Body and Health

Vocabulary for body and health

Vocabulary for body and health covers names of body parts, terms for sickness and illness, objects and places related to medical care, and verbs that commonly pair with these words. Three things need to be mastered: reading (yomikata), kanji writing (kakikata), and the correct word pairing (collocation).

Body parts and their readings:

• 体(からだ, body) — the meaning of the whole human body. In the sense of body, the reading is からだ. The on reading タイ appears in words such as 体温(たいおん, body temperature). Example: 体が大きい(からだがおおきい, has a big body).
• 口(くち, mouth) — kun reading くち. The on reading コウ is used in words such as 人口(じんこう, population), not for the meaning mouth. Example: 口を開けて、ゆっくり息をします(くちをあけて、ゆっくりいきをします, open the mouth and breathe slowly).
• 手(て, hand) — Example: 手を洗ってから、ご飯を食べます(てをあらってから、ごはんをたべます, wash the hands and then eat).
• 足(あし, leg/foot) — Example: 足が長いですね(あしがながいですね, the legs are long, aren't they).
• Other body parts to memorize: 目(め, eye), 頭(あたま, head), お腹(おなか, stomach), 喉(のど, throat), 歯(は, tooth).

Kanji that are often confused:

• 体(からだ, body) is different from 休(やすむ, to rest/take a day off). The kanji 本(ほん, book), 木(き, tree), and 林(はやし, small forest) are also not read からだ.
• 口(くち) is not 愚痴(ぐち, complaint). The sound ぐち is only similar and is not used for body parts.
• 足(あし) is different from 味(あじ, taste), 汗(あせ, sweat), and 秋(あき, autumn). All four must be distinguished by their vowel readings.
• 病気 is read びょうき. The readings びょうぎ, びようき, and ひょうき (funny, comical) are common mistakes.
• 薬(くすり, medicine) is written with the kanji 薬, not 楽(たのしい/らく, happy/comfortable), 葉(は, leaf), or 約(やく, promise/approximately).

Illness and body conditions: