Body Parts in Bengali: 50 Essential Words
Head-to-toe Bengali body part vocabulary with script, romanization, plurals, key idioms, and body language notes for intermediate learners.
Picture this: you're at a clinic in Kolkata and the doctor asks, "কোথায় ব্যথা?" (kothay bytha? — where does it hurt?). You know the word for pain. What you don't have yet is the word for the exact body part that's giving you trouble.
Body vocabulary is one of those categories that seems optional until it suddenly isn't. It shows up at the doctor's, in descriptions of people, in dozens of idioms, and in the physical gestures that give Bengali conversation much of its expressiveness. This guide covers 50 words from head to toe, plus the grammar quirks for paired body parts, the idioms that are actually useful, and a section on what Bengali gestures and body language signal.
Head and Face
Start at the top. The head — মাথা (matha) — is the anchor for a cluster of vocabulary that you'll use constantly.
| Bengali | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| মাথা | matha | head |
| চুল | chul | hair |
| কপাল | kopal | forehead |
| চোখ | chokh | eye |
| ভ্রু | bhru | eyebrow |
| চোখের পাতা | chokher pata | eyelid |
| নাক | nak | nose |
| কান | kan | ear |
| গাল | gal | cheek |
| চিবুক | chibuk | chin |
| মুখ | mukh | mouth / face |
| ঠোঁট | thot | lip |
| দাঁত | dant | tooth / teeth |
| জিভ | jibh | tongue |
| গলা | gola | throat / neck |
One word worth flagging: মুখ (mukh) does double duty — it means both "mouth" and "face" depending on context. "মুখ ধুয়েছি" (mukh dhuiyechhi) means "I washed my face," while "মুখ খোলো" (mukh kholo) means "open your mouth." Context almost always makes it clear.
গলা (gola) is similarly flexible: throat when talking about swallowing or speaking (গলায় ব্যথা, golay bytha, "throat hurts"), neck when describing something worn or visible. For the more anatomically precise "neck," you'll sometimes hear ঘাড় (ghar), which refers specifically to the back of the neck and the nape.
Torso
| Bengali | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| ঘাড় | ghar | nape / back of neck |
| কাঁধ | kandh | shoulder |
| বুক | buk | chest |
| হৃদয় | hridoy | heart (also used figuratively) |
| পিঠ | pith | back |
| কোমর | komor | waist |
| পেট | pet | stomach / abdomen |
| নাভি | nabhi | navel |
| পাঁজর | pajor | rib |
| বগল | bogol | armpit |
বুক (buk) means chest in the physical sense, but it also appears in emotional expressions — বুক ভরে (buk bhore, "with a full chest") means with deep satisfaction or pride, the Bengali equivalent of "from the heart." পেট (pet) is the everyday word for stomach but extends to mean "belly" colloquially and even "appetite" in some phrases — পেট ভরেছে (pet bhorechhe) means "my stomach is full," i.e., I've had enough to eat.
Arms and Hands
| Bengali | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| হাত | hat | hand / arm |
| কনুই | konui | elbow |
| কব্জি | kobji | wrist |
| হাতের তালু | hater talu | palm |
| আঙুল | angul | finger |
| বুড়ো আঙুল | boro angul | thumb (literally "old/big finger") |
| নখ | nokh | fingernail |
| মুষ্টি | mushti | fist |
হাত (hat) is another multi-purpose word — it covers both the hand and the entire arm, depending on context. When precision matters, বাহু (bahu) refers specifically to the upper arm. But in everyday speech, হাত handles both: "হাত ধাও" (hat dhao) means "wash your hands," not "wash your arms."
আঙুল (angul) is finger in general. The thumb gets its own compound: বুড়ো আঙুল (boro angul, literally "old finger" or "big finger"). Individual fingers have formal Sanskrit-derived names — তর্জনী (torjoni), মধ্যমা (modhyoma), অনামিকা (onamika), কনিষ্ঠা (konishtha) — but in everyday speech, people point rather than name them.
Legs and Feet
| Bengali | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| পা | pa | foot / leg |
| উরু | uru | thigh |
| হাঁটু | hantu | knee |
| পায়ের গোড়া | payer gora | ankle |
| পায়ের পাতা | payer pata | sole of the foot |
| পায়ের আঙুল | payer angul | toe |
| গোড়ালি | gorali | heel |
পা (pa) mirrors হাত (hat) — it covers both leg and foot, with context doing the heavy lifting. The flat of the foot is পায়ের পাতা (payer pata, literally "leaf of the foot"). হাঁটু (hantu) looks tricky in script but sounds exactly as spelled.
Internal and Other Body Parts
| Bengali | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| হৃৎপিণ্ড | hritpindo | heart (anatomical) |
| ফুসফুস | phushphush | lungs |
| যকৃৎ | jokrith | liver |
| কিডনি | kidney | kidney (borrowed) |
| মস্তিষ্ক | moshtishsho | brain |
| হাড় | har | bone |
| চামড়া | chamra | skin |
| রক্ত | rokto | blood |
| শিরা | shira | vein |
| মাংস | mangshô | flesh / muscle |
কিডনি (kidney) is a direct English borrowing — বাংলা has absorbed many anatomical terms this way through the medical education system.
Paired Body Parts: Singular and Plural
Bengali handles paired body parts (eyes, ears, hands, feet) in a way worth understanding explicitly.
The singular form is used when you're talking about one specific thing — "my eye hurts" uses চোখ (chokh). To talk about "the eyes" as a pair, you add a pluralizing suffix: চোখগুলো (chokh-gulo, "the eyes"). The suffix গুলো (gulo) or গুলি (guli) indicates plural and is used for definite reference. For indefinite plurals, you can simply repeat or contextually imply number.
| Singular | Romanization | Plural (definite) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| চোখ | chokh (eye) | চোখগুলো | chokh-gulo (the eyes) |
| কান | kan (ear) | কানগুলো | kan-gulo (the ears) |
| হাত | hat (hand) | হাতগুলো | hat-gulo (the hands) |
| পা | pa (foot/leg) | পাগুলো | pa-gulo (the feet/legs) |
In practice, you'll often see pairs treated as a collective — "আমার হাত ব্যথা করছে" (amar hat bytha korchhe) means "my hand/arm hurts" and can refer to one or both without the speaker specifying, just as English "my hands are cold" is understood to mean the pair.
For grammar deeper than this, the Bengali verb tenses introduction explains how number and tense interact in the broader sentence.
Body Part Idioms
Some of the most vivid Bengali expressions are built from body vocabulary. These are not academic — they appear in everyday speech.
চোখের উপর (chokher upor) — literally "on the eye," used to mean "right away" or "immediately." "কাজটা চোখের উপর করে দাও" (kajta chokher upor kore dao) = "do the work right now." The sense is that something is so close it's right in front of your eyes, therefore no delay is possible or acceptable.
হাতে হাত (hate hat) — literally "hand in hand." Used both physically (walking together, holding hands) and figuratively (working in close cooperation). "আমরা হাতে হাত রেখে কাজ করব" (amra hate hat rekhe kaj korbo) = "we will work hand in hand."
মাথা খাটানো (matha khatano) — "to put the head to work," meaning to think hard or use one's intelligence to solve a problem. "একটু মাথা খাটাও" (ektu matha khatao) = "use your head a bit."
পেটে পেটে কথা (pete pete kotha) — literally "words in the belly," meaning keeping something secret, holding thoughts inside. Someone who doesn't share their feelings is described as this.
নাকে মুখে খাওয়া (nake mukhe khawa) — "eating with nose and mouth," meaning eating very fast, stuffing food in hurriedly. A colorful way to describe someone who's bolting their food.
গলায় পড়া (golay pora) — "to fall into the throat," used to mean being stuck with something or someone against your will. "সে আমার গলায় পড়েছে" (she amar golay porechhe) = "he's become a burden on me" (literally "he's fallen into my throat").
Body Language and Gesture Vocabulary
Bengali conversation is physically expressive in specific ways that learners sometimes misread. Knowing the vocabulary for these gestures helps you both describe them and understand when you're seeing them.
A particularly important one: the Bengali head wobble. A sideways tilt — not quite a nod, not quite a shake — signals acknowledgment or agreement. It's not a "no," though first-time visitors often misread it that way. In Bengali: মাথা নাড়ানো (matha narano, "moving the head").
Touching the feet: পায়ে হাত দেওয়া (paye hat deowa, "touching feet with hands") is a gesture of deep respect toward elders, parents, or revered figures. The elder responds by placing a hand on the younger person's head — মাথায় হাত রাখা (mathay hat rakha, "placing a hand on the head") — in blessing. কপাল ছোঁয়া (kopal chhowa, "touching the forehead") follows touching something sacred or completing a প্রণাম (pronam, respectful bow).
Pressing hands together: হাত জোড় করা (hat jor kora, "joining the hands") is the gesture of নমস্কার (Nomoshkar) — hands at chest height, a slight bow. The essential Bengali greetings guide covers the full register.
Eye contact: চোখে চোখ রাখা (chokhe chokh rakha, "keeping eye in eye") reads as confident among peers but can seem disrespectful toward elders. Looking slightly downward when speaking to seniors signals respect, not evasion.
Describing People
Body vocabulary becomes essential when you're describing someone's appearance. A few useful structures:
- তার লম্বা চুল আছে (tar lomba chul achhe) — she/he has long hair
- তার নীল চোখ (tar nil chokh) — his/her blue eyes (see the Bengali colors vocabulary for the full color set)
- তার হাত ছোট (tar hat chhoto) — his/her hands are small
- তার পা ব্যথা করছে (tar pa bytha korchhe) — his/her leg/foot is hurting
The pattern is: possessive (তার, tar = his/her) + body part + adjective or verb. Bengali drops the linking verb in simple descriptions — তার চোখ সুন্দর (tar chokh shundor, "his/her eyes beautiful") is grammatically complete.
At the Doctor's: Putting It Together
The most immediately useful context for body vocabulary is medical. A few full sentences:
- আমার মাথায় ব্যথা (amar mathay bytha) — I have a headache (literally "in my head, pain")
- আমার পেটে ব্যথা (amar pete bytha) — I have a stomach ache
- আমার গলা ব্যথা করছে (amar gola bytha korchhe) — my throat is hurting
- আমার হাত ভেঙে গেছে (amar hat bhenge gechhe) — my arm is broken
- এখানে ব্যথা লাগছে (ekhane bytha lagchhe) — it hurts here (pointing)
The last one — pointing and saying "এখানে" (ekhane, here) — is the most reliable fallback when the specific vocabulary escapes you.
The Learn Bengali app covers all of the body-part vocabulary in this post in its intermediate units, with native-speaker audio from both West Bengal and Bangladeshi speakers so you can hear how the same words sound across the two major dialects.
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