Learning the body parts in Italian is crucial, not only for boosting your Italian level but also for being able to express yourself clearly and concisely.
While language learning is primarily a cerebral process, we also process a great deal of information through our senses and bodies. And, as any aspiring Italian speaker is aware, we also use our bodies to communicate through liberal and frequent hand gestures. So, don’t you think it’s worthwhile to learn to name body parts in Italian? We do, which is why we created a handy cheat sheet for you.
Below you’ll find an extensive list of body parts in the singular form along with examples to demonstrate the various ways to use your newfound vocabulary in real life.
Remember that if you want to discover more about the Italian language we offer Italian lessons with native and qualified tutors.
La testa ( the Head)
The first part we’re going to talk about is the head which consists of:
- Capelli (Hair)
- Fronte (Forehead)
- Collo ( Neck)
- Occhi (Eyes)
- Naso (Nose)
- Guancia (Cheek)
- Sopracciglia (Eyebrow)
- Ciglia (Eyelash)
- Orecchi (Ears)
- Bocca (Mouth)
- Mento (Chin)
- Denti (Teeth)
- Gengive (Gums)
- Barba (Beard)
- Baffi (Mustaches)
- Lingua (Tongue)
Busto (Torso)
- la gola (throat)
- il collo (neck)
- le spalle (shoulders)
- il petto (chest) (women have “il seno” (bosom), vulgarly known as “tette” (breasts/tits))
Braccia (Arms)
including the:
- il gomito (elbow)
- il polso (wrist)
- la mano (hand)
Le dita (fingers)
The hand is composed of:
- Pollice (Thumb)
- Indice (Index finger)
- Medio (Middle finger)
- Anulare (Ring finger)
- Mignolo (Little finger)
Gambe (Legs)
including:
- la coscia (thigh)
- il ginocchio (knee)
- la caviglia (ankle)
- il piede (foot)
Dita (dei Piedi) (Toes)
that are:
- Alluce (Hallux)
- Melluce o Illice (Long toe)
- Trillice (Middlle toe)
- Pondolo (Fore toe)
- Minolo o Mellino (Little toe)
Even toes have unghie (nails). The inside of the foot takes the name of pianta (sole of the foot) while its most extreme part takes the name of tallone (heel)
Now, let’s see the:
Organi (Organ)
- il cervello (brain)
- la trachea (windpipe),
- il cuore (heart),
- i polmoni (lungs)
- l’intestino (intestine)
- i reni (kidney)
- il fegato (liver)
- il pancreas ( the pancreas)
When you change some of the body parts from the singular into the plural form, they might seem strange at first because they don’t follow the regular rules of the ending of a feminine, plural word ending in the letter -e or a masculine, plural word ending in the letter -i.
Per esempio
- L’orecchio (ear) becomes le orecchie (ears)
- Il braccio (arm) becomes le braccia (arms)
- Il dito (finger) becomes le dita (fingers)
- Il ginocchio (knee) becomes le ginocchia (knees)
