Body parts in Dutch
Body vocabulary is high-value: you need it the moment you visit a doctor, and it feeds dozens of everyday idioms. Every noun below comes with its article (de or het) and plural, because you cannot use a word correctly in Dutch without them. Most body parts are de-words; the handful of het-words are worth memorising deliberately.
The head and face
Note the two big irregular plurals here: het oog → ogen and het oor → oren, both dropping a consonant and lengthening the vowel.
| Dutch | Article | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| hoofd | het | hoofden | head |
| gezicht | het | gezichten | face |
| haar | het | haren | hair |
| voorhoofd | het | voorhoofden | forehead |
| oog | het | ogen | eye |
| wenkbrauw | de | wenkbrauwen | eyebrow |
| wimper | de | wimpers | eyelash |
| oor | het | oren | ear |
| neus | de | neuzen | nose |
| mond | de | monden | mouth |
| lip | de | lippen | lip |
| tand | de | tanden | tooth |
| tong | de | tongen | tongue |
| wang | de | wangen | cheek |
| kin | de | kinnen | chin |
| kaak | de | kaken | jaw |
| nek | de | nekken | neck (nape) |
| hals | de | halzen | neck (front) / throat |
| keel | de | kelen | throat (inside) |
| hersenen | de | — (plural) | brain(s) |
The torso and internal organs
Het hart and het lichaam are the notable het-words; the rest are de. Watch de maag → magen (long vowel in the plural).
| Dutch | Article | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| lichaam | het | lichamen | body |
| borst | de | borsten | chest / breast |
| rug | de | ruggen | back |
| buik | de | buiken | belly / stomach |
| schouder | de | schouders | shoulder |
| heup | de | heupen | hip |
| navel | de | navels | navel |
| hart | het | harten | heart |
| long | de | longen | lung |
| maag | de | magen | stomach (organ) |
| lever | de | levers | liver |
| nier | de | nieren | kidney |
| bloed | het | — (uncount.) | blood |
Arms, hands, legs and feet
Two irregular plurals to flag: het been → benen (legs) and de knie → knieën with a trema. Note that het been also means “bone”, but the bone plural is the older beenderen.
| Dutch | Article | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| arm | de | armen | arm |
| elleboog | de | ellebogen | elbow |
| pols | de | polsen | wrist |
| hand | de | handen | hand |
| vinger | de | vingers | finger |
| duim | de | duimen | thumb |
| nagel | de | nagels | nail |
| been | het | benen | leg |
| dij | de | dijen | thigh |
| knie | de | knieën | knee |
| kuit | de | kuiten | calf |
| enkel | de | enkels | ankle |
| voet | de | voeten | foot |
| hiel | de | hielen | heel |
| teen | de | tenen | toe |
Skin, bone and muscle
| Dutch | Article | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| huid | de | huiden | skin |
| bot | het | botten | bone |
| spier | de | spieren | muscle |
| ader | de | aderen | vein |
| zenuw | de | zenuwen | nerve |
At the doctor
To say something hurts, Dutch uses pijn (pain) either as a compound (hoofdpijn, headache) or with the verb doet pijn (hurts). These are the phrases you will actually use at the huisarts (GP).
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Ik voel me niet lekker. | I don't feel well. |
| Ik heb pijn. | I'm in pain. |
| Mijn rug doet pijn. | My back hurts. |
| Ik heb hoofdpijn. | I have a headache. |
| Ik heb keelpijn. | I have a sore throat. |
| Ik heb buikpijn. | I have a stomach ache. |
| Ik ben verkouden. | I have a cold. |
| Ik heb koorts. | I have a fever. |
| Ik moet naar de huisarts. | I need to see the GP. |
If something is urgent, jump to the emergency phrases, which cover calling 112 and describing what is wrong.
Body-part idioms
Dutch is dense with body idioms, and they rarely translate word for word. Learn the meaning, not the literal image.
| Dutch | Literally | Actually means |
|---|---|---|
| iets onder de knie hebben | to have something under the knee | to have mastered something |
| je hart luchten | to air your heart | to get something off your chest |
| de handen uit de mouwen steken | to stick the hands out of the sleeves | to roll up your sleeves, get to work |
| geen blad voor de mond nemen | to take no leaf before the mouth | to not mince your words |
| met de handen in het haar zitten | to sit with your hands in your hair | to be at your wit's end |
| een oogje op iemand hebben | to have a little eye on someone | to have a crush on someone |
| iemand een hart onder de riem steken | to put a heart under someone's belt | to encourage / reassure someone |
| iemand op de vingers tikken | to tap someone on the fingers | to reprimand someone |
| voet bij stuk houden | to keep foot by piece | to stand your ground |
Belgium: the body vocabulary above is identical in Flanders. The practical difference is the healthcare system, not the words: in Belgium you can often visit a specialist directly, whereas in the Netherlands almost everything runs through your huisarts first. Some Belgian medical terms also lean on French (een spuit or een piqûre for an injection).
Related lists worth pairing with this one: clothing (what goes on the body) and family. If the irregular plurals here tripped you up, the rules behind them are in Dutch plurals.