Vocabulary about body parts in French

When embarking on the exciting journey of learning a new language like French, mastering the vocabulary for body parts is a crucial first step. These words are not only fundamental building blocks of the language, but they also come up frequently in everyday conversations and various real-life scenarios.

Imagine this: you’re exploring the charming streets of Paris, when suddenly, you trip and twist your ankle. Being able to accurately describe your injury in French, by saying “Je me suis tordu la cheville” (I sprained my ankle), could make all the difference in getting the proper medical attention you need.

In this lesson, we’ve compiled a list of the most common and useful French body part vocabulary, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Each term is accompanied by two example sentences, providing valuable context for how to use the word in a natural, conversational manner.

By the end of this post, you’ll have a solid foundation in French body part terminology, equipping you with the language skills to discuss everything from a common cold (J’ai mal à la tête à cause du rhume – I have a headache because of the cold) to the latest fashion trends (J’adore les fossettes chez les femmes – I love dimples on women).

So, let’s dive in and explore the French body parts vocabulary together, one word at a time!

List of Body Parts in French

le bras/les bras – arm
la bouche – mouth
la cheville – ankle
le cil/les cils – eyelash
le coude – elbow
le corps – body
la côte/les côtes – rib
la cuisse/les cuisses – thigh
la dent/les dents – tooth/teeth
le doigt/les doigts – finger
le dos – back
l’épaule/les épaules – shoulder
le front – forehead
la fossette/les fossettes – dimple
le genou – knee
la jambe – leg
la joue – cheek
la langue – tongue
la lèvre/les lèvres – lip/lips
la main – hand
la mâchoire – jaw
le menton – chin
le mollet – calf
la narine/les narines – nostril
le nombril – navel
le nez – nose
l’oeil/les yeux – eye
l’ongle/les ongles – nail
l’oreille/les oreilles – ear
l’orteil/les orteils /les doigts de pieds – toe
la paume – palm
la peau – skin
le pied/les pieds – foot/feet
le poil/les poils – hair
la poitrine – chest
le poignet – wrist
le pouce – thumb
le sein/les seins – breast
le sourcil/les sourcils – eyebrow/eyebrows
le téton/les tétons – nipple
la tête – head
le torse – chest
le ventre – belly

Body Parts in French with example sentences

le corps – body

Tu as le corps musclé. = You have a muscular body.
Mon corps est fatigué après l’entraînement. = My body is tired after the workout.

la tête – head

Il a été blessé à la tête. = He was injured in the head.
J’ai mal à la tête à cause du stress. = I have a headache because of stress.

les cheveux – hair

J’ai les cheveux bruns. = I have brown hair.
Elle a attaché ses cheveux en queue de cheval. = She tied her hair in a ponytail.

le visage – face

J’ai le visage rouge. = I have a red face.
Son visage est couvert de taches de rousseur. = Her face is covered in freckles.

le front – forehead

J’ai des boutons sur le front. = I have pimples on my forehead.
Il a une cicatrice sur le front. = He has a scar on his forehead.

le sourcil/les sourcils – eyebrow/eyebrows

Elle s’est fait épiler les sourcils. = She had her eyebrows plucked.
Ses sourcils sont froncés en signe de concentration. = His/her eyebrows are furrowed in concentration.

le cil/les cils – eyelash/eyelashes

Marie a de longs cils. = Marie has long eyelashes.
Ses cils sont recourbés grâce au mascara. = Her eyelashes are curled thanks to the mascara.

le nez – nose

Il a un gros nez. = He has a big nose.
Son nez coule à cause du rhume. = His/her nose is running because of the cold.

la narine/les narines – nostril/nostrils

J’ai les narines bouchées. = I have blocked nostrils.
Ses narines se dilatent quand elle respire fort. = Her nostrils flare when she breathes heavily.

la joue/lesjoues – cheek/cheeks

Arrête de me pincer la joue. = Stop pinching my cheek.
Ses joues sont rouges à cause du froid. = His/her cheeks are red because of the cold.

la fossette/les fossettes – dimple/dimples

J’adore les fossettes chez les femmes. = I love dimples on women.
Ses fossettes apparaissent quand elle sourit. = Her dimples appear when she smiles.

la bouche – mouth

Ferme la bouche. = Close your mouth.
Sa bouche est sèche à cause de la déshydratation. = His/her mouth is dry because of dehydration.

la lèvre/les lèvres – lip/lips

J’ai la lèvre enflée. = I have a swollen lip.
Ses lèvres sont gercées à cause du froid. = His/her lips are chapped because of the cold.

la langue – tongue

Ne tire pas la langue. = Don’t stick out your tongue.
Sa langue est brûlée à cause du café trop chaud. = His/her tongue is burned because of the too hot coffee.

la dent/les dents – tooth/teeth

Il a les dents blanches. = He has white teeth.
Ses dents sont sensibles au froid. = His/her teeth are sensitive to the cold.

le menton – chin

J’ai un bouton sur le menton. = I have a pimple on my chin.
Son menton est proéminent. = His/her chin is prominent.

la mâchoire – jaw

J’ai mal à la mâchoire. = I have pain in my jaw.
Sa mâchoire est serrée à cause du stress. = His/her jaw is clenched because of stress.

l’oreille/les oreilles – ear/ears

La maîtresse m’a tiré les oreilles. = The teacher pulled my ears.
Ses oreilles sont décollées. = His/her ears stick out.

l’oeil/les yeux – eye/eyes

Mon œil gauche est rouge. = My left eye is red.
Julien a les yeux bleus. = Julien has blue eyes.

le cou – neck

Le cou de cette femme est long. = This woman’s neck is long.
Son cou est tendu à cause de la douleur. = His/her neck is stiff because of the pain.

l’épaule/les épaules – shoulder/shoulders

Je me suis fait mal à l’épaule. = I hurt my shoulder.
Ses épaules sont voûtées à cause du poids du sac. = His/her shoulders are hunched because of the weight of the bag.

le bras/les bras – arm/arms

Il a les bras musclés. = He has muscular arms.
Ses bras sont couverts de tatouages. = His/her arms are covered in tattoos.

le poignet – wrist

Je me suis cassé le poignet. = I broke my wrist.
Son poignet est enflé à cause de la chute. = His/her wrist is swollen because of the fall.

la main/les mains – hand/hands

Tiens-moi la main. = Hold my hand.
Ses mains sont gelées à cause du froid. = His/her hands are frozen because of the cold.

la paume – palm

J’ai une verrue sur la paume de ma main. = I have a wart on the palm of my hand.
Sa paume est moite à cause du stress. = His/her palm is sweaty because of stress.

le doigt/les doigts – finger

Mon chien m’a mordu les doigts. = My dog bit my fingers.
Ses doigts sont engourdis à cause du froid. = His/her fingers are numb because of the cold.

le pouce – thumb

J’ai le pouce engourdi. = I have a numb thumb.
Son pouce est bandé à cause de la coupure. = His/her thumb is bandaged because of the cut.

l’ongle/les ongles – nail/nails

J’ai les ongles longs. = I have long nails.
Ses ongles sont vernis en rouge. = His/her nails are painted red.

le coude/les coudes – elbow/elbows

J’ai de l’eczema sur le coude. = I have eczema on my elbow.
Son coude est écorché à cause de la chute. = His/her elbow is scraped because of the fall.

le torse – chest

Je me fais épiler le torse. = I get my chest waxed.
Son torse est couvert de poils. = His chest is covered in hair.

la poitrine – chest

J’ai une douleur à la poitrine. = I have a pain in my chest.
Sa poitrine se soulève au rythme de sa respiration. = Her chest rises with the rhythm of her breathing.

le sein/les seins – breast

Les seins sont une zone érogène. = Breasts are an erogenous zone.
Ses seins sont fermes grâce à la chirurgie esthétique. = Her breasts are firm thanks to plastic surgery.

le téton/les tétons – nipple/nipples

Je me suis fait percer les tétons. = I got my nipples pierced.
Ses tétons sont dressés à cause du froid. = His/her nipples are erect because of the cold.

la côte/les côtes – rib/ribs

Il a les côtes cassées. = He has broken ribs.
Ses côtes sont douloureuses à cause du coup. = His/her ribs are painful because of the blow.

le ventre – belly

J’ai le ventre gonflé. = I have a bloated belly.
Son ventre gronde à cause de la faim. = His/her stomach growls because of hunger.

le nombril – navel

Le nombril est une chose bizarre. = The navel is a weird thing.
Son nombril est percé d’un anneau. = His/her navel is pierced with a ring.

le dos – back

J’ai un coup de soleil sur le dos. = I have a sunburn on my back.
Son dos est couvert de taches de rousseur. = His/her back is covered in freckles.

la jambe/les jambes – leg/legs

J’ai mal à la jambe gauche. = I have pain in my left leg.
Ses jambes sont fuselées grâce à la pratique du vélo. = His/her legs are shapely thanks to cycling.

la cuisse/les cuisses – thigh/thighs

J’ai les cuisses engourdies. = I have numb thighs.
Ses cuisses sont musclées grâce à l’entraînement. = His/her thighs are muscular thanks to training.

le genou/les genoux – knee/knees

J’ai le genou enflé. = I have a swollen knee.
Son genou craque quand il marche. = His knee cracks when he walks.

le mollet/les mollets – calf/calves

Mon chien m’a mordu le mollet gauche. = My dog bit my left calf.
Ses mollets sont saillants grâce à la course. = His/her calves are prominent thanks to running.

la cheville – ankle

Je me suis tordu la cheville. = I sprained my ankle.
Sa cheville est enflée à cause de la foulure. = His/her ankle is swollen because of the sprain.

le talon – heel

J’ai le talon tout noir. = I have a completely black heel.
Son talon claque sur le sol. = His/her heel clicks on the floor.

le pied/les pieds – foot/feet

Julie a une ampoule sur le pied droit. = Julie has a blister on her right foot.
Ses pieds sont sales à cause de la marche. = His/her feet are dirty because of walking.

l’orteil/les orteils /les doigts de pieds – toe

Je me suis tordu le gros orteil. = I twisted my big toe.
Ses orteils sont recouverts de vernis. = His/her toes are covered in nail polish.

la peau – skin

Elle a la peau bronzée. = She has a tanned skin.
Sa peau est douce au toucher. = His/her skin is soft to the touch.

les poils – hair

Je me rase les poils des jambes. = I shave the hair on my legs.
Ses poils se hérissent à cause du froid. = His/her hairs stand on end because of the cold.

Note :

Undefinite article :

“un” is like “a” in English, and “une” is the feminine of “un”.

For example: un doigt (a finger), une main (a hand).

How to know the genre of each word? Well, it will come by practice, until you remember naturally.

Definite article:

“le” is “the”, and “la” is the feminine of “le”.

For example: le genou (the knee), la bouche (the mouth).

“les” is the plural.

For example: les dents (the teeth)

“des” is “some”.

For example: des cheveux (some hairs), which differs from les cheveux (the hairs)

When you start to learn French, you will most likely be wrong with the gender of the words when talking to people, but it’s not a big deal, French native speakers will not laugh about you, they will understand anyways, and in some case, some will correct you. If you say “le main” instead of “la main”, we still get it.

Never be afraid to talk, it is how you will learn to speak any language, we all make mistakes, but practice makes perfect or almost!