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In our last lesson, we learnt about the months of the year in Twi.
The present lesson promises to be an interesting one. We are going to learn the Twi names of the various human body parts. As comprehensive as the list below may appear, it is by no means exhaustive of all the human body parts there are. Hence, if you know of the Twi name of any body part that is not included in the list, please contribute by posting it in the comments section below the post.
You may continue reading beneath the embedded video below.
Video Lesson
Human Body Parts in Twi
| Akan (Twi) | English |
|---|---|
| nipadua | the human body |
| honam akwaa | body parts |
| honam/wedeɛ | skin |
| nam | flesh |
| nwi | hair |
| etire nwi/tiri nwi | hair (on head) |
| etire | head |
| tikwankora | skull |
| amene/adwene | brain |
| anim | face |
| moma | forehead |
| atikɔ | occiput |
| ani | eye |
| ani ntɔn nwi | eyebrow |
| anisoatɛtɛ | eyelashes |
| ɛhwene | nose |
| afono | cheek |
| asontɔrem | temple |
| aso | ear |
| ano | mouth |
| ɛse | tooth |
| ɛse akyi nam | gum |
| tɛkyerɛma | tongue |
| menemu | throat |
| abɔdweɛ | chin |
| abɔdwesɛ | beard |
| ano nwi | mustache |
| ɛkɔn | neck |
| ɛkɔn akyi nam | scruff |
| abatire | shoulder |
| kokoɔ/bo | chest |
| akoma | heart |
| brɛboɔ | liver |
| ahrawa | lung |
| saa/sawa | kidney |
| tann | pancreas |
| bɔnwono | gall bladder |
| mfe mpadeɛ | ribs |
| abasa | arm |
| amɔtoam(u) | armpit |
| abatwɛ | elbow |
| nsa | hand |
| ntini | vein |
| nsayam | palm |
| nsateaa | finger |
| bɔwerɛ | fingernail |
| yafunu | belly |
| yam (yafunum’) | stomach |
| nsono | intestine |
| dwonsɔtwaa | bladder |
| sisie | waist |
| afunuma | navel |
| ayaaseɛ | pelvic region/lower abdomen |
| awodeɛ | womb |
| pa | hip |
| ɛserɛ | thigh |
| kotodwe | knee |
| nanhini | shin |
| ɛnan | leg |
| anantuo | calf |
| nantabono | foot |
| nantini | heel |
| nanpɔso | ankle |
| nansoaa | toe |
| nan mmuromu/nan mu | sole |
| mogya | blood |
| dompe | bone |
| akyim | bone marrow |
| akyire/akyi | back |
| berɛmo | backbone |
| ɛtoɔ | buttock |
| apɔ so | joint |
| kɔkɔbo | rectum |
| anofafa | lip |
| abakɔn | wrist |
| nan kokom | popliteal fossa/knee pit |
| badwoa (plural: mmadwoa) | lump |
Tabooed Human Body Parts in Twi
You may have noticed that certain body parts have been excluded from the list above. This is intentional. The Akan people place strict prohibitions on the open utterance of certain names. Amongst such names include those that refer to the various sexual organs. When talking about such tabooed parts, Akans normally resort to euphemisms to connote them. The actual Twi names for these body parts are considered too vulgar by Akans and, for that matter, hardly used. Below, I give the Twi names of these body parts, along with their respective euphemisms. If you have to talk about any of them, please respect tradition and use the euphemisms.
| Akan (Twi) | Euphemism | English |
|---|---|---|
| kɔteɛ | barima | penis |
| hwoa | atɛ | testicle |
| nufoɔ | pokua
(plural: mpokua) | breast |
| ɛtwɛ | Akosua kumaa | vagina |
| ɛtwɛba | clitoris | |
| turumu | agyanan kwan | anus |
I hope you’ve enjoyed this lesson. If you don’t want to miss a lesson, please subscribe to our website by entering your name and email address in the form further below and hitting the subscribe button. And if you need help with your pronunciation, do head over to our YouTube channel: LearnAkan.Com and subscribe. You may also join our Facebook page: LearnAkan.Com. Thank you for reading.
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This work is great. This is my first time here and I am enjoying your site.
PLEASE NOTE THIS word “abatwɛ” – I was taught by an elder that the Elbow is called “abatwere” due to the fact that we use it to lean against a wall (Yɛ de twere ɛban) but over time the word was degraded to “abatwɛ”. (People actually abuse this as the end sounds like ”ɛtwɛ”
Thank you.
Really? That explanation does sounds legitimate. This is how we are all going to learn from each other. Thank you for the note; I hope others learn from it. Glad to have you here.
Good job. I’m trying to teach my son proper Twi while we are living in the USA. This is very helpful.
Happy to know. And that’s a good job you’re doing with your son. Keep it up.
Hi Yaw,
This is my first time on your site. It is very interesting. Great work! congratulations!
However, I have the ff. comment:
1. I think the euphemism for breast pokuaa (plural: mpokuaa)] should rather be ‘pokua’
(plural: mpokua) as pokuaa is a name for female poku.
2. That of vagina should also be Akosua and clitoris Akosua kumaa
Thank you, Daniel. You’re 100% right on the first one, so I’ve made the correction. I’m not too sure about the second one though so I’ll look further into it.
Where can I buy CD to learn Twi
Sorry, we don’t have CDs. We do have digital audio files that you can listen to on your smartphones, tablets, and PCs. You’ll find them here: https://learnakan.com/e-store