What are the main body parts in French?

Ten of the most useful body parts in French are la tête (head), le bras (arm), la main (hand), la jambe (leg), le pied (foot), les yeux (eyes), le nez (nose), la bouche (mouth), l'oreille (ear) and le dos (back).

Is it 'le' or 'la' for body parts in French?

It depends on the word — there is no single rule, so the gender has to be learned with each noun. For example le bras, le pied and le dos are masculine, while la tête, la main and la bouche are feminine. L'oreille is feminine (une oreille).

How do you say 'my head hurts' in French?

Use the phrase 'avoir mal à' + the body part with a definite article: J'ai mal à la tête (my head hurts / I have a headache). For masculine words à + le becomes au (J'ai mal au dos = my back hurts) and à + les becomes aux (J'ai mal aux pieds = my feet hurt).

Why is 'eye' irregular in French?

One eye is un œil, but two or more are les yeux — an irregular plural that doesn't follow the usual '-s' pattern. You say 'j'ai mal à l'œil' for one eye and 'j'ai les yeux bleus' (I have blue eyes) for both.

Do you use 'my' or 'the' with body parts in French?

French usually uses the definite article (le, la, les) where English uses a possessive. You say 'Je me lave les mains' (I wash my hands) and 'Il a les cheveux bruns' (He has brown hair), not 'mes mains' or 'ses cheveux'.

Body Parts in French: 10 Essential Words with Pronunciation

The parts of the body are some of the most useful words a beginner can learn — you need them at the doctor's, at the pharmacy, and any time you want to say what hurts. In my new video I say the ten core body words out loud, and this short guide gives you the pronunciation, the tricky le/la gender for each one, and the two grammar habits that make body vocabulary sound natural in French.

🎬 The 10 body parts in French, said out loud — repeat after me.

The 10 body parts in French

Here are the ten words from the video, with a rough English-friendly pronunciation and the gender. Say each one out loud as you read — and notice the article, because that's the gender you'll need later.

la tête — head (tett)
le bras — arm (brah — the s is silent)
la main — hand (mun — a nasal "a")
la jambe — leg (zhahmb)
le pied — foot (pyay — the d is silent)
les yeux — eyes (lay-zyuh)
le nez — nose (nay — the z is silent)
la bouche — mouth (boosh)
l'oreille — ear (o-ray-yuh), feminine: une oreille
le dos — back (doh — the s is silent)

Notice how many of these words end in a silent consonant — bras, pied, nez, dos. You write the letter but you don't say it, which trips up a lot of learners reading French for the first time.

le or la? The gender you have to learn

There is no reliable rule that tells you whether a body part is masculine or feminine — the gender is part of the word, so it's best learned together with the article from day one. From our list:

Masculine: le bras, le pied, le nez, le dos
Feminine: la tête, la main, la jambe, la bouche, l'oreille

Les yeux (eyes) is a special case: one eye is un œil, but two or more become les yeux — an irregular plural worth memorising on its own.

Habit 1: say "the", not "my"

This is the habit that instantly makes your French sound more natural. Where English uses a possessive (my hands, his eyes), French normally uses the definite article:

Je me lave les mains. — I wash my hands.
Il a les yeux bleus. — He has blue eyes.
Elle se brosse les dents. — She brushes her teeth.

Saying mes mains or ses yeuxisn't wrong grammar, but it sounds like a direct translation from English. With actions you do to your own body, reach for le, la, les.

Habit 2: "j'ai mal à" — how to say what hurts

The single most useful phrase with body vocabulary is avoir mal à("to have pain in"). Just watch how à merges with the article:

J'ai mal à la tête. — My head hurts / I have a headache.
J'ai mal au dos. — My back hurts. (à + le → au)
J'ai mal aux pieds. — My feet hurt. (à + les → aux)
J'ai mal à l'oreille. — My ear hurts.

Master this one pattern and you can describe almost any ache — at the doctor, at the pharmacy, or just after a long day.

Practice them out loud

Vocabulary like this sticks fastest when you say it, not just read it. Play the video again and repeat each word after me until the article feels automatic, then try saying where something hurts with j'ai mal à… without looking. If you want to go further and actually speak French with real feedback, I teach beginners one-to-one — you can book a free 30-minute trial lessonand we'll start from wherever you are. You can also see how I work as a French tutor in Bangkok & online.