How To Describe Body Parts In Lithuanian
- Mille Larsen •2 mins read
As I'm learning about my Lithuanian heritage, I am also learning about the language. So far I have looked at Lithuanian greetings, some common courtesies, how to ask questions, numbers, directions, basic verbs, and descriptive words. This week, I'll talk about parts of the body.
An upcoming trip to Lithuania will provide a really good opportunity to test out these 10 most important things to know, to get by in any language for myself and see how good my advice is! This week I'm on the ninth item from that list — body parts.
Body parts
- galva - head
- ausis - ear
- akis - eye
- nosis - nose
- burna - mouth
- dantis - tooth
- kaklas - neck
- krūtinė - chest
- širdis - heart
- skrandis - stomach
- pilvas - belly; stomach (general)
- nugara - back
- ranka - arm/hand
- plaštaka - hand
- pirštas - finger
- koja - leg
- pėda - foot
And some useful words for when you're in need:
- skaudėti - to ache
- Man skauda ... - my ... hurts
- Skauda. - It hurts.
- Blogai jaučiuosi. - I don't feel well.
- Sergu. - I'm sick.
- vaistus - medicine
Usage
If you find yourself standing in the vaistinė (pharmacy), confused by what you see, you can say to the shopkeeper, Man skauda galvą. (My head hurts.)
Or if you're having a hard time getting used to Lithuanian food, you might say Blogai jaučiuosi. Man skauda skrandį. (_I'm not feeling well. My stomach hurts.) Of course I have a feeling that one will me more likely a result of eating too much delicious Lithuanian food.
Note that the body part that is hurting is in the accusative case. This subjectless construction (dat.) skauda (acc.) actually means something close to to me, (something) hurts the head. It works the same for a toothache (man skauda dantį) or a sore throat (man skauda gerklę).