Body Parts in Spanish: All the Vocabulary You Need to Talk About the Body in Spanish

Knowing your body parts in Spanish can be quite useful. You can use the vocabulary to describe someone, to help you when shopping for clothes, and it is definitely a must for the doctor’s office.

In this article, we’ll cover the names of body parts in Spanish. We’ll start with your hair and end with your toenails! As you may know, Spanish is a gendered language. So we’ll also add the article for each part so you know whether they are feminine or masculine. To wrap things up, we’ll add some fun idioms for good measure.

Come pick our brains!

Body-ody-ody: the Spanish body part basics

Before we discuss the different Spanish body parts, you might want to know how to say “body.” In Spanish, we call it cuerpo, and for the human body, we’d say cuerpo humano.

Cuerpo also means “dead body.” Let’s look at it in action:

• Tiene un buen cuerpo. (He/She has a good body.)
• Encontramos un cuerpo en la calle. (We found a dead body on the street.)

On the nose: Spanish body parts around your head

Our heads allow the rest of our bodies to function. It’s also where four out of our five senses live! Let’s look at some vocabulary related to the part of our body closest to the stars most of the time.

We’ll start at the top. “Head” is cabeza in Spanish.

On top of your head, you may or may not have hair. That is cabello or pelo.

The face

But what about your face? Let’s pick it apart from top to bottom:

• the forehead is la frente
• the eyes are los ojos
  • the eyebrows are las cejas
  • the eyelids are los párpados
  • the eyelashes are las pestañas

(And, since we’re on the eyesight topic, you might want to check how to say “to see” in Spanish.)

• the cheeks are las mejillas
• the nose is la nariz
• the mouth is la boca
  • the lips are los labios
  • the tongue is la lengua
  • the tooth is el diente (the plural is dientes)
• the chin is la barbilla or la pera (fun fact: pera also means “pear”!)
• the ear is la oreja (the part inside it si el oído)

On the topic of ears, have you heard of the band La oreja de Van Gogh (literally, Van Gogh’s ear)?

Under the skin

What about inside your head? There are quite some critical pieces of the human puzzle there!

• the brain is el cerebro
• the skull is el cráneo
• the jaw is la mandíbula

The neck

And below your head comes your neck:

• the neck is el cuello
• the back of the neck is la nuca
• the throat is la garganta

Up in arms: upper-body parts in Spanish

It’s time to turn our focus below the neck! We have arms and torso just below it. But we also have quite a few essential features inside these.

We’ll start with the outside and then turn to the inside.

Arms and shoulders

We’ll make our way down the body with the arms and shoulders, going through all their parts.

• the shoulders are los hombros
• the arms are los brazos
  • the forearm are el antebrazo
  • the elbow is el codo
  • the wrist is la muñeca (beware, muñeca also means “doll” in Spanish)
  • the hand is la mano
    • the fingers are los dedos
      • the thumb is el pulgar
      • the index finger is el dedo índice
      • the middle finger is el dedo del medio
      • the ring finger is el anular
      • the pinky finger is el meñique
    • the fingernails are las uñas
    • the palm es la palma

The torso

Those lovely arms are attached to the torso. Here, we have our upper body strength and most of our organs. Let’s focus on the outer features first.

• the torso is el torso
  • the chest is el pecho
  • the back is la espalda
  • the breasts are los senos
  • the nipples are los pezones
  • the navel is el ombligo
  • the hip is la cadera

The organs

We all know it’s what’s inside that matters, so we’ll now go over the organs inside your upper body. Do you remember all the organs, even in English? We’ll cover the most important ones below.

• the organs are los órganos
  • the heart is el corazón
  • the stomach is el estómago
  • the lungs are los pulmones
  • the intestines are los intestinos
  • the liver is el hígado
  • the kidneys are los riñones

The bones

Our organs might keep our body going, but our bones make it possible for us to move around the way we do. And they’re also often the ones that get injured.

Knowing some of the bone structures in your upper body will definitely come in handy, so we’ll cover the common here.

• the bones are los huesos
  • the backbone is la columna vertebral
  • the ribs are las costillas
  • the pelvis is la pelvis

Two left feet: lower-body parts in Spanish

We’ve reached the end of the line! But our legs and feet are no less important than the rest of our bodies. That’s why they have earned a section of their own.

• the buttocks are las nalgas
• the leg is la pierna
  • the thigh is el muslo (we also call chicken thighs muslos)
  • the knee is la rodilla
  • the calf is la pantorrilla
  • the ankle is el tobillo
• the feet are los pies
  • the toes are los dedos (yes, just like the ones on your hands!)
  • the toenails are las uñas
  • the heel is el talón
  • the sole of your foot is la planta del pie (and planta also means “plant” and “floor”)
  • the instep is el empeine

If you’re thinking this is a lot of vocabulary to learn, don’t panic. Here is a fun song to help you remember your basics.

Before we say goodbye to our Spanish body parts, you might want to learn your colors so you can tell someone they have beautiful green eyes (hermosos ojos verdes).

Spanish body parts fun expressions

There are countless expressions with Spanish body parts. We have picked 20 that can sound quite funny.

Estar mal de la cabeza

This phrase literally means “to be bad in the head”. It could be construed as a not-so-polite way to say that you have some mental issues or are crazy. However, we often use it when people have unrealistic expectations or demands.

Conocer a una persona como la palma de tu mano

This is quite similar to the English idiom “to know someone like the palm of your hand.” and has the same meaning.

Echar una mano

This expression means “to throw a hand.” Of course, the meaning is that of helping someone out or giving someone a hand.

Dar el brazo a torcer

This phrase is generally used in the negative (no dar el brazo a torcer). It means you don’t give in, and it roughly translates to not letting someone twist your arm.

Tener un corazón de piedra

This expression translates to “having a heart of stone,” meaning you are insensitive or cold.

Ser todo oídos

This is easily transposed to “being all ears” when you want to say someone has your undivided attention.

Dar la cara

Translated literally to “giving the face,” this phrase means you are facing a situation. An equivalent idiom in English is “to face the music.”

Tener la cabeza en las nubes

We’ve all had our heads in the clouds at some point, right? This is precisely what this phrase conveys.

Tener la lengua afilada

Another expression with an easy English equivalent, this one means “to have a sharp tongue.”

Hablar por los codos

We all have that family member or friend who is extremely talkative. Growing up, I was the one who wouldn’t shut up. My parents often used this phrase to describe me because I “spoke out of my elbows.”

Meter la pata

Screwing up is also something we are all familiar with. This expression quite literally means “to put your foot in it.”

You might notice that the expression uses the word “pata” instead of “pie.” In Spanish, animals have patas (paws), and that’s the term for this idiom.

Costar un ojo de la cara

Have you ever had to pay an expensive bill? If you had, you could say it cost you an eye from your face. Or, less literally, an arm and a leg.

Comerse la cabeza

As you might have noticed, the head has made quite a few appearances on this list. It seems to be a pretty popular Spanish body part. In this case, we are eating our own heads. This idiom means we are overthinking something.

Tomar el pelo

If someone takes your hair in Spanish, they are making fun of you. Why the hear? I have no idea but do let me know if you find out.

No tener un pelo de tonto

Continuing with the hair team, we can also say someone has “not a dumb hair on them.” This means they are intelligent and difficult to deceive or are nobody’s fools.

No pegar un ojo

If you have trouble sleeping, this phrase will come in handy. “Not pasting an eye” (as we’d translate it literally) means not being able to get any shuteye.

Se me hace agua la boca

Do you love to go out to restaurants and try new mouth-watering dishes? Then, this idiom is for you. It translates to “my mouth waters.”

Lavarse las manos

If you are done with an issue and want to hear no more of it, you’d say you are washing your hands from it. This is precisely what this phrase means.

Creerse el ombligo del mundo

We all know someone who thinks the world revolves around them. This is exactly what this idiom is all about. But it actually translates to “think oneself the bellybutton of the world.”

Hacer ojitos

We’ve saved the sweet/corny one for the end. This one is “to make eyes at each other.” If you want to hacer ojitos with someone, you might also want to learn how to tell them you love them.

Body parts in Spanish: final thoughts

We’ve covered our head, shoulders, knees, and toes. And threw in some kidneys for good measure. Not to mention a good number of idioms so you can show off to your friends.

We hope this article on body parts in Spanish has covered all of your bases and proves helpful for your Spanish-speaking life.

We also have an article with tips on how to learn this and other Spanish vocabulary! And if you feel like thanking us, you can read this one.