8.3. Body parts
8.3.1. Head
Kana: |  |  |
|
Romanization: | a | ta | ma
|
Meaning: | head
|
Kana: |  |
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Romanization: | ka | o
|
Meaning: | face
|
Kana: |
|
Romanization: | me
|
Meaning: | eye
|
For your interest: In Japanese culture, the eyes are the most important part of the face. Japanese has many proverbs about eyes, and one of them says "the eye talks as much as the mouth does", which means you can express and read emotions through eyes. This is one reason why eyes of Japanese manga and animation characters are exaggerated.
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | ha | na
|
Meaning: | nose
|
For your interest: The nose is the least important part of the face in Japanese culture.
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | ku | ti
|
Meaning: | mouth
|
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | ku | ti | bi | ru
|
Meaning: | lips
|
Kana: |
|
Romanization: | ha
|
Meaning: | tooth
|
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | si | ta
|
Meaning: | tongue
|
Note: In colloquial Japanese, the word 
"bero" is more commonly used for tongue.
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | mi | mi
|
Meaning: | ear
|
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | hô
|
Meaning: | cheek
|
Kana: |  |  |
|
Romanization: | hi | ta | i
|
Meaning: | forehead
|
Note: In colloquial Japanese, the word 

"odeko" is more commonly used for forehead.
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | ku | bi
|
Meaning: | neck
|
For your interest: This word also means firing a person. It comes from decapitation as a metaphor of dismissal.
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | no | do
|
Meaning: | throat
|
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | a | go
|
Meaning: | tin
|
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | ka | mi | no | ke
|
Meaning: | hair (on the head)
|
Note: The word 
"kami" means hair on the head, but the word above is more clear because 
also means paper. They just happen to share the same pronunciation.
"no" is the genitive marker and
"ke" means hair (not necessarily on the head).
Kana: |  |  |
|
Romanization: | ma | yu | ge
|
Meaning: | eyebrow
|
Note: The word 
"mayu" also means eyebrow.
"ge" is a suffix form of
"ke", which means hair.
Kana: |  |  |
|
Romanization: | ma | tu | ge
|
Meaning: | eyelash
|
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | hi | ge
|
Meaning: | mustache, beard
|
8.3.2. Hand
Kana: |
|
Romanization: | te
|
Meaning: | hand
|
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | te | no | hi | ra
|
Meaning: | palm
|
Note: This word consists of three parts:
(hand), the genitive marker
, and 
"hira" (flat surface).
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | te | no | kô
|
Meaning: | the back of a hand
|
Note: This word consists of three parts:
(hand), the genitive marker
, and 
"kô" (tortoise shell).
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | yu | bi
|
Meaning: | digit (finger, toe)
|
Note: This word includes twenty digits - ten fingers and ten toes.
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | o | ya | yu | bi
|
Meaning: | thumb, big toe
|
Note: The word 
"oya" means parent, so it literally means parent finger.
Kana: |  |  |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | hi | to | sa | si | yu | bi
|
Meaning: | index finger, second toe
|
Note: This word comes from 
"hito" (person), 
"sasi" (the noun form of the verb 
"sasu", which means point), and 
(finger), so its literal meaning is person-pointing finger.
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | na | ka | yu | bi
|
Meaning: | middle finger
|
Note: Since the word 
"naka" means middle, this word is exactly the same as middle finger.
Kana: |  |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | ku | su | ri | yu | bi
|
Meaning: | ring finger
|
Note: The word 

"kusuri" means medicine, and this word literally means medicine finger. The ring finger often has a strange name in many languages, such as ring finger in English and "wúmíngzhî" in Mandarin, which literally means nameless finger. Those names are probably related; ancient people thought the ring finger was a magic finger.
Kana: |  |  |
|
Romanization: | ko | yu | bi
|
Meaning: | little finger
|
Note: The prefix
"ko" means little, so it is the same as little finger.
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | tu | me
|
Meaning: | nail
|
8.3.3. Other body parts
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | ka | ta
|
Meaning: | shoulder
|
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | u | de
|
Meaning: | arm
|
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | hi | zi
|
Meaning: | elbow
|
Kana: |  |  |
|
Romanization: | te | ku | bi
|
Meaning: | wrist
|
Note: This word is a combination of
(hand) and 
(neck).
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | a | si
|
Meaning: | leg, foot
|
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | hi | za
|
Meaning: | knee
|
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | a | si | ku | bi
|
Meaning: | ankle
|
Note: This word is a combination of 
(foot) and 
(neck).
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | mu | ne
|
Meaning: | chest, breast
|
Kana: |  |  |
|
Romanization: | o | na | ka
|
Meaning: | abdomen
|
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | ko | si
|
Meaning: | waist
|
Kana: |  |  |
|
Romanization: | o | si | ri
|
Meaning: | buttocks
|
8.3.4. Internal organs
The Japanese word for internal organs is 


"naizô". The suffix 
"zô" is commonly used for organs.
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | nô
|
Meaning: | brain
|
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | si | n | zô
|
Meaning: | heart
|
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | ha | i
|
Meaning: | lung
|
Kana: |
|
Romanization: | i
|
Meaning: | stomach
|
Kana: |  |  |
|
Romanization: | chô
|
Meaning: | intestines
|
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | ka | n | zô
|
Meaning: | liver
|
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | zi | n | zô
|
Meaning: | kidney
|
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | bô | kô
|
Meaning: | the bladder
|
Kana: |
|
Romanization: | ti
|
Meaning: | blood
|
Note: The word 


"ketueki" also means blood. It is a scientific term.
Kana: |  |
|
Romanization: | ho | ne
|
Meaning: | bone
|
Kana: |  |  |  |
|
Romanization: | ki | n | ni | ku
|
Meaning: | muscle
|
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