<p>&quot;手臂&quot; = &quot;arm&quot; -- Includes &quot;上臂&quot; (upper arm) and &quot;前臂&quot; (forearm)</p>
<p><a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%83%B3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">胳</a> = armpit; <a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/2947/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">胳</a> = arm</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/2971/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">膊</a> = upper arm</p>
<p>&quot;<a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/11927/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">胳膊</a>&quot; (upper arm region) --&gt; &quot;<strong>arm</strong>&quot; -- Includes &quot;上臂&quot; (upper arm) and &quot;前臂&quot; (forearm)</p>
<p>&quot;肩頭&quot; = shoulder</p>
<p>&quot;肩膊&quot; = shoulder/ shoulder region</p>
<p><strong>Both &quot;手臂&quot; and &quot;胳膊&quot; mean &quot;arm&quot;</strong></p>
<p><strong>&quot;手臂&quot; is more colloquial and &quot;胳膊&quot; is more literary.</strong></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-12T02:47:44.147Z
胳膊 is more colloquial in my neck of woods. 手臂 is more a technical term instead.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-11T20:44:55.560Z
2020-10-11T20:52:11.840Z
2020-10-11T20:52:11.840Z
Tang Ho
<p>手臂 includes hands and arms. 胳膊 is the arms only.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-11T20:26:28.753Z
手臂 doesn't include hand just like 腳脛 doesn't include foot; 眼皮 doesn't include eye and 頭髮 doesn't include the head. 在手臂上打針 never include the option of injecting in the hand
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-11T21:16:33.173Z
手臂 = 手  and 臂, but 眼皮 = 眼's 皮 ， 头发 = 头's 发. These are not comparable
River
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-11T21:22:23.123Z
@Tang Ho 洪深《电影戏剧表演术》第三章五：“手臂自然地分为三段：上臂、前臂与手。” If it means different things in Cantonese, please notify. I guess so because 腳脛 is not a common word.
River
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-11T21:31:02.927Z
肩連上臂，上臂連前臂，前臂連手掌, 手掌連手指. (手臂指上臂及前臂)
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-11T21:45:39.767Z
如說 "切下手臂"，因為手是連接在手臂上的, 所以一條斷臂也包括了手部，但如說"在手臂上打針"，指的就只是上下臂，並不包括手部
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-11T18:47:20.883Z
2020-10-11T18:47:20.883Z
River
<p>I know that both words mean &quot;arm&quot;, but is there any real difference between 手臂 and 胳膊? When I started to learn Mandarin at university, they taught me to use 手臂, but now I see that 胳膊 is the one included on the HSK4 vocabulary list.</p>
<p>Is there any difference regarding the &quot;part&quot; of the arm that they represent? Is it a matter of one being more formal than the other?</p>
<p>Best regards</p>

<meaning><difference>
手臂 vs 胳膊 difference
# 手臂 vs 胳膊 difference

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-10-11)

I know that both words mean "arm", but is there any real difference between 手臂 and 胳膊? When I started to learn Mandarin at university, they taught me to use 手臂, but now I see that 胳膊 is the one included on the HSK4 vocabulary list.

Is there any difference regarding the "part" of the arm that they represent? Is it a matter of one being more formal than the other?

Best regards

**Tags:** meaning, difference


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-10-11. Score: 3

"手臂" = "arm" -- Includes "上臂" (upper arm) and "前臂" (forearm)

[胳](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%83%B3) = armpit; [胳](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/2947/) = arm

[膊](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/2971/) = upper arm

"[胳膊](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/11927/)" (upper arm region) --> "**arm**" -- Includes "上臂" (upper arm) and "前臂" (forearm)

"肩頭" = shoulder

"肩膊" = shoulder/ shoulder region

**Both "手臂" and "胳膊" mean "arm"**

**"手臂" is more colloquial and "胳膊" is more literary.**

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: 胳膊 is more colloquial in my neck of woods. 手臂 is more a technical term instead.  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2020-10-11. Score: 2

手臂 includes hands and arms. 胳膊 is the arms only.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 手臂 doesn't include hand just like 腳脛 doesn't include foot; 眼皮 doesn't include eye and 頭髮 doesn't include the head. 在手臂上打針 never include the option of injecting in the hand  
> **username_3**: 手臂 = 手  and 臂, but 眼皮 = 眼's 皮 ， 头发 = 头's 发. These are not comparable  
> **username_3**: @username_1 洪深《电影戏剧表演术》第三章五：“手臂自然地分为三段：上臂、前臂与手。” If it means different things in Cantonese, please notify. I guess so because 腳脛 is not a common word.  
> **username_1**: 肩連上臂，上臂連前臂，前臂連手掌, 手掌連手指. (手臂指上臂及前臂)  
> **username_1**: 如說 "切下手臂"，因為手是連接在手臂上的, 所以一條斷臂也包括了手部，但如說"在手臂上打針"，指的就只是上下臂，並不包括手部  

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