Body Parts

1. baş

   Head

   Usage

   Show this at a clinic and point to your own head. A headache is "baş ağrısı"; "my head hurts" is "Başım ağrıyor"

2. saç

   Hair

   Usage

   Used at the kuaför or berber. "Saçımı kestirmek istiyorum" means "I'd like a haircut". Body hair is a different word, "tüy"

3. yüz

   Face

   Usage

   Use it at a salon to mark the treatment area, or at a dermatologist to show where the trouble is. The same spelling also means the number 100, so point at your face while showing it

4. göz

   Eye

   Usage

   For pain, redness or something in the eye. Eye drops are "göz damlası" and the eye doctor is "göz doktoru"

5. kulak

   Ear

   Usage

   For ear trouble after a flight or a dive. Earache is "kulak ağrısı"

6. burun

   Nose

   Usage

   Show it at the pharmacy for a blocked nose ("burun tıkanıklığı") or a nosebleed ("burun kanaması"). The possessive drops the vowel: "burnum", my nose

7. ağız

   Mouth

   Usage

   For mouth ulcers or pain inside the mouth. The possessive is "ağzım" with the vowel dropped. Lips are a separate word, "dudak"

8. diş

   Tooth

   Usage

   Point at the aching tooth while showing this at the dentist. Toothache is "diş ağrısı" and the dentist is "diş hekimi"

9. dil

   Tongue

   Usage

   For a burning tongue after spicy food or a sore on the tongue. The same word means "language" — "Türk dili" is the Turkish language — so point at your tongue in a medical context

10. boyun

    Neck

    Usage

    The outside of the neck — use it for a crick or stiffness. The inside of the throat is a different word, "boğaz"; pick by where it hurts. The possessive is "boynum"

11. boğaz

    Throat

    Usage

    For a sore throat: "Boğazım ağrıyor". The same word names the Bosphorus in Istanbul, but in a medical context it is the throat

12. omuz

    Shoulder

    Usage

    Point here to ask for extra attention during a massage or a hamam scrub ("kese"). The possessive is "omzum"

13. kol

    Arm

    Usage

    For where you were hurt in a fall or an accident. Turkish always separates the arm ("kol") from the hand ("el")

14. dirsek

    Elbow

    Usage

    A common spot for grazes — point here when you are examined after a fall

15. bilek

    Wrist

    Usage

    For a sprain: "Bileğimi burktum", I twisted my wrist. The ankle is spelled out as "ayak bileği"

16. el

    Hand

    Usage

    For an injury site or a nail-salon request. "Eline sağlık" — health to your hand — is the set phrase for praising someone's cooking or work

17. parmak

    Finger

    Usage

    For a finger injury or a ring size. The thumb is "başparmak" and a toe is "ayak parmağı"

18. tırnak

    Nail

    Usage

    Use it at a nail salon or to show an ingrown-nail problem. "Tırnak makası" is a nail clipper

19. göğüs

    Chest

    Usage

    Point here for chest pain or breathlessness. The same word also means breast, so say "göğüs kafesi" (rib cage) if you need to be unambiguous. Show it early — chest pain is urgent

20. karın

    Belly

    Usage

    The key word for food poisoning or a stomach ache: "Karnım ağrıyor" — note the dropped vowel in the possessive. The digestive organ itself is "mide"

21. mide

    Stomach (organ)

    Usage

    Turkish separates the belly you can touch ("karın") from the digestive organ ("mide"). Ask for "mide ilacı" at the pharmacy; "Midem bulanıyor" means "I feel nauseous"

22. sırt

    Back

    Usage

    For marking a massage focus or the site of a pain. The lower back is a separate word, "bel"

23. bel

    Lower back / waist

    Usage

    For lower-back pain: "Belim ağrıyor". The same word is the waist for clothing measurements — "bel ölçüsü"

24. kalça

    Hip / buttocks

    Usage

    For hip-joint pain or landing on your backside in a fall. It is the everyday clinical word and carries no crude sense

25. bacak

    Leg

    Usage

    The whole leg from thigh to ankle. The foot below the ankle is "ayak"; the calf is "baldır"

26. diz

    Knee

    Usage

    The joint most often strained on Cappadocia or Lycian Way hikes. "Dizim ağrıyor" means "my knee hurts"

27. ayak

    Foot

    Usage

    For blisters or an injury. The whole leg is "bacak"; your shoe size is your "ayak numarası"

28. ayak bileği

    Ankle

    Usage

    Point here for a sprain: "Ayak bileğimi burktum". It literally reads "the wrist of the foot"

29. topuk

    Heel

    Usage

    For pain or a blister after a day on cobbled old-town streets. High heels are "topuklu ayakkabı"

30. cilt

    Skin

    Usage

    Use it at the pharmacy for bites, sunburn or a rash. Dermatology is "cildiye" or "dermatoloji". Animal hide and leather are "deri" instead

31. kemik

    Bone

    Usage

    For a suspected fracture: "Kemiğim kırıldı mı?" — is the bone broken? Orthopaedics is "ortopedi"

32. kan

    Blood

    Usage

    For bleeding or a blood test. Your blood type is "kan grubu"; blood pressure is "tansiyon"

33. kalp

    Heart

    Usage

    For a heart condition or palpitations: "Kalp hastalığım var". Cardiology is "kardiyoloji"

34. akciğer

    Lung

    Usage

    For a cough, breathlessness or asthma. Asthma is "astım" and pneumonia is "zatürre"

35. bağırsak

    Intestine

    Usage

    For persistent diarrhoea or abdominal trouble. Diarrhoea is "ishal" and constipation is "kabızlık"

36. karaciğer

    Liver

    Usage

    For telling a doctor about a liver condition or your medication. It literally reads "black offal"; the dish "ciğer" shares the root, and fried liver is the speciality of Edirne

37. böbrek

    Kidney

    Usage

    For a kidney condition or pain in the flank. A kidney stone is "böbrek taşı"

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