Body parts

This article provides information about body parts, their grammatical usage and a list of Klingon words.

Contents of this page:

Not body parts
Plural
Star Trek
Vocabulary
Regional terms
See also
References

Not body parts

Words like hormone, RNA, DNA, and blood are grammatically not considered a body part.(1)

Also, the word for "body" porgh it is not considered as a "body part", as it's the body itself, it cannot be a part of it. Some people disagree on this and it is not clearly answered in canon.

Plural

Standard

The plural version of body parts is a little different than with other nouns. Instead of -pu' (for people capable of language) or -mey (for other nouns), body parts get the suffix -Du'. (2) This suffix is used for all body parts, those of humans and of animals, also when used as food.

wej qamDu' - three feet

Suffix -mey

If -mey is used with body parts instead of -Du', it means those body parts are "scattered everywhere". This form is more used in a poetical way, as in the title of the KLI's poetic journal jatmey, literally scattered tongues.

Food

When body parts are served as food, they also take the appropriate suffix, as in tIqnagh lemDu' tknag hooves. (3) Okrand has explained that when body parts lose their association with the creatures that originally had them and have turned into "raw materials", like when a skin becomes a pelt, they aren't body parts anymore. (4) This has lead to a misunderstanding for some Klingonists who claimed that this might also count for food, as it has lost the connection from the animal. In an interview of qepHom 2018, Marc Okrand corrected this mis-interpretation. To the question, whether one should not use the suffix -Du' for chicken wings as a dish, he quickly answered: Why not? They're still wings.

Metaphorical usage

This is not a canon term, but someone once coined this term for body part words that are not used for real body parts, but are used as a slang term, or for something absolutely different. As a basic understanding, as explained in KGT, these terms should take the appropriate suffix as explained above:

"Grammatically, even as slang, Ho' follows the rules appropriate to its literal meaning. Thus, even though it may refer to a person, its plural is Ho'Du' ("teeth"), making use of the plural suffix for body parts [...] Similarly, it never takes the possessive suffixes associated with beings capable of using language." (5)

Okrand also stated that the word 'enDeq (bladder) refers to anatomy, but it can be used metaphorically in other contexts, which is the way it works in English (qepHom 2018).

Nevertheless, some words do not follow this apparent rule. These are noq nipple and neb beak/nozzle which take a different plural suffix depending on their meaning. Seeing this, one can assume that this is not a 100-%-rule, and may depend on which noun and what circumstance the plurals are being used.

Klingon	Translation	Source
Ho'Du'	teeth	TKD
Ho'Du'	idols (slang)	KGT
Ho'	cog/sprocket teeth	qep'a' 25
jIb Ho'Du'	comb	TalkNow
noqDu'	nipples (body part)	qep'a' 23
noqmey	nipples (on bottles)	qep'a' 23
nebDu'	beaks (body part)	qep'a' 23
nebmey	nozzles (on a hose)	qep'a' 23

Star Trek

Klingons in Star Trek have multiple redundant body parts: Two livers, one heart with eight chambers, 23 ribs, two stomachs and a double pia mater (a layer of connective tissue, engulfing the nerves). This redundancy is called bIraqlul Brak'lul.

Vocabulary

This topic has been added to the todo-list. Reason: add missing new body part words.

Click on one of the titles to sort by body area.

Klingon	English	Sorting	Source
bem	sole of foot	leg, foot	KGT
bo	feather	general	HolQeD 10.4
burgh	stomach	inner	TKD
chap	back of hand	hand	TKD
chayqa'	esophagus	inner	qep'a' 2020
cha'neH	forearm	arm	2011, see note
chej	liver (see regional mavje')	inner	TKD, KGT
chI'ID	uterus	sexual	qepHom 2018
chor	belly	general	TKD, FederationTravelGuide
DaQ	ponytail	head	TKD
DaynguH	testicle	sexual	qepHom 2018
DeS	arm	arm	KGT
DeSqIv	elbow	arm	KGT
DIr	skin	general	TKD
Do'ghI'	calf	leg	Hamletmachine
Dub	back	general	TKD
DughrI'	skull	head	qepHom 2019
Du'ran	philtrum	head, face	qep'a' 2018
gham	limb (of animal)	arm, leg	KGT
ghapqa'	jaw	head	qep'a' 2019
ghaw'	gum (slang)	head	qep'a' 2020
ghIch	nose	head, face	TKD, KGT
ghISDen	scales (of animal)	general	KGT
ghIt	open, flat hand	hand	KGT
ghIv	limb (of person)	arm, leg	qep'a' 2010
ghop	hand	hand	TKD, KGT
Hampong DIr	scab	general	qep'a' 2020
HanDI'	cell	general	qep'a' 2016
Hom	bones	general	TKD
HomHap tun	cartilage	general	qep'a' 2020
HomwI'	second toe	leg, foot	HolQeD 10.2
HoS voveng	thyroid	inner	qep'a' 2020
Ho'	tooth	head, face	TKD
Hugh	throat	head	TKD
Hutvav	nerve	inner	qepHom 2016
Hutvav rarwI'	neural synapse	inner	qepHom 2016
Huy'	eyebrow	head, face	TKD
jat	tongue	head, face	TKD
jIb	hair of head	head	TKD
joQ	rib	general	KGT
lem	hoof (of animal)	foot	KGT
lev	hard palate, roof of mouth	head	qep'a' 2005
loch	mustache	head, face	TKD
logh'ob	chest	general	qep'a' 2018
luH	guts	inner	KGT
lur	pupil (of eye)	head	TKD
marwI'	big (first) toe	leg, foot	HolQeD 10.2
mavje'	liver (regional)	inner	KGT
mej'aD	artery	inner, vein	qepHom 2015
melchoQ	bone marrow	inner	KGT
mIn	eye	head, face	TKD
mInyoD	eyelid	head, face	qep'a' 2018
mong	neck	general	TKD
mov	top of foot	leg, foot	KGT
muylIS	eyelash	head, face	qep'a' 2017
nach	head	head	TKD
namwech	paw (of animal)	foot	KGT
nanwI'	fourth toe	leg, foot	HolQeD 10.2
nev'ob	thigh/upper arm	leg	Hamletmachine
nItlh	finger	hand	TKD
nItlhpach	fingernail	hand	Addendum
nobmeD	skeleton	general	qepHom 2019
noq	nipple	general	qep'a' 2016
nuj	mouth	head, face	TKD
ngIb	ankle	leg, foot	KGT
ngob'at	breast	general	qep'a' 2019
pach	claw	foot	HolQeD 10.4
paw'aD	vein	inner, vein	qepHom 2015
pIp	spine	general	TKD
pob	hair (on body)	general	TKD
qab	face	head, face	TKD
qam	foot	leg, foot	TKD
qanwI'	pinky finger	hand	HolQeD 10.2
qaywI'	middle finger	hand	HolQeD 10.2
qevpob	cheek	head, face	TKD, KGT
qewwI'	ring finger	hand	HolQeD 10.2
qey'Hav	vagina	sexual	qepHom 2018
qIv	knee	leg	TKD
qIvon	unknown body part	general	KGT, msn 1997.06.29
qogh	ear conch	head	KGT, HolQeD 2.4, page 17
Qay'wI'	little (fifth) toe	leg, foot	HolQeD 10.2
QoghIj	brain	head	KGT
Quch	forehead	head	TKD, KGT
rajma'	kidney	inner	2011, see note
rem'ay'	diaphragm, thoracic diaphragm	inner	qepHom 2020
repnuj	gum	head	qep'a' 2020
reStav	shin / forearm	leg	Hamletmachine
rIlwI'	thumb, usually a child's thumb	hand	HolQeD 10.2
ro	torso	general	TKD, KGT
rol	beard	head, face	TKD
roSwI'	third toe	leg, foot	HolQeD 10.2
ro'	fist	hand	TKD
Sa'Hut	ass, rear end, buttocks	general	qep'a' 2003 (or maybe qep'a' 9 - needs confirmation)
SenwI'	thumb, usually an adult's thumb	hand	HolQeD 10.2
SIqwI'	index, first, pointer finger	hand	HolQeD 10.2
Somraw	muscle	general	TKD
tagh	lung	inner	TKD
tel	wing	general	TKD
telya'	pancreas	inner	qep'a' 2020
teS	inner ear	head	KGT, HolQeD 2.4
tIq	heart (also in a symbolic way)	inner	TKD, TKW
toch	palm	hand	TKD
to'waQ	ligament	general	KGT
turmIq 'enDeq	urinary bladder	inner	qepHom 2018
tlhon	nostril	head, face	TKD
tlhuQ	tail	general	KGT
valQav	iris (of the eye)	head	qep'a' 2020
va'nuch	heel	foot	HolQeD 13.1
veD	fur	general	KGT
volchaH	shoulders	general	TKD
voveng	gland	general	qep'a' 2020
wIlle'	joint	general	qep'a' 2019
woS	chin	head, face	TKD
wuS	lips	head, face	TKD
yab	mind	head	TKD
yaD	toe	leg	TKD, HolQeD 10.2
yeb	wrist	hand	KGT
'achler	nape, scruff, back of neck	general	qep'a' 2019
'aD	vein	inner, vein	TKD
'aDHom	capillary	inner, vein	qep'a' 2020
'alnum	freckle(s)	general	qep'a' 2020
'ejtlhal	tumor	inner	qep'a' 2020
'enDeq	bladder	inner	qepHom 2018
'eQway	belly button	general	2011, see note
'InSep	penis	sexual	qepHom 2018
'IvtIH	hip	general	2011, see note
'Iw	blood	general	TKD
'I'	armpit	general	KGT, Mailing list 1996.08.21, HolQeD 5.3
'oSHeQ	spleen	inner	qep'a' 2020
'uS	leg	leg	TKD

note: The following words were written down by Agnieszka Solska at qep'a' 2011, but somehow came to public few months later at qepHom 2011. For that reason, some word lists show different sources: cha'neH, 'IvtIH, rajma', 'eQway.