Vocabulary

Spanish body parts vocabulary

Learn practical Spanish body parts vocabulary with examples for health, daily life and doctor visits.

Quick answer

Most body parts in Spanish use el or la, and pain is commonly expressed with “me duele” or “me duelen.”

Common body parts in Spanish

Learn these words with articles because gender matters when you add adjectives or describe pain.

Spanish word	English meaning	Example	Note
la cabeza	head	Me duele la cabeza.	Use with me duele.
el ojo	eye	Tengo algo en el ojo.	Plural: los ojos.
la oreja	ear	Me duele la oreja.	Outer ear.
la boca	mouth	Abre la boca, por favor.	Common at the doctor.
el diente	tooth	Me duele un diente.	Plural: los dientes.
el brazo	arm	Me duele el brazo.	One arm.
la mano	hand	Tengo frío en las manos.	Feminine despite ending in -o.
el dedo	finger or toe	Me corté el dedo.	Context gives meaning.
la espalda	back	Me duele la espalda.	Very common phrase.
la pierna	leg	Me duele la pierna derecha.	Use left/right after the noun.
el pie	foot	Me duele el pie.	Plural: los pies.
el corazón	heart	El corazón late rápido.	Accent in singular.

Use “me duele” with one body part and “me duelen” with plural body parts: “Me duele la espalda” but “Me duelen los pies.”

Saying mi cabeza dueleSpanish normally says “me duele la cabeza,” not a literal English structure.
Forgetting articlesBody parts usually appear with el, la, los or las.
Using mano as masculineLa mano is feminine: la mano derecha, not el mano derecho.

Make three useful health sentences with body parts you might actually need.

How do I say “my head hurts” in Spanish?

Say “Me duele la cabeza.”

Is mano masculine or feminine?

Mano is feminine: la mano.

What is the difference between me duele and me duelen?

Use me duele for singular body parts and me duelen for plural body parts.