Body Parts

1. a cabeça

   Head

   Usage

   Show it at a clinic and point to your head. "Estou com dor de cabeça" (Brazil) or "Tenho dores de cabeça" (Portugal) means my head hurts

   Grammar Note

   Feminine. Brazil prefers "estar com" for pain, Portugal prefers "ter"

2. o cabelo

   Hair

   Usage

   Used at a salon or barber, and the same in both countries. The plural "os cabelos" sounds literary

   Grammar Note

   Masculine, and singular for the hair on your head as a whole

3. a cara

   Face

   Usage

   Marks the treatment area at a spa or the spot of a rash at a clinic. "O rosto" is the more formal word and is the usual one in Brazilian beauty contexts

4. o olho

   Eye

   Usage

   Point to it for pain or redness, or to ask for "o colírio" — eye drops

   Grammar Note

   Plural "os olhos" — use the plural when you mean both eyes

5. a orelha

   Ear (outer)

   Usage

   Portuguese splits the visible ear ("a orelha") from the hearing organ inside ("o ouvido"). Piercings and earlobes use "orelha"

6. o ouvido

   Ear (inner) / Hearing

   Usage

   Earache, ear infections and blocked ears on a plane all use this word: "dói-me o ouvido" (Portugal) or "estou com dor de ouvido" (Brazil)

7. o nariz

   Nose

   Usage

   A blocked nose is "o nariz entupido" and a nosebleed "o sangramento do nariz". For hay fever, "a alergia" works in both countries

8. a boca

   Mouth

   Usage

   For the dentist or a mouth ulcer — "a afta"

9. o dente

   Tooth

   Usage

   Show it at the dentist and point to the tooth. "Tenho dor de dentes" (Portugal) or "estou com dor de dente" (Brazil)

10. a língua

    Tongue

    Usage

    Point out a burn or ulcer. The same word means "language", as in "a língua portuguesa"

11. o pescoço

    Neck

    Usage

    For a stiff neck. Pain when swallowing belongs to "a garganta" — the throat

12. a garganta

    Throat

    Usage

    A sore throat is "tenho dor de garganta" (Portugal) or "estou com dor de garganta" (Brazil). Also how to ask for lozenges at a pharmacy

13. o ombro

    Shoulder

    Usage

    Point to it at a massage to say where you want the work done

14. o braço

    Arm

    Usage

    Used for blood draws and vaccinations. Portuguese keeps the arm ("o braço") and the hand ("a mão") clearly separate

15. o cotovelo

    Elbow

    Usage

    For a bang from a fall, and the same word in both countries

16. a mão

    Hand

    Usage

    For injuries and security checks. The plural is "as mãos"

    Grammar Note

    Feminine despite the -ão ending, with the irregular plural "as mãos"

17. o dedo

    Finger

    Usage

    The same word covers toes; say "o dedo do pé" when you need to be specific

18. a unha

    Nail

    Usage

    For a nail salon or an ingrown or broken nail. A manicure is "a manicure", a pedicure "a pedicure"

19. o peito

    Chest

    Usage

    For chest pain or breathlessness — urgent, so show it together with "dói-me aqui" (it hurts here)

20. a barriga

    Belly / Abdomen

    Usage

    The belly you can point at from outside: "dói-me a barriga" (Portugal), "estou com dor de barriga" (Brazil). The stomach organ itself is "o estômago"

21. as costas

    Back

    Usage

    For a massage or an orthopaedist. Always plural — the singular "a costa" means a coastline

    Grammar Note

    A plural-only feminine noun, so the verb agrees in the plural: "as costas doem-me"

22. a região lombar

    Lower back

    Usage

    Portuguese has no single word for the Japanese "koshi", so this clinical phrase does the job. In conversation people say "a parte de baixo das costas"

23. a anca

    Hip

    Usage

    "A anca" in Portugal; Brazil says "o quadril" and rarely uses "anca". For hip pain or explaining a hip replacement

24. as nádegas

    Buttocks

    Usage

    The neutral, clinical word — for instance to indicate where an intramuscular injection goes. Everyday speech says "o rabo" in Portugal and "o bumbum" in Brazil, but "rabo" sounds crude in Brazil, so travellers should avoid it

25. a perna

    Leg

    Usage

    From thigh to ankle. The part below the ankle is "o pé", a separate word

26. o joelho

    Knee

    Usage

    For a hiking or football injury

27. o pé

    Foot

    Usage

    At a shoe shop or a massage. "A pé" means on foot

28. o tornozelo

    Ankle

    Usage

    A sprain is "a entorse", and "torci o tornozelo" — I twisted my ankle — works in both countries

29. a pele

    Skin

    Usage

    For a rash, sunburn or insect bites. Sunscreen is "o protetor solar" in Brazil, "o protetor solar" or "o creme solar" in Portugal

30. o osso

    Bone

    Usage

    A fracture is "a fratura". "Acho que parti um osso" (Portugal) or "acho que quebrei um osso" (Brazil) — I think I broke a bone

31. o sangue

    Blood

    Usage

    A blood test is "a análise ao sangue" in Portugal and "o exame de sangue" in Brazil. Blood type is "o grupo sanguíneo" / "o tipo sanguíneo"

32. o coração

    Heart

    Usage

    For explaining a condition. Heart disease is "a doença cardíaca"; a pacemaker is "o pacemaker" in Portugal and "o marca-passo" in Brazil

33. o estômago

    Stomach

    Usage

    Use it to ask a pharmacist for something for your stomach. The visible belly is "a barriga", a different word

34. o intestino

    Intestine / Bowel

    Usage

    For diarrhoea or constipation. Diarrhoea is "a diarreia"; constipation is "a prisão de ventre" in Portugal and "a constipação intestinal" in Brazil — careful, in Portugal plain "a constipação" means a head cold

35. o pulmão

    Lung

    Usage

    For asthma ("a asma") or pneumonia ("a pneumonia"). The plural is "os pulmões"

36. o fígado

    Liver

    Usage

    Comes up when a doctor asks about hepatitis ("a hepatite") or drinking. The same word is liver on a menu

37. o rim

    Kidney

    Usage

    A stone is "a pedra no rim" and dialysis "a diálise". The plural is "os rins"

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