Body-part words come up more than you would think: at the doctor, with children, at the gym, describing an injury. Here is the everyday Dutch vocabulary, head to toe, and how to use it to say where it hurts.
Head to toe
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| het hoofd | head |
| het haar | hair |
| het gezicht | face |
| het oog / de ogen | eye / eyes |
| de neus | nose |
| de mond | mouth |
| het oor / de oren | ear / ears |
| de nek / de hals | neck |
| de schouder | shoulder |
| de arm | arm |
| de hand / de vinger | hand / finger |
| de rug | back |
| de buik | stomach / belly |
| het been | leg |
| de knie | knee |
| de voet / de teen | foot / toe |
Most are de-words, and paired parts are usually plural: de ogen, de oren, de handen, de benen. Dutch grammar and vocabulary guides list the full set.
A small trap: been
Het been means leg in everyday Dutch (Ik heb mijn been bezeerd, I hurt my leg). It can also mean “bone”, but the normal word for a bone is het bot. So for the limb, been is right, with de knie (knee) and de voet (foot) below it.
Saying where it hurts
Combine a body part with a pain phrase, building on describing symptoms at the huisarts:
- Het doet pijn. (It hurts.)
- Ik heb pijn in mijn rug. (I have pain in my back.)
- Mijn buik doet pijn. (My stomach hurts.)
Dutch also has handy compound pain words:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| hoofdpijn | headache |
| buikpijn | stomach ache |
| keelpijn | sore throat |
| rugpijn | back pain |
| kiespijn | toothache |
These are exactly what you need at the huisarts or when explaining where it hurts to the fysiotherapeut. For pronunciation, Forvo has recordings.
With children
Body parts come up constantly with kids: Was je handen (wash your hands), Doe je jas aan, het is koud (paired with hebben het koud), and pointing games. Onze Taal notes many appear in children’s songs that help you learn them.
Where it connects
Body parts pair with describing symptoms at the huisarts, the fysiotherapeut anatomy pack, describing people, and going to the hospital.
The bottom line
Learn the body parts head to toe, hoofd, oog, neus, arm, hand, rug, buik, been, knie, voet, remembering paired parts go plural (de ogen, de oren) and that been is leg (bone is bot). Combine them with het doet pijn and pijn in mijn…, learn the -pijn compounds (hoofdpijn, buikpijn), and you can describe yourself, your kids and any ache.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that drills body-part vocabulary head to toe, hoofd, arm, been, rug, buik, plus pijn in mijn, in five-minute lessons, so you can describe yourself, your kids and where it hurts.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main body parts in Dutch?
Head to toe: het hoofd (head), het haar (hair), het oog / de ogen (eye/eyes), de neus (nose), de mond (mouth), het oor / de oren (ear/ears), de nek and de hals (neck), de schouder (shoulder), de arm, de hand, de vinger (finger), de rug (back), de buik (stomach/belly), het been (leg), de knie (knee), de voet (foot) and de teen (toe). Many are de-words, and paired parts are usually used in the plural (de ogen, de oren, de handen).
How do you say where it hurts in Dutch?
Use het doet pijn (it hurts) or ik heb pijn in mijn… (I have pain in my…): Ik heb pijn in mijn rug (my back hurts), Mijn buik doet pijn (my stomach hurts). For specific aches there are compound words: hoofdpijn (headache), buikpijn (stomach ache), keelpijn (sore throat), rugpijn (back pain). These are exactly the words you need when describing symptoms to the huisarts.
Does ‘been’ mean leg or bone in Dutch?
Het been means leg in everyday Dutch (Ik heb mijn been bezeerd, I hurt my leg). It can also mean bone in some contexts, but the normal word for a bone is het bot. So for the limb, been is what you want, and de knie (knee) and de voet (foot) sit below it. This is a small false-friend-style trap worth noting, since ‘bone’ and ‘leg’ overlap in the one word been.
What is the best app to learn Dutch body parts and health vocabulary?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it drills body-part vocabulary head to toe, hoofd, arm, been, rug, buik, plus pijn in mijn and the -pijn compounds, in five-minute real-situation lessons, so you can describe yourself, your kids and where it hurts.
