A traveler who never expects to get sick still needs medical vocabulary - sprains, headaches, and pharmacy visits happen, and a pharmacist who does not speak English is still the fastest route to relief. Beyond emergencies, body-part vocabulary is essential for describing people, discussing sports, exercising, and countless idioms. Russian anatomy words, like Russian food words, are largely native Slavic and share few cognates with English, so they demand genuine memorization. On the other hand, once learned, they are remarkably stable and productive: голова (head) supplies головная боль (headache), заголовок (title), and dozens of other derivatives.
This reference covers body parts from head to toe, internal organs, common symptoms, and key medical encounters: doctor's office, pharmacy, emergency. The dative-of-experiencer construction (У меня болит голова - literally "at-me hurts head") is one of the most important patterns to master because it is almost unavoidable in health talk. For the case grammar behind У меня... phrases, see the Russian six cases reference. For dealing with emergencies and getting help, see the Russian travel phrases tourist guide. For vocabulary about symptoms you experience, also see the Russian top 100 common verbs reference.
Parts of the Body: Head
Table 1. Head and face.
| Russian | Transliteration | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| голова | golova | head | f |
| лицо | litso | face | n |
| лоб | lob | forehead | m |
| волосы | volosy | hair | pl |
| ухо | ukho | ear | n |
| уши | ushi | ears | pl |
| глаз | glaz | eye | m |
| глаза | glaza | eyes | pl |
| бровь | brov | eyebrow | f |
| ресница | resnitsa | eyelash | f |
| нос | nos | nose | m |
| щека | shcheka | cheek | f |
| рот | rot | mouth | m |
| губа | guba | lip | f |
| зуб | zub | tooth | m |
| язык | yazyk | tongue / language | m |
| подбородок | podborodok | chin | m |
| шея | sheya | neck | f |
| горло | gorlo | throat | n |
Note: ухо (ear) has an irregular plural уши, and глаз (eye) takes a soft plural глаза with stress shift. Both words drop into several idioms, e.g., свои глаза не верят (not believing one's own eyes).
Parts of the Body: Torso
Table 2. Trunk and internal organs.
| Russian | Transliteration | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| плечо | plecho | shoulder | n |
| грудь | grud | chest | f |
| спина | spina | back | f |
| живот | zhivot | stomach / belly | m |
| талия | taliya | waist | f |
| бедро | bedro | hip | n |
| сердце | serdtse | heart | n |
| лёгкие | lyogkiye | lungs | pl |
| печень | pechen | liver | f |
| почки | pochki | kidneys | pl |
| желудок | zheludok | stomach (organ) | m |
| кишечник | kishechnik | intestines | m |
| мозг | mozg | brain | m |
| позвоночник | pozvonochnik | spine | m |
| кость | kost | bone | f |
| мышца | myshtsa | muscle | f |
| кожа | kozha | skin | f |
| кровь | krov | blood | f |
| нерв | nerv | nerve | m |
Russian has two separate words for "stomach": живот (belly, exterior) and желудок (the internal organ). A stomachache is usually живот болит for everyday complaints, желудок for a specifically organ-focused medical conversation.
Parts of the Body: Limbs
Table 3. Arms, hands, legs, feet.
| Russian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| рука | ruka | arm / hand |
| локоть | lokot | elbow |
| запястье | zapyastye | wrist |
| кисть | kist | hand (as a unit) |
| палец | palets | finger / toe |
| большой палец | bolshoy palets | thumb / big toe |
| ноготь | nogot | nail |
| нога | noga | leg / foot |
| колено | koleno | knee |
| лодыжка | lodyzhka | ankle |
| ступня / стопа | stupnya / stopa | foot |
| пятка | pyatka | heel |
Russian does not generally distinguish "arm" from "hand" (рука covers both) or "leg" from "foot" (нога covers both). Specifying a more precise region requires adding qualifiers: ладонь (palm), предплечье (forearm), плечо (shoulder/upper arm). Context usually disambiguates.
Cultural note. Russian idiom uses body parts heavily: Руки не доходят (my hands do not reach - I do not have time), Не в своей тарелке (not in one's own plate - feeling out of place), На ногах (on one's feet - feeling well enough to walk). These are worth learning as fixed expressions.
The Key Construction: У меня болит...
The most important medical sentence pattern in Russian:
У + (genitive) + болит/болят + (nominative part)
- У меня болит голова. - My head hurts. (lit. "At me aches head.")
- У неё болит зуб. - Her tooth hurts.
- У нас болят ноги. - Our legs hurt. (plural part -> plural verb)
Table 4. Complete paradigm with all body parts.
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| У меня болит голова. | I have a headache. |
| У меня болит живот. | My stomach hurts. |
| У меня болит горло. | My throat hurts. |
| У меня болит спина. | My back hurts. |
| У меня болят зубы. | My teeth hurt. |
| У меня болит ухо. | My ear hurts. |
| У меня болят уши. | My ears hurt. |
| У меня болит нога. | My leg/foot hurts. |
| У меня болят ноги. | My legs/feet hurt. |
| У меня болит сердце. | My heart hurts. |
| У меня болит мышца. | My muscle hurts. |
Note that the body part is the grammatical subject, so болит agrees with it in number: болит (singular) or болят (plural).
Common Symptoms
Table 5. How to describe how you feel.
| Russian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| У меня температура | U menya temperatura | I have a fever |
| У меня высокая температура | U menya vysokaya temperatura | I have a high fever |
| У меня насморк | U menya nasmork | I have a runny nose |
| У меня кашель | U menya kashel | I have a cough |
| Я кашляю | Ya kashlyayu | I am coughing |
| Я чихаю | Ya chikhayu | I am sneezing |
| У меня болит горло | U menya bolit gorlo | My throat hurts |
| Меня тошнит | Menya toshnit | I feel nauseous |
| Меня вырвало | Menya vyrvalo | I threw up |
| У меня кружится голова | U menya kruzhitsya golova | I am dizzy |
| У меня озноб | U menya oznob | I have chills |
| У меня слабость | U menya slabost | I feel weak |
| Я плохо себя чувствую | Ya plokho sebya chuvstvuyu | I feel bad |
| Мне плохо | Mne plokho | I feel unwell |
| У меня аллергия на... | U menya allergiya na... | I am allergic to... |
| Я простудился / простудилась | Ya prostudilsya / prostudilas | I caught a cold (m / f) |
| Я заболел / заболела | Ya zabolel / zabolela | I got sick (m / f) |
Note: Меня тошнит (I feel nauseous) uses the accusative + impersonal verb - a fixed construction you learn as a unit.
Common Illnesses
Table 6. Diseases and conditions.
| Russian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| простуда | prostuda | cold |
| грипп | gripp | flu |
| ангина | angina | sore throat / tonsillitis |
| бронхит | bronkhit | bronchitis |
| пневмония | pnevmoniya | pneumonia |
| кашель | kashel | cough |
| насморк | nasmork | runny nose |
| температура | temperatura | fever |
| головная боль | golovnaya bol | headache |
| мигрень | migren | migraine |
| отравление | otravleniye | food poisoning |
| аллергия | allergiya | allergy |
| диабет | diabet | diabetes |
| давление | davleniye | blood pressure |
| инфекция | infektsiya | infection |
| перелом | perelom | fracture |
| ушиб | ushib | bruise |
| растяжение | rastyazheniye | sprain |
| ожог | ozhog | burn |
| порез | porez | cut |
At the Doctor
Table 7. Doctor's office phrases.
| Russian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| врач / доктор | vrach / doktor | doctor |
| медсестра | medsestra | nurse |
| пациент | patsient | patient |
| приём | pryom | appointment |
| поликлиника | poliklinika | clinic |
| больница | bolnitsa | hospital |
| Мне нужен врач | Mne nuzhen vrach | I need a doctor |
| Запишите меня на приём | Zapishite menya na pryom | Schedule me an appointment |
| Что у вас болит? | Chto u vas bolit? | What hurts? |
| Где болит? | Gde bolit? | Where does it hurt? |
| Как давно это началось? | Kak davno eto nachalos? | How long ago did this start? |
| Откройте рот | Otkroyte rot | Open your mouth |
| Дышите глубоко | Dyshite gluboko | Breathe deeply |
| У вас температура | U vas temperatura | You have a fever |
| Вам нужно сдать анализы | Vam nuzhno sdat analizy | You need to get tests |
| Мне нужен рецепт | Mne nuzhen retsept | I need a prescription |
| Вот рецепт | Vot retsept | Here is the prescription |
At the Pharmacy
Table 8. Pharmacy phrases.
| Russian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| аптека | apteka | pharmacy |
| фармацевт | farmatsevt | pharmacist |
| лекарство | lekarstvo | medicine |
| таблетка | tabletka | pill / tablet |
| капсула | kapsula | capsule |
| сироп | sirop | syrup |
| мазь | maz | ointment |
| капли | kapli | drops |
| бинт | bint | bandage |
| пластырь | plastyr | adhesive bandage |
| градусник | gradusnik | thermometer |
| витамины | vitaminy | vitamins |
| обезболивающее | obezbolivayushcheye | painkiller |
| жаропонижающее | zharoponizhayushcheye | fever reducer |
| антибиотик | antibiotik | antibiotic |
| У вас есть что-то от...? | U vas est chto-to ot...? | Do you have something for...? |
| Мне нужно что-то от кашля | Mne nuzhno chto-to ot kashlya | I need something for a cough |
| Как принимать? | Kak prinimat? | How should I take it? |
| Сколько раз в день? | Skolko raz v den? | How many times a day? |
| До еды или после? | Do yedy ili posle? | Before or after meals? |
| Без рецепта | Bez retsepta | Without a prescription |
| По рецепту | Po retseptu | With a prescription |
Emergencies
Table 9. Medical emergency phrases.
| Russian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| Вызовите скорую! | Vyzovite skoruyu! | Call an ambulance! |
| 103 / 112 | - | Ambulance / General emergency |
| скорая помощь | skoraya pomoshch | ambulance |
| больница | bolnitsa | hospital |
| приёмное отделение | pryomnoye otdeleniye | ER / emergency room |
| Он без сознания | On bez soznaniya | He is unconscious |
| Он не дышит | On ne dyshit | He is not breathing |
| У него сердечный приступ | U nego serdechnyy pristup | He is having a heart attack |
| Это срочно | Eto srochno | This is urgent |
| Я сломал ногу | Ya slomal nogu | I broke my leg |
| Я порезался | Ya porezalsya | I cut myself |
| Я упал | Ya upal | I fell |
Memory tip. Russian emergency numbers: 103 for ambulance, 102 for police, 101 for fire, or 112 for the combined European-style line. Mobile phones also accept the older 03, 02, 01.
Body in Idioms
Table 10. Body-part idioms.
| Russian | Literal | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Руки не доходят | Hands do not reach | No time to get to it |
| Водить за нос | To lead by the nose | To deceive someone |
| Сидеть на шее | To sit on the neck | To live off someone |
| Голова кругом | Head in a circle | Confused / overwhelmed |
| Сердце не на месте | Heart not in place | Anxious |
| Зубы заговаривать | To charm away teeth | To distract with smooth talk |
| Ухо востро | Ear sharp | To listen carefully |
| Ни в зуб ногой | Not in a tooth with a foot | To know nothing about something |
Common Mistakes English Speakers Make
- Using "I have a headache" literally. Russian does not say *Я имею головную боль. Use У меня болит голова or У меня головная боль.
- Confusing живот and желудок. Stomachache in everyday speech is живот болит. The specific organ word желудок shows up in medical contexts.
- Assuming рука = hand only. It means both "arm" and "hand." Context decides. Same with нога (leg / foot).
- Using болеть wrong. Болеть + instrumental = to be sick with (Я болею гриппом). Что болит? asks what hurts. These are different uses of related verbs; mixing them is common.
- Literal "I am sick." Use Я болею (I am being sick, imperfective, ongoing) or Я заболел (I got sick, perfective). *Я больной sounds like "I am a patient / a sick person."
Common mistake. English speakers sometimes skip the construction у меня for symptoms. Russian really does say "at me hurts head"; trying to force English "I have" + noun often produces ungrammatical or oddly literal Russian.
Quick Reference Cheat Sheet
Head-to-toe essentials: голова, лицо, глаз/глаза, ухо/уши, нос, рот, зуб, шея, плечо, рука, палец, грудь, спина, живот, нога, колено, ступня
Key symptom formulas:
- У меня болит... + body part
- У меня температура / кашель / насморк
- Мне плохо
- Мне нужен врач
Emergency:
- Вызовите скорую! - Call an ambulance!
- Это срочно. - This is urgent.
- Мне нужно в больницу. - I need to go to the hospital.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it рука for arm or for hand? Both. Russian conflates them. If you need to distinguish, кисть is the hand as a unit and ладонь is the palm.
Can I just use English "doctor" in Russia? The word доктор is borrowed and understood. Врач is more standard in medical contexts. Either works.
How do I explain an allergy? У меня аллергия на + accusative: У меня аллергия на арахис (I am allergic to peanuts).
What is the difference between поликлиника and больница? Поликлиника is an outpatient clinic (GP visits, checkups). Больница is an inpatient hospital. ER is приёмное отделение.
Does Russia have English-speaking doctors? In major cities and private clinics, yes. In state clinics and smaller towns, usually not. Carrying a phrasebook and your medication names in both Cyrillic and Latin script helps.
How do I measure temperature in Russia? Celsius. Normal = 36.6°C. A fever begins around 37°C; over 38°C warrants treatment.
What does сдать анализы mean? To get tests / have labs done (literally "to hand over analyses"). A doctor may send you for a анализ крови (blood test) or анализ мочи (urine test).
See Also
- Russian grammar cases complete guide
- Russian six cases reference
- Russian pronouns personal, possessive, demonstrative reference
- Russian travel phrases tourist guide reference
- Russian common phrases for daily conversation reference
- Russian top 100 common verbs reference
- Russian verb aspects perfective imperfective explained
Author: Kalenux Team
Frequently Asked Questions
Is рука for arm or for hand?
Both. Russian conflates them. If you need to distinguish, кисть is the hand as a unit and ладонь is the palm.
Can I just use English 'doctor' in Russia?
The word доктор is borrowed and understood. Врач is more standard in medical contexts. Either works in conversation.
How do I explain an allergy?
Use У меня аллергия на + accusative: У меня аллергия на арахис (I am allergic to peanuts).
What is the difference between поликлиника and больница?
Поликлиника is an outpatient clinic for GP visits and checkups. Больница is an inpatient hospital. Emergency room is приёмное отделение.
Are there English-speaking doctors in Russia?
In major cities and private clinics, yes. In state clinics and smaller towns, usually not. Carry a phrasebook and medication names in Cyrillic and Latin script.
How is temperature measured in Russia?
Celsius. Normal body temperature is 36.6°C. Fever begins around 37°C; over 38°C warrants treatment or a doctor visit.
What does сдать анализы mean?
To get tests or have lab work done (literally 'to hand over analyses'). Common examples: анализ крови (blood test), анализ мочи (urine test).
