Body Parts

1. Ke poʻo

   Head

   Usage

   Show this at a clinic and point to your own head

2. Ka lauoho

   Hair

   Usage

   Refers specifically to the hair of the head; use it at a barber or salon

3. Ka helehelena

   Face

   Usage

   The whole face and its features; "maka" means the eye, so do not mix the two

4. Ka maka

   Eye

   Usage

   Show this when buying eye drops or contact lens supplies

5. Ka pepeiao

   Ear

   Usage

   Useful for reporting ear trouble after diving

6. Ka ihu

   Nose

   Usage

   For a blocked or bleeding nose; the same word also means the bow of a boat

7. Ka waha

   Mouth

   Usage

   Use it at the dentist or pharmacy; it also means an opening in general

8. Ka niho

   Tooth

   Usage

   Show this and point at the tooth that hurts

9. Ke alelo

   Tongue

   Usage

   Takes the article "ke" because it starts with a; it can also mean language

10. Ka ʻāʻī

    Neck

    Usage

    The neck itself; use "puʻu" for the throat

11. Ka puʻu

    Throat

    Usage

    For a sore throat; the same word also means a hill or a lump

12. Ka poʻohiwi

    Shoulder

    Usage

    Useful at a lomilomi massage to say which spot you want worked on

13. Ka lima

    Hand / arm

    Usage

    Hawaiian uses one word for both hand and arm, so point to show which you mean

14. Ke kuʻekuʻe lima

    Elbow

    Usage

    "Kuʻekuʻe" is the joint and "lima" the arm; the ankle is "puʻupuʻu wāwae"

15. Ka manamana lima

    Finger

    Usage

    A toe is "manamana wāwae" instead

16. Ka manamana wāwae

    Toe

    Usage

    Use it after stubbing a toe on lava or coral; the big toe is "manamana nui"

17. Ka maiʻuʻu

    Nail

    Usage

    Covers finger- and toenails, and also an animal's claw or hoof

18. Ka umauma

    Chest

    Usage

    Show this to report chest pain or breathing trouble

19. Ka ʻōpū

    Belly / stomach

    Usage

    Hawaiian does not separate the outer belly from the stomach organ; one word covers both

20. Ke kua

    Back

    Usage

    Takes "ke" because it starts with k; handy for asking for back work at a massage

21. Ka pūhaka

    Waist / lower back

    Usage

    For lower-back pain; it also comes up in hula lessons about hip movement

22. Ka lemu

    Buttocks

    Usage

    The neutral word to use in a medical setting; "ʻōkole", often heard in local English, is colloquial

23. Ka wāwae

    Leg / foot

    Usage

    One word for both leg and foot; point if you need to narrow it down

24. Ke kuli

    Knee

    Usage

    For a knee hurt on a hike; the same spelling also means deaf

25. Ka puʻupuʻu wāwae

    Ankle

    Usage

    Use it for a sprain; "kuʻekuʻe wāwae" is another accepted form

26. Ka ʻili

    Skin

    Usage

    For sunburn, bites, or coral cuts at the pharmacy

27. Ka iwi

    Bone

    Usage

    For a fracture; note that ancestral bones (iwi kūpuna) are sacred, so use the word carefully at cultural sites

28. Ke koko

    Blood

    Usage

    For bleeding or a blood draw; it also means blood relationship

29. Ka puʻuwai

    Heart

    Usage

    Show the word itself when explaining a heart condition; it also carries the figurative sense

30. Ka naʻau

    Intestines

    Usage

    The gut as an organ; in Hawaiian it is also the seat of feeling, as in "naʻau pono" (a righteous heart)

31. Ke akemāmā

    Lungs

    Usage

    "Ake" (organ) plus "māmā" (light); use it when explaining asthma

32. Ke ake

    Liver

    Usage

    The word can mean internal organs generally, so it reads as "liver" in a medical context

33. Ka puʻupaʻa

    Kidney

    Usage

    The historical word for kidney; "hakuʻala" is also used in modern Hawaiian

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