The short answer
Core Swedish body words include huvud, ansikte, hals, rygg, mage, arm, hand, ben, knä and fot. To locate pain, say Jag har ont i followed by the body part. The definite form is common: jag har ont i ryggen means my back hurts.
Learn the body by area
Group huvud, ansikte, öga, öra, näsa, mun, then hals, axel, arm, hand. Finish with rygg, mage, höft, ben, knä, fot.
These words become immediately useful in Swedish doctor appointment phrases.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Jag har ont i ryggen. | My back hurts. |
The definite form after i
You will often hear ont i huvudet, halsen, magen, knät. Learn the article and definite form with the noun instead of keeping one translated label.
Swedish school and classroom vocabulary reuses hand, öga and öra in instructions.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Det gör ont i vänster knä. | My left knee hurts. |
Describe sensation and duration
Add svullen, öm, stel, domnad and the verbs värka, klia, blöda. Give duration with sedan i går or i tre dagar.
The guide to vårdcentral and 1177 helps you choose the right contact.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Handen är svullen och öm. | The hand is swollen and tender. |
Do a spoken body scan
After an activity, describe three real sensations from head to foot. This connects each word to a perception rather than a diagram.
Put only forgotten forms into SvenskaApp review.
Questions people ask
- How do you say body in Swedish?
- Body is kropp. Body parts are kroppsdelar.
- How do you say my back hurts in Swedish?
- Say Jag har ont i ryggen. For a headache, say Jag har ont i huvudet.
- Why is it ryggen rather than rygg?
- When describing pain in a body part, Swedish commonly uses the definite form of the noun.
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