Vietnamese Body Parts: Words from Head to Toe

Body parts are some of the most useful early vocabulary, because you need them the moment something hurts or you want to describe someone. The words are short and the pattern for "it hurts" is simple. You can practice them free, no login, in a few minutes.

The face and head

Vietnamese	English
đầu	head
tóc	hair
mặt	face
mắt	eye
mũi	nose
tai	ear
miệng	mouth
răng	tooth

A small note: tai (ear) and tay (hand) look almost identical but differ by the final letter and sound, so say them slowly at first.

The body and limbs

Vietnamese	English
cổ	neck
vai	shoulder
tay	hand or arm
bụng	stomach or belly
lưng	back
chân	leg or foot

In everyday Vietnamese, tay covers both hand and arm, and chân covers both leg and foot. You can get more specific (for example ngón tay for finger), but these two words handle most conversations.

Saying what hurts: đau

This is the pattern that makes body parts genuinely useful. đau means "to ache" or "to hurt," and it goes right before the body part:

• đau đầu (headache)
• đau bụng (stomachache)
• đau răng (toothache)
• đau lưng (backache)

To say "I have a ...," add bị, which marks something happening to you:

• Tôi bị đau đầu. (I have a headache.)
• Tôi bị đau bụng. (I have a stomachache.)

That single pattern, Tôi bị đau plus the body part, covers most of what you need to tell a pharmacist or doctor.

At the clinic

A few lines that pair naturally with these words and the basic Vietnamese phrases you already know:

• Tôi bị đau ở đây. (It hurts here.) Point as you say ở đây (here).
• Tôi bị sốt. (I have a fever.)
• Tôi không khỏe. (I am not well.)

Combine these with emotions and feelings words like mệt (tired) and you can describe how you are doing in real detail.

A few common complaints to pair with bị (to have something happen to you):

Vietnamese	English
sốt	fever
ho	cough
chóng mặt	dizzy
buồn nôn	nauseous

So Tôi bị ho. is "I have a cough," and Tôi bị chóng mặt. is "I feel dizzy." These few words plus a body part cover most of what a pharmacist needs to hear.

A memory trick

Many body-part words show up inside everyday expressions, which helps them stick:

• đau đầu also means "a headache" in the figurative sense, like a tricky problem.
• mát tay (literally "cool hand") describes someone skilled, for example a good cook or a green thumb.

You do not need to memorize the idioms now, but noticing them makes the core words feel familiar faster.

A few more parts

Once the basics feel comfortable, add these:

Vietnamese	English
môi	lips
lưỡi	tongue
ngón tay	finger
đầu gối	knee
tim	heart
da	skin

Notice ngón tay is literally "finger of the hand," built from tay (hand). Vietnamese often builds bigger words from small ones, so learning tay gives you a head start on ngón tay.

Describing people

Body parts get even more useful when you describe someone. Remember that in Vietnamese sentence structure, the adjective comes after the noun:

• mắt to (big eyes)
• tóc dài (long hair)
• chân dài (long legs)

So Cô ấy có tóc dài. means "She has long hair." Add a comparative from Vietnamese comparatives and you can even say Tóc cô ấy dài hơn. (Her hair is longer.)

Put it together

• Mắt tôi mỏi. (My eyes are tired.)
• Tôi bị đau họng. (I have a sore throat.)
• Em bé có đôi mắt to. (The baby has big eyes.)

Body parts are pure vocabulary, so the fastest way in is repetition until each word matches its meaning automatically. After this, build out everyday topics with family words, food words, and the full beginner roadmap.

Frequently asked questions

What are the basic body parts in Vietnamese?

Start with đầu (head), mắt (eye), mũi (nose), tai (ear), miệng (mouth), tay (hand or arm), and chân (leg or foot). These cover most everyday situations.

How do you say a body part hurts in Vietnamese?

Use 'đau' (to ache) with the body part: 'đau đầu' is a headache, 'đau bụng' is a stomachache, 'đau răng' is a toothache. Add 'bị' for 'I have': 'Tôi bị đau đầu'.

Does Vietnamese have separate words for hand and arm?

In everyday speech 'tay' covers both hand and arm, and 'chân' covers both leg and foot. You can add words to be specific, but 'tay' and 'chân' work for most situations.