Naming The Parts Of The Body In Indonesian
Learners, lend us your ‘telinga’ — it’s time to learn your anatomy!
As a student of Indonesian, you’ve got a bit of ground to cover to ensure you’ve got your basics down. Maybe you’ve already learned how to count and how to order food and drink. The utility of knowing your Indonesian body parts vocabulary may not seem as immediately obvious, but you won’t get very far in your conversations before you bump up against the need to know what a “foot” or “arm” is called.
Additionally, learning this terminology can help you untangle assumptions you’re likely carrying about the way language is supposed to work. If you’re a native English speaker, it probably seems natural that there would be a separate word for “foot” and “leg.” However, that’s not so in Indonesian! The same word is used for both.
Check out this list of basic Indonesian body parts terminology below, and click the play button to hear how each word is voiced by a native speaker.
Indonesian Body Parts Vocabulary
part of the body — bagian tubuh
body — badan
foot / leg — kaki
hand — tangan
arm — lengan
head — kepala
finger — jari
eyes — mata
face — wajah
mouth — mulut
nose — hidung
knee — lutut
ear — telinga
tooth — gigi
neck — leher
back — punggung
stomach — perut
Sentences Involving Anatomy
I have a headache. — Saya sakit kepala.
He broke his leg. — Kakinya patah.
I feel sick and my stomach hurts. — Saya pusing dan sakit perut.
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Steph is a senior content producer who has spent over five years writing about language and culture for Babbel. She grew up bilingually and had an early love affair with books, and, later, studied English literature and journalism in college. She also speaks Russian and Spanish, but she’s a little rusty on those fronts.
Steph is a senior content producer who has spent over five years writing about language and culture for Babbel. She grew up bilingually and had an early love affair with books, and, later, studied English literature and journalism in college. She also speaks Russian and Spanish, but she’s a little rusty on those fronts.
