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From Khashim to Galub: Iraqi Arabic Body Parts

22 July 2026·3 min read

خشم

khashim

Nose (Iraqi-specific)

The most uniquely Iraqi body words

Some Iraqi body part words are completely distinct. خشم (khashim) means 'nose' — very Iraqi, the standard is 'anf'. حلك (halig) means 'throat' or 'mouth' in the colloquial sense. And گلب (galub) means 'heart', always pronounced with the Iraqi 'g' sound.

خشم

khashim

Nose

Iraqi-specific

حلك

halig

Throat / Mouth

Iraqi-specific

گلب

galub

Heart

Pronounced with Iraqi 'g' instead of 'q'

Standard body parts (slightly different)

Even body parts shared with other dialects shift slightly. 'Hand' is ايد (eed), from the standard 'yad'. 'Foot/leg' is رجل (rijil). 'Eye' is عين (ain). 'Ear' is إذن (idhin). These are understood everywhere but sound distinctly Iraqi in context.

ايد

eed

Hand

رجل

rijil

Foot / Leg

راس

ras

Head

Describing pain and symptoms

Telling a doctor where it hurts is essential. You'll say راسي يوجعني (rasee yoja'nee) — 'my head hurts' — or بطني توجعني (batnee towja'nee) — 'my stomach hurts'. These use the Iraqi pronunciation of body parts and are understood everywhere in Iraq.

راسي يوجعني

rasee yoja'nee

My head hurts

بطني توجعني

batnee towja'nee

My stomach hurts

سلامتك

salamtak

Get well soon

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