Body Parts in Turkish (Vücut): Vocabulary, Pronunciation and Everyday Phrases

Need the body parts in Turkish, either as basic vocabulary or because something hurts and you have to explain it at a pharmacy? This guide covers both. You’ll get the core words for the head, torso, limbs and organs, the possessive forms you actually use (“my head”, “my foot”), and the handful of sentences that let you describe pain clearly.

The word for body is vücut (vü-jut). You’ll also hear beden, which appears in clothing sizes and in beden eğitimi (PE class). Pronunciation hints below are rough English approximations: uh stands for the Turkish ı, ö and ü are as in German, and ğ mostly just lengthens the vowel before it. To hear each letter, use the Turkish alphabet tool.

Head and face (baş ve yüz)

Torso and organs (gövde ve organlar)

Arms, hands, legs and feet (kollar ve bacaklar)

Notice that ayak bileği and ayak parmağı are compound nouns: the second word takes a possessive ending (bilek → bileği). The same pattern gives you baş ağrısı (headache) and diş ağrısı (toothache). The compound nouns guide explains how this works.

“My head”, “my foot”: the forms you actually use

In real conversation you almost never say a body part on its own. You say my head, your hand, her knee, using the possessive suffixes. Two sound changes catch learners out here.

1. Final k becomes ğ before a vowel. This is the regular consonant mutation rule. Final p becomes b in the same way.

2. Some two-syllable words drop their second vowel. These are lexical, so learn them as pairs:

Not every similar word does this: yüz → yüzüm, diz → dizim, saç → saçım stay regular. If you’re unsure how a form breaks down, paste it into the suffix deconstructor.

Saying what hurts

The workhorse verb is ağrımak (to ache), used in the present continuous: body part + possessive + ağrıyor. The body part is the subject, so the literal meaning is “my head is aching”.

Ağrımak is a dull ache; acımak is sharper, stinging pain, the kind from a cut or a bruise. Ateşim var uses var and yok: literally “my fever exists”. For a full pharmacy and hospital vocabulary set, see the pharmacy and hospital guide.

Body-part expressions you’ll hear every day

Turkish is full of idioms built on body parts. These are common enough to learn now:

• Elinize sağlık – “health to your hands”: said to whoever cooked or made something for you. More on this in essential Turkish expressions.
• Gözün aydın – “your eye is bright”: congratulations on good news, such as a relative arriving or a baby being born.
• Başım üstüne – “on my head”: “gladly, consider it done”, a warm reply to a request.
• Kulak vermek – “to give an ear”: to listen carefully.
• Eli açık – “open-handed”: generous. The opposite is eli sıkı (tight-fisted).
• Burnu havada – “nose in the air”: arrogant.
• Kalbini kırmak – “to break someone’s heart”: to hurt someone’s feelings, not only in romance.
• Kafam karıştı – “my head got mixed up”: I’m confused.

There are dozens more in our guide to Turkish idioms and proverbs.

Dialogue: at the pharmacy

Eczacı: Buyurun, nasıl yardımcı olabilirim? Pharmacist: Hello, how can I help?

Müşteri: Merhaba. Dünden beri boğazım ağrıyor, başım da ağrıyor. Customer: Hello. My throat has been hurting since yesterday, and my head hurts too.

Eczacı: Ateşiniz var mı? Pharmacist: Do you have a fever?

Müşteri: Biraz var sanırım. Bir de burnum akıyor. Customer: A little, I think. And my nose is running.

Eczacı: Soğuk algınlığı olabilir. Bu pastillerden günde üç tane alın. Ağrı kesici olarak da bunu tok karnına alın. Pharmacist: It might be a cold. Take three of these lozenges a day. And as a painkiller, take this one on a full stomach.

Müşteri: Tok karnına mı? Yani yemekten sonra mı? Customer: On a full stomach? You mean after eating?

Eczacı: Evet, yemekten sonra. Geçmiş olsun. Pharmacist: Yes, after a meal. Get well soon.

Müşteri: Sağ olun. Customer: Thank you.

Tok karnına (on a full stomach) and aç karnına (on an empty stomach) appear on almost every medicine instruction, so they’re worth memorising. Geçmiş olsun (may it pass) is what everyone says to someone who’s ill or injured; reply with Sağ ol or Sağ olun.

Common mistakes

• Adding benim instead of the suffix. “Benim baş ağrıyor” is wrong. The possessive suffix does the work: Başım ağrıyor. Benim başım is only used for emphasis or contrast.
• Forgetting the vowel drop. “Ağızım”, “burunum” and “karınım” are wrong; say ağzım, burnum, karnım.
• Keeping the k. “Kulakım” and “ayakım” are wrong; say kulağım and ayağım.
• Pluralising after a number. Turkish doesn’t use the plural suffix after numbers: iki göz (two eyes), on parmak (ten fingers), not “iki gözler”.
• Using kalp for feelings. Kalp is fine for both, but in emotional and idiomatic language yürek often sounds more natural: yüreğim yanıyor (my heart is aching, figuratively).

Mini-quiz

1. How do you say “My stomach hurts” (the belly area)?
2. What is “my nose” in Turkish?
3. Correct this sentence: Benim ayak ağrıyor.
4. Translate: Başım dönüyor.
5. How do you say “ten fingers”?
6. Someone has just served you dinner they cooked. What do you say?

Answers

1. Karnım ağrıyor.
2. Burnum.
3. Ayağım ağrıyor.
4. I feel dizzy.
5. On parmak.
6. Elinize sağlık (or Eline sağlık to a friend).

Next steps

Body-part vocabulary is the fastest way to practice possessive suffixes because every sentence needs one. Review the possessive suffixes guide, then read our pharmacy and hospital vocabulary guide so you’re ready before you actually need it.