Vocabulary · Brazilian Portuguese
Body parts in Brazilian Portuguese
The parts of the body in Portuguese with audio and an example each, from head to toe, with the inside of the body too, and how Brazilians say that something hurts, which is where you'll need these words most.
36 words, each with audio · Quiz and flashcards
Body parts in Portuguese, with audio
Head and face
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| o corpo | body | Depois da academia o corpo inteiro dói.After the gym my whole body hurts. | |
| a cabeça | head | Estou com dor de cabeça desde cedo.I've had a headache since this morning. | |
| o cabelo | hairSingular for the hair on your head: o cabelo dela é comprido. | Ela cortou o cabelo bem curto.She cut her hair really short. | |
| o rosto | face | Lava o rosto com água fria.Wash your face with cold water. | |
| a cara | faceEveryday for rosto; o cara is “a guy”. | Por que essa cara de sono?Why the sleepy face? | |
| o olho | eye | Ele tem olhos verdes.He has green eyes. | |
| a orelha | ear (outside) | Ela furou a orelha para usar brinco.She got her ear pierced to wear earrings. | |
| o ouvido | ear (inside), hearingDor de ouvido is an earache. | Estou com dor de ouvido.I've got an earache. | |
| o nariz | nose | Meu nariz está entupido.My nose is blocked. | |
| a boca | mouth | Não fala de boca cheia!Don't talk with your mouth full! | |
| o dente | tooth | Escova os dentes antes de dormir.Brush your teeth before bed. | |
| a língua | tongue; language | Queimei a língua com o café.I burned my tongue on the coffee. | |
| o pescoço | neck | Dormi de mau jeito e meu pescoço dói.I slept funny and my neck hurts. | |
| a garganta | throat | Estou com dor de garganta.I have a sore throat. |
Arms and hands
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| o ombro | shoulder | Ele carregou a criança no ombro.He carried the child on his shoulder. | |
| o braço | arm | Quebrei o braço jogando futebol.I broke my arm playing football. | |
| o cotovelo | elbowDor de cotovelo, elbow pain, is jealousy. | Bati o cotovelo na porta.I hit my elbow on the door. | |
| a mão | handFeminine, and plural mãos. | Lava as mãos antes de comer.Wash your hands before eating. | |
| o dedo | finger; toeA toe is a dedo do pé. | Cortei o dedo com a faca.I cut my finger with the knife. | |
| a unha | nail | Ela pintou as unhas de vermelho.She painted her nails red. |
The body
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| o peito | chest | Sinto uma dor no peito quando corro.I feel a pain in my chest when I run. | |
| a barriga | belly, stomachDor de barriga: a stomach ache. | Comi demais, estou com a barriga cheia.I ate too much, my belly is full. | |
| as costas | backAlways plural: as costas. | Minhas costas doem de tanto trabalhar sentado.My back hurts from sitting at work so much. | |
| a cintura | waist | A calça ficou larga na cintura.The trousers are loose at the waist. | |
| a pele | skin | Passa protetor para proteger a pele.Put on sunscreen to protect your skin. |
Legs and feet
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| a perna | leg | Minhas pernas estão cansadas da caminhada.My legs are tired from the walk. | |
| o joelho | knee | Ele machucou o joelho na corrida.He hurt his knee running. | |
| o tornozelo | ankle | Torci o tornozelo descendo a escada.I twisted my ankle going down the stairs. | |
| o pé | footA pé is on foot: vou a pé. | Tira o sapato, seus pés estão molhados.Take off your shoes, your feet are wet. |
Inside the body
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| o coração | heartAlso a term of endearment: tudo bem, coração? | O coração dela bate rápido de nervoso.Her heart is beating fast with nerves. | |
| o estômago | stomach | Estou com o estômago embrulhado.My stomach is upset. | |
| o osso | bone | O cachorro enterrou o osso no quintal.The dog buried the bone in the yard. | |
| o sangue | blood | Ele doa sangue duas vezes por ano.He gives blood twice a year. |
Saying it hurts
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| a dor | pain, acheDor de cabeça, dor de dente, dor nas costas. | Tomei um remédio para a dor.I took something for the pain. | |
| doer | to hurtThe part of the body is the subject: meu pé dói, meus pés doem. | Meu dente está doendo muito.My tooth really hurts. | |
| machucar | to hurt, to injure | Machuquei a mão no portão.I hurt my hand on the gate. |
How Brazilians use them
Estou com dor de…
The usual way to say something hurts is estar com dor de, or dor em: estou com dor de cabeça (I have a headache), dor de garganta (a sore throat), dor nas costas (back pain). Or make the body part the subject of doer: minha cabeça está doendo.
Not “my” but “the”
Portuguese often uses the article where English says my: lavei as mãos (I washed my hands), quebrei o braço (I broke my arm). Whose hands is already clear.
Orelha or ouvido?
The orelha is the ear you can see; the ouvido is the inside, and hearing. So you pierce your orelha but have a dor de ouvido, an earache.
Body parts in sayings
Pé-frio (cold foot) is someone who brings bad luck; dor de cotovelo (elbow pain) is jealousy; and pagar com os olhos da cara (pay with the eyes of your face) is to pay a fortune.
Practise
Quick quiz · question 1 of 8
What does pescoço mean?
Questions
How do you say “I have a headache” in Portuguese?
Estou com dor de cabeça, or in speech tô com dor de cabeça. The same pattern works for any pain: estou com dor de dente, dor de garganta, dor nas costas.
What's the difference between orelha and ouvido?
Orelha is the outer ear, the part you can see; ouvido is the inner ear and the sense of hearing. An earache is dor de ouvido.
How do you say “finger” and “toe” in Portuguese?
Both are dedo. When it matters, a finger is a dedo da mão and a toe a dedo do pé. The thumb is the polegar, or dedão; the big toe is the dedão do pé.
Why is “costas” plural?
Costas, the back, is always plural in Portuguese, so it takes as and a plural verb: minhas costas doem (my back hurts).
More Portuguese words
Meet these words in real Brazilian stories
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