Body Parts in Korean – Complete terms from head to toe

Do you know how to name the different body parts in Korean? These are some of the basics and are super fun to learn.

Whether getting a check-up with the doctor or just chatting with friends, we’ll teach you the important body parts in Korean.

Let’s get to it!

Different Body Parts in Korean

These will be some of the first words you focus on when learning the Korean language. We’ll list the Korean vocabulary in Hangul (Korean Alphabet) and romanized Korean. If you can’t read Hangeul yet, go here to learn Korean in less than 1 hour.

Before we head on to the specific words for each body part, you can watch this video to get an idea of how these words are pronounced correctly.

“Human” in Korean

Before we proceed with the most common Korean words for specific human body parts, it’s just right also to know the term for the word human. You can say “human” in Korean as 인간 (ingan).

“Body” in Korean

You can say “body” in Korean as 몸 (mom). You might also hear the word 인체 (inche) used, but this is a more technical term.

Body Parts Diagram

For quick reference, here’s a diagram showing the parts of the body from the front and the back.

Now let’s learn Korean-English terms for the human body parts, starting at the top and working our way down, from your 입 (ip | mouth) to your 발가락 (balgarak | toes)!

Parts of the head in Korean

Here are the Korean words for different body parts that you can find in the head and the face.

“Head” in Korean

The Korean word for “head” is 머리 (meori). However, this word can also mean “hair” in Korean, depending on the context.

“Hair” in Korean

Similar to “head” in Korean, you can say “hair” in Korean as 머리 (meori).

However, if you want to distinguish the two, then you can use 머리카락 (meorigarak) for “hair.”

“Forehead” in Korean

The word for “forehead” in Korean is 이마 (ima).

“Ear” in Korean

The word for the “ear” in Korean is 귀 (gwi). While “earlobe” in Korean is 귓불 (gwitbul).

“Neck” in Korean

This body part that connects the head to the shoulders is called 목 (mok) in Korean.

“Face” in Korean

The word for “face” in Korean is 얼굴 (eolgul).

“Nose” in Korean

Our nose lets us identify scents we encounter daily. The word for “nose” in Korean is 코 (ko).

“Eye” in Korean

The word for “eye” in Korean is 눈 (nun). With 눈 (nun), we get to see the beauty of the world around us!

“Teeth” in Korean

There are two ways to say teeth in Korean which are 이 (i) and 치아 (chia). However, the Korean term 이 (i) is more commonly used during conversations.

Upper Body Parts in Korean

These are the Korean words for the different body parts that you can find in the upper portion of the body.

“Back” in Korean

The word for “back” in Korean is called 등 (deung). Proper posture, especially when seated during work, is important to avoid pain in this area.

Sample Sentence:

제 등이 벌써 일주일째 아파요 (je deungi beolsseo iljuiljjae apayo)

My back has already been hurting for a week.

“Arm” in Korean

The “arm” in Korean is called 팔 (pal), while the armpit or underarm is called 겨드랑이 (gyeodeurangi).

Sample Sentence:

어제 자전거를 타고 넘어졌을때 팔을 다쳤어요. 다행히 헬멧을 써서 머리를 안다쳤어요. (eoje jajeongeoreul tago neomeojyeosseulttae pareul dachyeosseoyo. dahaenghi helmeseul sseoseo meorireul andachyeosseoyo)

Yesterday I rode my bike, fell and hurt my arm. Thankfully, I wore my helmet, so I didn’t hurt my head.

“Stomach” in Korean

The word for “stomach” in Korean is 배 (bae). Make sure to eat all the right food to keep your 배 (bae) healthy!

Sample Sentence:

내 배가 아파 (nae baega apa)

My stomach hurts.

“Hand” in Korean

The word for “hand” in Korean is 손 (son), while the back of the hand is called 손등 (sondeung). Lastly, the palm of the hand in Korean is called 손바닥 (sonbadak).

“Finger” in Korean

손가락 (songarak) is the Korean term for finger. Each finger also has specific Korean terms.

“Thumb” in Korean is 엄지손가락(eomjisongarak). The index finger is called 집게손가락 (jipgesongarak), and the middle finger next to it can be called 가운뎃손가락 (gaundetsongarak) or 중지 (jungji). The ring finger is called 약손가락 (yaksongarak) or 약지 (yakji). Lastly, the pinky or the little finger is called 새끼 손가락 (saekki songarak).

“Heart” in Korean

The word for “heart” in Korean is 심장 (simjang), which refers to the organ that pumps the blood in our bodies.

It can also be called 가슴 (gaseum), but this word also means “chest” in Korean. Lastly, there is 하트 (hateu) which is the Konglish term for the word heart.

Lower Body Parts in Korean

Below are the words for body parts in Korean that you can find in the lower portion of the body.

“Butt” in Korean

You can say “butt” in Korean as 엉덩이 (eongdeongi).

“Leg” in Korean

The word for “leg” in Korean is 다리 (dari).

Specifically, 종아리 (jongari) means calf in Korean, while 허벅지 (heobeokji) is the word for thigh in Korean. These are commonly used terms in health and fitness.

“Foot” in Korean

The word for “foot” in Korean is called 발 (bal).

The same word, 발 (bal), is used for “feet” in Korean since there is no difference in its singular and plural terms.

“Knee” in Korean

The word for “knee” in Korean is 무릎 (mureup). We often scrape this area as kids when we fall.

Sample Sentence:

넘어져서 무릎을 다쳤어요. 지금 무릎은 많이 아파서 울고 싶어요. (neomeojyeoseo mureupeul dachyeosseoyo. jigeum mureupeun mani apaseo ulgo sipeoyo.)

I fell and hurt my knee. Now my knee hurts so much I want to cry.

“Ankle” in Korean

“Ankle” in Korean is 발목 (balmok).

Sample Sentence:

운동했을때 발목을 삐었어요 (undonghaesseulttae balmogeul ppieosseoyo)

I strained my ankle while working out.

Other Body Parts in Korean

Here are the rest of the body parts in Korean.

“Skin” in Korean

This is the largest organ in the human body, and it’s called 피부 (pibu) in Korean.

Sample Sentence:

어제부터 피부가 많이 가려워요 (eojebuteo pibuga mani garyeowoyo)

My skin is itching a lot since yesterday.

“Blood” in Korean

I am nervous because I need to take a blood test.

On the other hand, 피 (pi) is more common in daily conversation.

Sample Sentence:

손에서 피가 나고 있다 (soneseo piga nago itda)

The hand is bleeding.

Why is it important to learn about body parts in Korean?

Knowing these will make it useful for describing symptoms of human body parts in the Korean language to a doctor if you’re in South Korea. It will also help you learn about human anatomy in Korean better. They’re great for using common Korean phrases or for trying out new grammar structures.

For more in-depth lessons on the Korean language in general,  we have our structured online course to help you. Go here and start making progress today!

There you have a quick rundown on the parts of the body in Korean from head (머리 meori) to toe (발가락 balgarak)! Now, if your neck (목 mok), foot (발 bal), or hand (손 son) hurts, you can explain it better to your friend or your doctor.

For similar lessons, check out:

• Days of the Week in Korean
• Months in Korean
• Colors in Korean
• Animals in Korean
• Fruit, Vegetables, and Nuts in Korean

Wrap Up

What do you think about learning Korean body parts? Can you make some sentences using these newly-learned words? Please show us your best sentence in the comments! If you have a part of the body you want help translating into Korean vocabulary, let us know, and we’ll get you an answer.

Image Credit: Bigstock