Body Parts

1. Galva

   Head

   Usage

   Show it and point at your head. Man sāp galva means my head hurts; a headache is galvassāpes

   Grammar Note

   Feminine. Pain is expressed as Man sāp plus the nominative — the aching part is the subject

2. Mati

   Hair

   Usage

   The salon word, always plural; the singular mats is a single hair

3. Seja

   Face

   Usage

   For the whole face at a clinic or a beauty salon

4. Acs

   Eye

   Usage

   For the eye doctor; both eyes together are acis

5. Auss

   Ear

   Usage

   The plural is ausis; Man sāp auss means my ear hurts

6. Deguns

   Nose

   Usage

   A runny nose is iesnas and a nosebleed is deguna asiņošana

7. Mute

   Mouth

   Usage

   For the dentist or a mouth ulcer. Atveriet muti means open your mouth

8. Zobs

   Tooth

   Usage

   The dentist is zobārsts; Man sāp zobs means my tooth hurts

9. Mēle

   Tongue

   Usage

   For showing your tongue at an exam. Unlike Estonian, Latvian uses a separate word for language, valoda

10. Kakls

    Neck

    Usage

    The outside of the neck — but Latvians also say Man sāp kakls for a sore throat, so this card covers that too

11. Rīkle

    Throat

    Usage

    The throat proper, as a doctor means it; in everyday complaints Latvians reach for kakls instead

12. Plecs

    Shoulder

    Usage

    Point here for a shoulder massage; both shoulders are pleci

13. Roka

    Arm / hand

    Usage

    Latvian roka runs from shoulder to fingertips and does not separate arm from hand; use plauksta when you mean the hand itself

14. Elkonis

    Elbow

    Usage

    Point here after landing on your elbow

15. Plauksta

    Palm / hand

    Usage

    From the wrist out, for when you need to distinguish it from roka

16. Pirksts

    Finger

    Usage

    A finger; a toe is kājas pirksts, literally a finger of the leg

17. Nags

    Nail

    Usage

    Also the salon word, and the one for a split or ingrown nail

18. Krūšu kurvis

    Chest

    Usage

    Literally the basket of the breast, meaning the rib cage. Chest pain is triaged first in an ER, so point without hesitating

19. Vēders

    Belly

    Usage

    The belly from outside. Man sāp vēders, my belly hurts; the organ itself is kuņģis

20. Mugura

    Back

    Usage

    The back as a whole; the lower back is muguras lejasdaļa

21. Muguras lejasdaļa

    Lower back

    Usage

    The lower part, lejasdaļa, of the mugura — the card for lumbago and lower-back pain

22. Dibens

    Buttocks

    Usage

    The everyday word you hear when an injection goes in the buttock; not crude, though sēžamvieta is the stiffer term

23. Kāja

    Leg

    Usage

    Latvian kāja covers the leg and the foot alike; use pēda when only the foot is meant

24. Celis

    Knee

    Usage

    Man sāp celis, my knee hurts — a frequent casualty of icy winter pavements

25. Pēda

    Foot

    Usage

    The foot below the ankle — for shoe sizes and foot injuries

26. Potīte

    Ankle

    Usage

    The card for a sprain — the cobbles of old Riga turn ankles easily

27. Āda

    Skin

    Usage

    For a rash, izsitumi, or sunburn; the skin doctor is dermatologs

28. Kauls

    Bone

    Usage

    A fracture is kaula lūzums, which also appears in the Health & Hospital category. Point here when asking for an X-ray

29. Asinis

    Blood

    Usage

    A blood test is asins analīzes and blood pressure is asinsspiediens. The word is always plural

30. Sirds

    Heart

    Usage

    For declaring a heart condition; the same word as in sirds slimība in the Health & Hospital category

31. Kuņģis

    Stomach

    Usage

    The organ; the belly you can point at is vēders

32. Zarnas

    Intestines

    Usage

    Used in the plural — the word a doctor reaches for when you report diarrhoea

33. Plaušas

    Lungs

    Usage

    Pneumonia is plaušu karsonis; often needed alongside astma, asthma

34. Aknas

    Liver

    Usage

    Used in the plural; needed when explaining a condition or medication

35. Nieres

    Kidneys

    Usage

    A kidney stone is nierakmeņi — the doctor will ask about it when you report flank pain

Browse all TravelPhrases languages