From Head To Toe: Words For Body Parts In French

While French is not necessarily a difficult language to learn, it is a language that contains many different words.

To develop your ability to communicate in French, one of the first things that you need to do is to build up your French vocabulary. Even before learning the different grammar rules and practicing your French accent, you need to build up your mental database of French words.

Some of the best ways to learn a language, especially if you want to increase the number of words you know, is to study and memorize word lists arranged around a specific theme.

With that in mind, we’ve compiled an interesting French vocabulary list for you right here. The words here are the common words for body parts in French. Learning them won’t just increase the number of French words you know and understand, but it can also help you make small talk and understand common French idioms.

What Is The Word For “Body” In French?

Before we go about naming the different body parts in French, we should first learn what the general word for “body” is.

If you want to talk about “the body” in French, then you want to talk about “le corps”. If you want to talk about the part of the body, then you say “la partie du corps.”

The Top Half: How To Refer To Your Face And Its Parts In French

Let’s begin our language learning journey here from the top. In this section, we’re going to talk about the top part of your body, the head, and the different body parts that can be found in that particular area. 

1. La tête 

Meaning: The head

2. Le visage

Meaning: The face

3. Les yeux

Meaning: The eyes

4. Le front

Meaning: The forehead

5. L’oeil

Meaning: The eye

6. Les yeuz

Meaning: The eyes 

7. La paupière

Meaning: The eyelid

8. Un cil

Meaning: An eyelash

9. Les cils

Meaning: The eyelashes

10. Le sourcil

Meaning: The eyebrow

11. Les sourcils

Meaning: The eyebrows

12. Le nez

Meaning: The nose

13. La joue

Meaning: The cheek

14. Les joues

Meaning: The cheeks

15. La fossette

Meaning: The dimple

16. Les fossettes

Meaning: The dimples

17. La bouche

Meaning: The mouth

18. La lèvre

Meaning: The lip

19. Les lèvres

Meaning: The lips

20. La dent

Meaning: The tooth 

21. Les dents

Meaning: The teeth

22. Les gencives

Meaning: The gums

23. La langue

Meaning: The tongue

24. La mâchoire

Meaning: The jaw

25. Le menton

Meaning: The chin

26. L’oreille

Meaning: The ear

27. Les oreilles

Meaning: The ears

28. Les cheveux

Meaning: The hair

29. Le crâne

Meaning: The skull

After “La Tête”: The Neck And What Is Below

After the head, comes the neck and torso. Several other words are used to refer to these areas of the body and the different body parts that are found there.

1. Le cou

Meaning: The neck

2. La nuque

Meaning; The nape

3. La gorge

Meaning: The throat

4. L'épaule

Meaning: The shoulder

5. Les épaules

Meaning: The shoulders

6.Le torse

Meaning: The torso

7. Le dos

Meaning: The back

8. La poitrine

Meaning: The chest

9. La poitrine

Meaning: The breast

10. Les seins

Meaning: The breasts

11. Le ventre

Meaning: The stomach

12. Le nombril

Meaning: The belly button

13. Le bas du dos

Meaning: The lower back

14. L’abdomen

Meaning: The midsection

15. Le bras 

Meaning: The arm

16. Les bras

Meaning: The arms

17. Le haut du bras

Meaning: The upper arm

18. Le haut des bras

Meaning: The upper arms

19. Le coude

Meaning: The elbow

20. Les coudes

Meaning: The elbows

21. Le poignet

Meaning: The wrist

22. Les poignets

Meaning: The wrists

23. La main

Meaning: The hand

24. Les mains

Meaning: The hands

25. Le doigt 

Meaning: The finger

26. Les doigts

Meaning: The fingers

27. L'ongle

Meaning: The fingernail

28. Les ongles

Meaning: The fingernails

29. l’articulation du doig

Meaning: The knuckle

30. Les jointures

Meaning: The knuckles

31. Le pouce

Meaning: The thumb

32. Les pouces

Meaning: The thumbs

33. L’index

Meaning: The index finger

34. Les index

Meaning; The index fingers

35. Le majeur

Meaning: The middle finger

36. L'annulaire

Meaning: The ring finger

37. L’auriculaire 

Meaning: The pinky

38. La paume

Meaning: The palm

Les Members Inférieurs: From Your Hips To Your Feet

In French, you refer to the lower part of your body as “les members inférieurs”. This is the area of your body that basically starts from your hips and extends down to the tips of your toes.

1. La hanche

Meaning: The hip

2. Les hanches

Meaning: The hips

3. Le basin

Meaning: The pelvis

4. Les fesses

Meaning: The buttocks

5. Le derrière

Meaning: the butt

6. La jambe

Meaning: The leg

7. Les jambes

Meaning: The legs

8. La cuisse

Meaning: The thigh

9. Les cuisses

Meaning: The thighs

10. Le genou

Meaning: The knee

11. Les genoux

Meaning: The knees

12. Le tibia

Meaning: The shin

13. Le mollet

Meaning: The calf

14. Le pied 

Meaning: The foot

15. Les pieds

Meaning: The feet

16. La cheville

Meaning: The ankle

17. Les chevilles

Meaning: the ankles

18. La semelle

Meaning: The sole

19. Les semelles

Meaning: The soles

20. Le talon

Meaning: The heel

21. Les talons

Meaning: The heels

22. Le doigt de pied

Meaning: The toe

23. Les orteils

Meaning: The toes

24. Le petit orteil 

Meaning: The little toe

25. Les gros orteil

Meaning: The big toe

26. L’ongle

Meaning: The toenail

27. Les ongles

Meaning: The toenails

Body Parts In French: Common Terms For Internal Organs

In this section of our post about body parts in French, we’re going to look at a few words that you can use to describe your internal organs.

1. Le cerveau 

Meaning: The brain

2. Le cœur

Meaning: The heart

3. Le poumon

Meaning: The lung 

Les poumons

Meaning: The lungs

4. L’estomac

Meaning: The stomach

5. L’intestin grêle

Meaning: The small intestine

6. Le gros intestine

Meaning: The large intestine

7. Le foie

Meaning: The liver

8. Le rein

Meaning: The kidney 

9. Le reins

Meaning: The kidneys

10. La rate

Meaning: The spleen

11. La thyroïde

Meaning: The thyroid gland

12. Le pancreas

Meaning: The pancreas

Other French Words That Refer To Body Parts

The words below are especially important if you are going to be talking about medical conditions, either when hearing about someone else illnesses or pains or if you are discussing your physical condition with a doctor or with emergency medical personnel. 

1. La peau 

Meaning: The skin

2. Un muscles

Meaning: Muscle

3. Un tendon

Meaning: Tendon

4. Un veine

Meaning: Vein

5. Une artère

Meaning: Artery

6. Le sang

Meaning: Blood

7. Un nerf

Meaning: Nerve

8. La chair 

Meaning: Flesh

9. Le squelette

Meaning: The skeleton

10. L’os

Meaning: The bone

11. Les os

Meaning: The bones

12. La colonne vertébrale

Meaning: The spine

13. Une vertèbre

Meaning: Vertebra

14. Le sternum

Meaning: Sternum

15. Une côte

Meaning: Rib 

16. La cage thoracuique

Meaning: The rib cage

17. La clavicule

Meaning: The collar bone

18. L’omoplate

Meaning: The shoulder blade

19. Le cubitus

Meaning: The ulna

20. Le radius

Meaning: The radius

21. Le femur

Meaning: The femur

22. Le tibia

Meaning: The tibia

23. Le péroné

Meaning: The fibula

24. Le pectoral

Meaning: The pictorials

25. Le biceps

Meaning: The biceps

26. Les quadriceps

Meaning: The quadriceps

27. Le deltoïde

Meaning: The deltoid

28. Le triceps 

Meaning: The triceps

29. Les abdominaux

Meaning: The abdominals

30. Les sinus

Meaning: The sinus

31. Les cordes vocales

Meaning: The vocal cords

32. La pomme d’Adam

Meaning: The Adam’s apple

33. Les parties intimes

Meaning: The private parts

34. Les parties génitales

Meaning: The genitals

35. Le sexe

Meaning: Penis

26. Le pénis

Meaning: The penis

27. Le vagin

Meaning: The vagina

Conclusion

The best way to build up your French vocabulary is to download and study lists of vocabulary words. One particularly effective way to learn new words is to first memorize words according to certain topics.

If your vocabulary list groups the words according to topics, like words for the features of French homes for example, or this list of words for body parts in French it is easier for the lists to retain your interest. Other interesting examples of French vocabulary lists that we’ve complied include this list of French clothing vocabulary and, of course, this list of French words for body parts.

Take the list and book a session or two with a native French-speaking online tutor. They can help you learn how to pronounce and use these words. They might even be able to suggest a few more words that we didn’t mention here.