8.3. Body parts
8.3.1. Head
Hiragana: |  |  |
|
Phonemes: | a | ta | ma'
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Romanization: | a | ta | ma
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Meaning: | head
|
Hiragana: |  |
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Phonemes: | ka | o
|
Romanization: | ka | o
|
Meaning: | face
|
Hiragana: |
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Phonemes: | me'
|
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.
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | ha | na
|
Romanization: | ha | na
|
Meaning: | nose
|
For your interest: The nose is the least important part of the face in Japanese culture.
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | ku | ti
|
Romanization: | ku | chi
|
Meaning: | mouth
|
Hiragana: |  |  |  |
|
Phonemes: | ku | ti | bi | ru
|
Romanization: | ku | chi | bi | ru
|
Meaning: | lips
|
Hiragana: |
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Phonemes: | ha'
|
Romanization: | ha
|
Meaning: | tooth
|
Hiragana: |  |  |
Phonemes: | si | ta' |
Romanization: | shi | ta |
Meaning: | tongue
|
Note: In colloquial Japanese, the word 
/be' ro/ "bero" is more commonly used for tongue.
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | mi | mi'
|
Romanization: | mi | mi
|
Meaning: | ear
|
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | ho' | o
|
Romanization: | hô
|
Meaning: | cheek
|
Hiragana: |  |  |
|
Phonemes: | hi | ta | i
|
Romanization: | hi | ta | i
|
Meaning: | forehead
|
Note: In colloquial Japanese, the word 

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

/ku su ri/ "kusuri" generally means medicine, and it means ointment in this case. So this word literally means ointment finger. It is said that the ring finger is good to use ointment with, because the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger are for picking food and the little finger is too clumsy and too small. By the way, the ring finger often has a strange name in many languages, such as ring finger in English. In Mandarin Chinese, it is called "wúmíngzhî", which literally means nameless finger.
Hiragana: |  |  |
|
Phonemes: | ko | yu | bi
|
Romanization: | ko | yu | bi
|
Meaning: | little finger
|
Note: The prefix
/ko/ "ko" means little, so it is the same as little finger.
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | tu | me
|
Romanization: | tsu | me
|
Meaning: | nail
|
8.3.3. Other body parts
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | ka' | ta
|
Romanization: | ka | ta
|
Meaning: | shoulder
|
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | u | de'
|
Romanization: | u | de
|
Meaning: | arm
|
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | hi | zi'
|
Romanization: | hi | ji
|
Meaning: | elbow
|
Hiragana: |  |  |
|
Phonemes: | te' | ku | bi
|
Romanization: | te | ku | bi
|
Meaning: | wrist
|
Note: This word is a combination of
/te'/ "te" (hand) and 
/ku bi/ "kubi" (neck).
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | a | si'
|
Romanization: | a | shi
|
Meaning: | leg, foot
|
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | hi | za
|
Romanization: | hi | za
|
Meaning: | knee
|
Hiragana: |  |  |  |
|
Phonemes: | a | si' | ku | bi
|
Romanization: | a | shi | ku | bi
|
Meaning: | ankle
|
Note: This word is a combination of 
/a si'/ "ashi" (foot) and 
/ku bi/ "kubi" (neck).
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | mu | ne'
|
Romanization: | mu | ne
|
Meaning: | chest, breast
|
Hiragana: |  |  |
|
Phonemes: | o | na | ka
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Romanization: | o | na | ka
|
Meaning: | abdomen
|
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | ko | si
|
Romanization: | ko | shi
|
Meaning: | waist
|
Hiragana: |  |  |
|
Phonemes: | o | si | ri
|
Romanization: | o | shi | ri
|
Meaning: | buttocks
|
8.3.4. Internal organs
The Japanese word for internal organs is 


/na i zo u/ "naizô". The suffix 
/zo u/ "zô" is commonly used for organs.
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | no' | u
|
Romanization: | nô
|
Meaning: | brain
|
Hiragana: |  |  |  |
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Phonemes: | si | N | zo | u
|
Romanization: | shi | n | zô
|
Meaning: | heart
|
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | ha | i
|
Romanization: | ha | i
|
Meaning: | lung
|
Hiragana: |
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Phonemes: | i
|
Romanization: | i
|
Meaning: | stomach
|
Hiragana: |  |  |
|
Phonemes: | tyo' | u
|
Romanization: | chô
|
Meaning: | intestines
|
Hiragana: |  |  |  |
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Phonemes: | ka | N | zo | u
|
Romanization: | ka | n | zô
|
Meaning: | liver
|
Hiragana: |  |  |  |
|
Phonemes: | zi | N | zo | u
|
Romanization: | ji | n | zô
|
Meaning: | kidney
|
Hiragana: |  |  |  |
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Phonemes: | bo | u | ko | u
|
Romanization: | bô | kô
|
Meaning: | the bladder
|
Hiragana: |
|
Phonemes: | ti
|
Romanization: | chi
|
Meaning: | blood
|
Note: The word 


/ke tu' e ki/ "ketsueki" also means blood. It is a scientific term.
Hiragana: |  |
|
Phonemes: | ho | ne'
|
Romanization: | ho | ne
|
Meaning: | bone
|
Hiragana: |  |  |  |
|
Phonemes: | ki' | N | ni | ku
|
Romanization: | ki | n | ni | ku
|
Meaning: | muscle
|
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Copyright(C) TAKASUGI Shinji (ts@sf.airnet.ne.jp)