Body and medical vocabulary is essential for travelers, expatriates, and anyone planning extended interaction with Ukrainian-language environments. A pharmacy visit, a doctor's appointment, or a casual conversation about a cold all require a working set of terms for тіло (the body), the words for symptoms, and the phrases that move a learner from "I don't feel well" to a precise description that a clinician can act on. This reference assembles that vocabulary in tabular form, with example dialogues and notes on register.
The article begins with the major external body parts (голова, рука, нога, око, рот), proceeds through internal organs (серце, легені, шлунок), and then turns to symptom and illness vocabulary (гарячка, кашель, нежить). It closes with a section on the medical professions (лікар, медсестра, стоматолог), the structures of the healthcare system (лікарня, поліклініка, аптека), and the standard scripts used in pharmacy and clinic interactions. Pronunciation notes flag stress patterns that English speakers often miss, and the case marking necessary in common phrases is shown in context.
Russian-Ukrainian bilinguals will find substantial cognate vocabulary but should attend to genuine lexical differences. Лікар (doctor) is Ukrainian; Russian uses врач. Лікарня is the Ukrainian for hospital; Russian says больница. Ліки (medicine, drugs) parallels Russian лекарство, but the Ukrainian form is plural in everyday use. These small distinctions matter in clinical settings, and using the correct Ukrainian term signals respect for the language and the patient.
External Body Parts
Table 1: The head and face
| Ukrainian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| голова | holova | head |
| обличчя | oblychchia | face |
| лоб / чоло | lob / cholo | forehead |
| око | oko | eye |
| очі | ochi | eyes (plural irregular) |
| ніс | nis | nose |
| рот | rot | mouth |
| губа / губи | huba / huby | lip / lips |
| зуб / зуби | zub / zuby | tooth / teeth |
| язик | yazyk | tongue |
| вухо | vukho | ear |
| вуха | vukha | ears |
| підборіддя | pidboriddia | chin |
| щока / щоки | shchoka / shchoky | cheek / cheeks |
| волосся | volossia | hair (collective) |
| брови | brovy | eyebrows |
| вії | viyi | eyelashes |
| шия | shyia | neck |
The plural of око is очі, an irregular form. The same applies to вухо → вуха. Волосся is a collective neuter singular ("hair" as a mass), used like English in "her hair is long" rather than "her hairs are long." Individual strands would be волосина or the diminutive волосинка.
The word обличчя (face) is the standard term and notably differs from Russian лицо. Both have the same root sense, but Ukrainian preferred a distinct lexicalization. Лице also exists in Ukrainian poetry but sounds elevated or archaic in everyday speech.
Table 2: The trunk and limbs
| Ukrainian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| плече / плечі | pleche / plechi | shoulder / shoulders |
| груди | hrudy | chest, breast (plural form, no singular) |
| спина | spyna | back |
| живіт | zhyvit | belly, stomach (external) |
| рука | ruka | hand, arm |
| руки | ruky | hands, arms |
| палець | palets | finger, toe |
| пальці | paltsi | fingers, toes |
| лікоть | likot | elbow |
| зап'ясток | zapyastok | wrist |
| нога | noha | foot, leg |
| ноги | nohy | feet, legs |
| коліно | kolino | knee |
| п'ята | pyata | heel |
Ukrainian, like Russian, does not lexically distinguish "hand" and "arm"; both are рука. Context disambiguates. The same goes for нога covering both "foot" and "leg." When precision is needed, you can specify: долоня (palm of the hand), стопа (sole of the foot), передпліччя (forearm), гомілка (shin).
Examples in context:
- У мене болить голова. (U mene bolyt holova.) = I have a headache. (lit. "the head hurts at me")
- Він зламав ногу. (Vin zlamav nohu.) = He broke his leg.
- Вимий руки! (Vymyi ruky!) = Wash your hands!
- Її очі сині. (Yiyi ochi syni.) = Her eyes are blue.
The construction у мене болить + nominative body part is the standard Ukrainian way to say "I have a [body part] ache." The body part is the grammatical subject of the verb боліти (to hurt). For a refresher on case usage, see the Ukrainian seven cases reference.
Internal Organs
Table 3: Internal organs (внутрішні органи)
| Ukrainian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| серце | sertse | heart |
| легені | leheni | lungs |
| шлунок | shlunok | stomach (organ) |
| печінка | pechinka | liver |
| нирки | nyrky | kidneys |
| кишечник | kyshechnyk | intestines |
| мозок | mozok | brain |
| кров | krov | blood |
| кістка / кістки | kistka / kistky | bone / bones |
| м'яз / м'язи | myaz / myazy | muscle / muscles |
| нерв / нерви | nerv / nervy | nerve / nerves |
| шкіра | shkira | skin |
Note that живіт (belly) and шлунок (stomach as organ) are different words. Живіт is the external abdomen; шлунок is the internal digestive sac. In the phrase "I have a stomachache," Ukrainian uses живіт (болить живіт) for general gut pain and шлунок for specifically gastric issues that a doctor would diagnose.
The word печінка also names "liver" as a foodstuff (calf's liver, chicken liver) and as an organ. In folk speech, "печінка" can metaphorically be the seat of strong feeling, like saying someone is "in your liver" (на печінках сидіти) when they are getting on your nerves.
Symptoms and Illnesses
Table 4: Common symptoms (симптоми)
| Ukrainian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| гарячка / температура | hariachka / temperatura | fever |
| головний біль | holovnyi bil | headache |
| кашель | kashel | cough |
| нежить | nezhyt | runny nose |
| біль у горлі | bil u horli | sore throat |
| нудота | nudota | nausea |
| блювання | bliuvannia | vomiting |
| пронос | pronos | diarrhea |
| запор | zapor | constipation |
| втома | vtoma | fatigue |
| запаморочення | zapamorochennia | dizziness |
| висип | vysyp | rash |
| опік | opik | burn |
| поріз | poriz | cut |
| перелом | perelom | fracture |
| розтягнення | roztiahnennia | sprain |
Table 5: Common illnesses (хвороби)
| Ukrainian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| застуда | zastuda | cold |
| грип | hryp | flu |
| ангіна | anhina | tonsillitis, strep |
| бронхіт | bronkhit | bronchitis |
| пневмонія | pnevmoniia | pneumonia |
| алергія | alerhiia | allergy |
| астма | astma | asthma |
| діабет | diabet | diabetes |
| гіпертонія | hipertoniia | hypertension |
| мігрень | mihren | migraine |
Examples:
- У мене гарячка. (U mene hariachka.) = I have a fever.
- Я кашляю вже тиждень. (Ya kashliaiu vzhe tyzhden.) = I have been coughing for a week.
- Мене нудить. (Mene nudyt.) = I feel nauseous.
- У мене болить горло. (U mene bolyt horlo.) = I have a sore throat.
- Я застудився / застудилася. (Ya zastudyvsia / zastudylasia.) = I caught a cold (m / f).
The reflexive verb застудитися (to catch a cold) is past tense, gendered: застудився for masculine, застудилася for feminine. For more on aspect and reflexive verbs, see the Ukrainian verb conjugation reference.
At the Doctor and the Pharmacy
Table 6: Medical professions (медичні професії)
| Ukrainian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| лікар | likar | doctor |
| лікарка | likarka | (female) doctor |
| медсестра | medsestra | nurse |
| медбрат | medbrat | (male) nurse |
| стоматолог / зубний лікар | stomatoloh / zubnyi likar | dentist |
| хірург | khirurh | surgeon |
| педіатр | pediatr | pediatrician |
| окуліст | okulist | ophthalmologist |
| кардіолог | kardiolog | cardiologist |
| фармацевт | farmatsevt | pharmacist |
| фельдшер | feldsher | paramedic, medic |
Table 7: Healthcare facilities and items
| Ukrainian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| лікарня | likarnia | hospital |
| поліклініка | poliklinika | outpatient clinic |
| швидка (допомога) | shvydka (dopomoha) | ambulance |
| аптека | apteka | pharmacy |
| ліки | liky | medicine, drugs (plural) |
| таблетка | tabletka | pill, tablet |
| краплі | krapli | drops (eye, ear, nasal) |
| мазь | maz | ointment |
| сироп | syrop | syrup |
| рецепт | retsept | prescription |
| укол / ін'єкція | ukol / inyektsiia | injection |
| пластир | plastyr | bandage, plaster |
| бинт | bynt | gauze, bandage |
| градусник / термометр | hradusnyk / termometr | thermometer |
The word ліки is grammatically plural (no singular form in modern usage). To say "I take medicine," use Я приймаю ліки. The singular лік exists in older or dialectal speech but is not standard. For one specific medicine, say препарат or name the form (таблетки, краплі, etc.).
Useful Medical Phrases
Table 8: Phrases for clinic and pharmacy
| Ukrainian | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| Я погано почуваюся. | Ya pohano pochuvaiusia. | I don't feel well. |
| Що болить? | Shcho bolyt? | What hurts? |
| У мене болить ... | U mene bolyt ... | My ... hurts. |
| Як давно це почалося? | Yak davno tse pochalosia? | How long ago did this start? |
| Чи у вас алергія? | Chy u vas alerhiia? | Do you have allergies? |
| Мені потрібна допомога. | Meni potribna dopomoha. | I need help. |
| Викличте швидку! | Vyklychte shvydku! | Call an ambulance! |
| Дайте мені, будь ласка, ліки від кашлю. | Daite meni, bud laska, liky vid kashliu. | Please give me cough medicine. |
| Скільки коштують ці таблетки? | Skilky koshtuiut tsi tabletky? | How much do these tablets cost? |
| Чи потрібен рецепт? | Chy potriben retsept? | Is a prescription needed? |
| Я хочу записатися на прийом. | Ya khochu zapysatysia na pryiom. | I want to make an appointment. |
| У мене температура 38 градусів. | U mene temperatura 38 hradusiv. | I have a temperature of 38 degrees. |
Ukrainian medical interaction tends to be more direct than American medical small talk. A doctor will move quickly to symptom-specific questions. The patient is expected to describe the issue in concrete terms: not "I feel off" but "I have a fever and a headache for two days." Mastering the у мене болить + body part frame and the скільки днів? (how many days?) frame covers most initial visits.
Body Parts in Idioms and Set Phrases
Ukrainian body-part vocabulary appears throughout idioms and proverbs, often with metaphorical extensions that English speakers will recognize from parallel idioms in their own language. Голова болить (the head hurts) describes literal headache and metaphorical worry. Брати близько до серця (to take close to the heart) means to take something to heart. Розум (mind, reason) figures in many compounds. The table below sketches the commonest of these.
Table 9: Body-part idioms
| Ukrainian | Literal | Idiomatic meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ламати голову | to break the head | to puzzle over something |
| на руку | on the hand | convenient, advantageous |
| як на долоні | as on a palm | clearly visible, obvious |
| зуб на зуб не попадає | tooth doesn't meet tooth | shivering with cold |
| вухо востро | ear sharp | to keep on alert |
| пальцем не поворухнути | not to move a finger | to do nothing |
| душа в п'ятах | soul in the heels | scared stiff |
| мати руку | to have a hand | to have connections |
| язик без кісток | tongue without bones | a chatterbox |
These idioms are useful both for understanding everyday speech and for sounding natural. У нього язик без кісток (literally "his tongue is without bones") describes someone who talks too much. Душа в п'ятах describes paralyzing fear. Native speakers slip these phrases in casually.
Examples:
- Я голову ламав над цим завданням. (Ya holovu lamav nad tsym zavdanniam.) = I was racking my brain over this assignment.
- У нього там рука. (U noho tam ruka.) = He has connections there.
- Усе як на долоні. (Use yak na doloni.) = Everything is clear as day.
Common Mistakes
- Using the wrong word for "doctor". Russian-influenced speakers say врач; Ukrainian standard is лікар. The female form is лікарка, not лікарша (which is colloquial / dialectal).
- Singular ліки. Ліки is plural; do not say я приймаю лік. Use я приймаю ліки or specify a form (таблетки, краплі).
- Mixing up живіт and шлунок. Живіт is the external belly; шлунок is the gastric organ. "Stomach pain" in casual speech is болить живіт.
- Wrong case after у мене. Use у мене болить голова (nominative subject), not у мене болить голову (accusative). The body part is the subject of the verb.
- Confusing нежить (runny nose) with кашель (cough). They are different symptoms; do not interchange.
- Saying температура instead of гарячка. Both are used but гарячка specifies fever (high temperature); температура is just the reading. У мене температура 36.6 means "I have a normal temperature." Use у мене гарячка or у мене висока температура for "I have a fever."
Quick Reference
- Head: голова. Face: обличчя. Eye: око / очі. Mouth: рот.
- Limbs: рука (hand/arm), нога (foot/leg), палець (finger/toe).
- Organs: серце (heart), легені (lungs), печінка (liver), нирки (kidneys).
- Symptoms: гарячка (fever), кашель (cough), нежить (runny nose).
- Doctor: лікар (m), лікарка (f). Hospital: лікарня. Pharmacy: аптека.
- Medicine: ліки (plural). Pill: таблетка. Prescription: рецепт.
- Emergency: Викличте швидку! (Call the ambulance!).
- My ... hurts: У мене болить + nominative body part.
FAQ
What is the difference between лікар and доктор? Лікар is the standard Ukrainian word for "physician." Доктор is used as a title before a name (Доктор Петренко) and also for "doctor" in the academic sense (PhD). In casual speech you can address a physician as пане лікарю or simply лікарю (vocative).
How do I say "I am sick"? Я хворий (m) / Я хвора (f) for "I am sick" as a state. Я захворів (m) / Я захворіла (f) for "I got sick" (past perfective). For a milder "I'm not feeling well," say Я погано почуваюся.
Is it polite to ask "how are you?" if someone is recovering? Yes. Ask Як ви себе почуваєте? (How are you feeling?) which is the polite formal version, or Як ти себе почуваєш? in informal address. Avoid breezy Як справи? with someone who is unwell.
What about emergency numbers? The general emergency number in Ukraine is 112. The ambulance line is 103. The phrase Викличте швидку! literally means "Call the fast (ambulance)!"
Can I use English medical terms in a Ukrainian pharmacy? Many pharmacists in major cities understand English brand names, and Latin pharmacological names are universal. However, basic interaction in Ukrainian goes more smoothly. Bring a written list if possible.
How do I describe a chronic condition? Use хронічний (chronic) as an adjective: хронічний бронхіт, хронічна мігрень. To say "I have diabetes," say У мене діабет, the same construction as for symptoms.
What are typical Ukrainian first-aid items in a home? Classic items include зеленка (a green antiseptic dye, brilliant green, traditional in post-Soviet households), йод (iodine), активоване вугілля (activated charcoal for stomach issues), and парацетамол for fever. Зеленка is so culturally iconic that you can buy a small bottle in nearly any apartment.
See Also
- Ukrainian alphabet and Cyrillic differences from Russian
- Ukrainian seven cases complete declension reference
- Ukrainian verb conjugation aspect system reference
- Ukrainian common phrases daily conversation reference
- Ukrainian greetings phrases common expressions reference
- Ukrainian vs Russian vocabulary false friends reference
- Ukrainian pronouns personal possessive reflexive reference
Author: Kalenux Team
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between лікар and доктор?
Лікар is the standard Ukrainian word for physician. Доктор is used as a title before a name and also for 'doctor' in the academic sense. Address a physician as пане лікарю or simply лікарю in vocative.
How do I say 'I am sick' in Ukrainian?
Я хворий (m) / Я хвора (f) for the state. Я захворів (m) / Я захворіла (f) for 'I got sick.' For milder 'I'm not feeling well,' say Я погано почуваюся.
What about emergency numbers in Ukraine?
The general emergency number is 112. The ambulance line is 103. The phrase Викличте швидку! literally means 'Call the fast (ambulance)!'
Can I use English medical terms in a Ukrainian pharmacy?
Many pharmacists in major cities understand English brand names, and Latin pharmacological names are universal. Basic interaction in Ukrainian goes more smoothly; bring a written list if possible.
How do I describe a chronic condition?
Use хронічний (chronic) as an adjective: хронічний бронхіт, хронічна мігрень. For 'I have diabetes,' say У мене діабет, same construction as for symptoms.
What are typical Ukrainian first-aid items in a home?
Classic items include зеленка (brilliant green antiseptic), йод (iodine), активоване вугілля (activated charcoal), and парацетамол for fever. Зеленка is iconic in post-Soviet households.
Why is ліки plural in Ukrainian?
Ліки is grammatically plural with no standard singular form. To say 'I take medicine,' use Я приймаю ліки. The singular лік exists in older or dialectal speech but is not modern standard.
