck.
Head and Neck Vocabulary
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
| 頭 | atama | head |
| 頭皮 | tōhi | scalp |
| 髪の毛 | kami no ke | hair |
| 頭蓋骨 | zugaikotsu | skull |
| 脳 | nō | brain |
| 凸 | deko | forehead |
| 眉毛 | mayuge | eyebrow |
| 目 | me | eye |
| 目玉 | medama | eyeball |
| 瞳 | hitomi | pupil |
| 角膜 | kakumaku | cornea |
| まぶた | mabuta | eyelid |
| 睫毛 | matsuge | eyelash |
| 鼻 | hana | nose |
| 粘液 | nen’eki | mucus |
| 鼻水 | hana mizu | snot |
| 顔 | kao | face |
| 頬 | hoho | cheek |
| 髭 | hige | beard |
| 口髭 | kuchi hige | moustache |
| 耳 | mimi | ear |
| 口 | kuchi | mouth |
| 唇 | kuchibiru | lip |
| 歯 | ha | tooth |
| 舌 | shita | tongue |
| 歯茎 | ha guki | gums |
| 唾液 | daeki | saliva |
| 痰 | tan | phlegm |
| 顎 | ago | jaw/chin |
| 首 | kubi | neck |
| 首筋 | kubi suji | nape |
| 喉 | nodo | throat |
Upper Body
Next, let’s move down to the torso. This is where our arms and hands are as well as several important organs like the heart, lungs, and stomach. Here is a list of the main areas of interest in our upper body.
Upper Body Vocabulary
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
| 上半身 | jōhanshin | upper body |
| 肩 | kata | shoulder |
| 肩甲骨 | kenkōkotsu | shoulder blade |
| 鎖骨 | sakotsu | collarbone |
| 胸 | mune | chest/breast |
| 乳首 | chikubi | nipple |
| 肺 | hai | lung |
| 心臓 | shinzō | heart |
| 肋骨 | rokkotsu | rib |
| 背中 | senaka | back |
| 脊椎 | sekitsui | spine |
| 腎臓 | jinzō | kidney |
| 血管 | kekkan | vein |
| 血 | chi | blood |
| 腕 | ude | arm |
| 肘 | hiji | elbow |
| 手 | te | hand |
| 手首 | te kubi | wrist |
| 手指 | te yubi | finger |
| 爪 | tsume | nail |
| げんこつ | genkotsu | knuckles |
| 肝臓 | kanzō | liver |
| 胆嚢 | tannō | gallbladder |
| 脾臓 | hizō | spleen |
| 胃 | i | stomach |
| 腹 | hara | belly |
| へそ | heso | belly-button |
| 腸 | chō | intestines |
Lower Body
And lastly, we arrive at the lower body. This is the area with our legs and feet for all of that walking and running around we do! Be careful with this section, though. The words for “leg” and “foot” are both pronounced the same in Japanese, “ashi.” Even though the kanji are different (the one for leg is 脚, and the one for foot is 足), it can still get a bit confusing. Therefore, if you’re in a situation in Japan where you need to be specific, make sure to point to the part of your leg or foot in order to be clear on what you’re talking about. Here is a list of all of the important parts of our lower body.
Lower Body Vocabulary
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
| 下半身 | kahanshin | lower body |
| 腰 | koshi | hips/lower back |
| 尻 | shiri | butt |
| 性器 | seiki | genitalia |
| 脚 | ashi | leg |
| 太腿 | futomomo | thigh |
| 膝 | hiza | knee |
| 向う脛 | mukōzune | shin |
| 脹脛 | fukurahagi | calf |
| 足 | ashi | foot |
| 足首 | ashi kubi | ankle |
| アキレス腱 | akiresu ken | Achilles tendon |
| 踵 | kakato | heel |
| 足指 | ashi yubi | toe |
Now that you have a brand new list of words pertaining to body parts, it’s time to get out there and practice! Remember that song, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes?” How would you sing it in Japanese? That’s right, “Atama, kata, hiza, and ashi-yubi!” Well…I guess it doesn’t roll off the tongue quite the same… However, there are plenty of other ways you can practice your new vocabulary. In the morning, when you’re brushing your teeth, think, “Hm, how do I say what I’m doing now in Japanese?” Well, if it’s brushing your teeth, it’s 歯を磨く (ha wo migaku). If it’s washing your hands, it’s 手を洗う (te wo arau). If it’s using your head to remember these words, it’s 頭を使う (atama wo tsukau, use your head).
Remember, learning something new has no meaning if you don’t get out and practice! So, remember to get out there and practice your Japanese a little bit every day so that you can become a true master!
General Body Parts Vocabulary
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
| 頭 | atama | head |
| 顔 | kao | face |
| 目 | me | eye |
| 耳 | mimi | ear |
| 鼻 | hana | nose |
| 口 | kuchi | mouth |
| 首 | kubi | neck |
| 肩 | kata | shoulder |
| 腕 | ude | arm |
| 手 | te | hand |
| 腰 | koshi | hips |
| 尻 | shiri | butt |
| 足 | ashi | leg |
| 太腿 | futomomo | thigh |
| 膝 | hiza | knee |
| 踵 | kakato | heel |
| 背中 | senaka | back |
| 胸 | mune | chest |
| 腹 | hara | stomach |
| へそ | heso | belly-button |
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