French body parts: head, hands, eyes and basic health words

Start French body-part vocabulary with le corps (body), la tête (head), le bras (arm), la jambe (leg), le pied (foot), la main (hand), l'œil (eye), l'oreille (ear), la bouche (mouth), le nez (nose) and le doigt (finger). These words are useful not only for description, but also for basic health phrases like j'ai mal à la tête (“I have a headache”).

WordTranscriptionTranslationExample
corps/kɔʁ/bodyMon corps est fatigué après une longue marche.My body is tired after a long walk.
tête/tɛt/headJ'ai mal à la tête après la longue réunion.My head hurts after the long meeting.
bras/bʁɑ/armJ'ai mal au bras après l'entraînement.My arm hurts after the workout.
jambe/ʒɑ̃b/legJ'ai mal à la jambe après la longue marche.My leg hurts after the long walk.
pied/pje/footJ'ai mal au pied dans ces nouvelles chaussures.My foot hurts in these new shoes.
main/mɛ̃/handMa main est froide sans gant.My hand is cold without a glove.
doigt/dwa/fingerJ'ai mal au doigt après la coupure.My finger hurts after the cut.
œil/œj/eyeElle a les yeux bleus comme sa mère.She has blue eyes like her mother.
oreille/ɔʁɛj/earJ'ai mal à l'oreille à cause de la musique forte.My ear hurts from the loud music.
bouche/buʃ/mouthOuvre la bouche pour le médecin.Open your mouth for the doctor.
nez/ne/noseMon nez est froid dans la neige.My nose is cold in the snow.

Gender and number traps

Body-part words have their own gender. The article helps you remember the rest of the phrase.

English French Note
body le corps final ps is silent
head la tête feminine
arm le bras same singular and plural spelling
hand la main feminine
eye l'œil / les yeux irregular plural
ear l'oreille feminine, starts with a vowel sound
nose le nez final z is usually silent

The most important irregular plural is un œil -> des yeux.

Elle a les yeux bleus.
She has blue eyes.

Talking about pain: avoir mal à

To say a body part hurts, French often uses avoir mal à plus the body part.

English French Example
I have a headache j'ai mal à la tête J’ai mal à la tête aujourd’hui.I have a headache today.
my foot hurts j'ai mal au pied J’ai mal au pied.My foot hurts.
my eyes hurt j'ai mal aux yeux J’ai mal aux yeux.My eyes hurt.

À combines with articles: à + le -> au, à + les -> aux. With feminine singular words, keep à la: à la tête, à la main.

Possession often uses the article

French often uses a definite article with body parts where English uses “my” or “your”, especially with reflexive or body-care actions.

Je me lave les mains.
I wash my hands.

Elle ferme les yeux.
She closes her eyes.

You can still use possessives when you need contrast or emphasis, but the article pattern is very common.

Common mistakes

Using mon/ma everywhere

Many natural body-part sentences use le, la or les.

Je lave mes mains. -> Je me lave les mains.
I wash my hands.

Forgetting the plural of œil

The plural is not œils.

les œils -> les yeux
the eyes

Using à le instead of au

À contracts with le.

J’ai mal à le pied. -> J’ai mal au pied.
My foot hurts.

Body words pair well with French avoir expressions, because many health sentences use avoir mal à. Fluera teaches the word, the article and a short symptom sentence together, so you can move from naming the body part to using it. Try it when you practice French.

Practice

Question 1 of 10

corps/kɔʁ/

Frequently asked questions

How do you say body in French?
"Body" is le corps. The final ps is silent in normal pronunciation.
What are the main body parts in French?
Useful beginner words include la tête (head), le bras (arm), la jambe (leg), le pied (foot), la main (hand), l'œil (eye), l'oreille (ear), la bouche (mouth) and le nez (nose).
How do you say my head hurts in French?
Say j'ai mal à la tête. For masculine singular body parts, à + le becomes au: j'ai mal au pied. For plural body parts, à + les becomes aux: j'ai mal aux yeux.
What is the plural of œil?
The plural of un œil is des yeux. This is irregular and very common.