La korpo: the body words, head to foot

Esperanto's body words are mostly international roots, and one rule matters more than the list: where the owner is obvious, Esperanto says la where English says my or his.

• Mi lavis la manojn. - I washed my hands.
• Li rompis al si la brakon. - He broke his arm.
• La kuracisto ekzamenis miajn manojn. - The doctor examined my hands (mine, not yours).

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1. 1la kapo
2. 2la okuloj
3. 3la buŝo
4. 4la mano
5. 5la brako
6. 6la kruro
7. 7la piedo

La kapo the head, la okuloj the eyes, la buŝo the mouth, la mano the hand, la brako the arm, la kruro the leg, la piedo the foot.

The head and the face

One hair is haro, so the hair on your head is plural:

• Ŝi havas longajn harojn. - She has long hair.

The mouth and the jaw

English tongue is both the muscle and the language. Esperanto keeps them apart:

• La kafo bruligis mian langon. - The coffee burnt my tongue.
• Mia gepatra lingvo estas la angla. - My mother tongue is English.

The neck and the trunk

• La koro batas en la brusto. - The heart beats in the chest.
• Mia dorso doloras. - My back hurts.

The arms and the legs

A toe has no root of its own. It is built, like many body words, from two you already have:

• Mi rompis piedfingron. - I broke a toe.