Knowing body parts is essential for describing pain at a doctor’s office, talking about appearance, and understanding Arabic poetry and idioms. Tap any word above to hear it.
Saying “my … hurts”
The most useful pattern is the word يؤلمني (yu’limnee, “it hurts me”), added after the body part with a possessive ending:
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| رأسي يؤلمني | ra’see yu’limnee | my head hurts |
| بطني يؤلمني | baṭnee yu’limnee | my stomach hurts |
| يدي تؤلمني | yadee tu’limnee | my hand hurts |
| ظهري يؤلمني | ẓahree yu’limnee | my back hurts |
| قدمي تؤلمني | qadamee tu’limnee | my foot hurts |
| عندي ألم في صدري | 3indee alam fee ṣadree | I have pain in my chest |
Possessive endings
Arabic attaches pronouns directly to the noun instead of using “my/your/his.” A few examples:
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| رأسي | ra’see | my head |
| رأسك | ra’suk | your head |
| رأسه | ra’suh | his head |
| عيني | 3aynee | my eye |
| يدي | yadee | my hand |
| يده اليمنى | yaduhu l-yumnaa | his right hand |
Body parts in idioms
Many body parts appear in everyday expressions:
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| عين بعين | 3ayn bi-3ayn | eye to eye (in agreement) |
| على راسي | 3ala ra’see | on my head (with pleasure) |
| يد بيد | yad bi-yad | hand in hand (together) |
| من قلب | min qalb | from the heart (sincerely) |
At the doctor’s office
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| يداوي | yudawee | to treat |
| وصفة | waṣfa | prescription |
| دواء | dawaa’ | medicine |
| مستشفى | mustashfa | hospital |
| دكتور | duktoor | doctor |
Practice
How do you say 'head' in Arabic?
hint: It starts with ر
How do you say 'my head hurts' in Arabic?
hint: Use 'يؤلمني' for 'hurts me'
What does 'يد' mean?
hint: You have two of them
Going to the doctor? Learn how to describe symptoms in Arabic.
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