US Medical Term · anatomy
Liver
Hígado
Where is the liver and what does it do?
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary places the liver in the upper abdomen. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) lists the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder as the solid organs of the digestive system. NIDDK explains that the liver makes a digestive juice called bile that helps digest fats and some vitamins, and that bile ducts carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder for storage, or to the small intestine for use.
Terms built on the liver
English also uses the adjective hepatic: MedlinePlus gives hepatic diseases as another name for liver diseases. As examples of diseases caused by drugs, poisons, or too much alcohol, MedlinePlus names steatotic liver disease and cirrhosis. Symptoms it lists for liver disease often include swelling of the abdomen and legs, bruising easily, and changes in the color of stool and urine; it describes jaundice as yellowing of the skin and eyes.
What it means
The liver is the largest organ inside the body. It helps the body digest food, store energy, and remove poisons. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary defines it as a large organ located in the upper abdomen that cleanses the blood and aids in digestion by secreting bile. MedlinePlus says there are many kinds of liver diseases, including diseases caused by viruses and diseases caused by drugs, poisons, or too much alcohol, as well as liver cancer and inherited diseases. Symptoms of liver disease can vary, and sometimes there are no symptoms. Tests such as imaging tests and liver function tests can check for liver damage and help to diagnose liver diseases. In Spanish the term is hígado.
Liver in Spanish
- Spanish term
- Hígado
- Gender and article
- masculine: el hígado
- Pronunciation
- EE-gah-doh
| Other Spanish terms | Where it is used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hepático / hepática | General | Adjective, not a noun: MedlinePlus en español gives "Enfermedades hepáticas" as another name for its topic "Enfermedades del hígado". |
Hígado is the term used by both MedlinePlus en español and the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary. It is masculine: el hígado. Spanish also has an adjective for the organ, hepático / hepática: MedlinePlus en español gives enfermedades hepáticas and hepatopatías as other names for its topic Enfermedades del hígado, and it writes enfermedad hepática in running text. Liver function tests appear on that page as pruebas funcionales hepáticas.
Both patterns show up in names on the MedlinePlus en español page. Cáncer de hígado, biopsia del hígado and trasplante de hígado use the noun, while esteatosis hepática, where the English page has steatotic liver disease, uses the adjective. Other words from the same page are cirrosis, hepatitis and ictericia, which the page pairs with color amarillo de piel y ojos. The NCI Spanish dictionary says the liver helps digestion secretando bilis (by secreting bile).
Phrases for an appointment
What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:
| Who | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Clinician | Your blood tests show that your liver enzymes are high. | Sus análisis de sangre muestran que las enzimas del hígado están altas. |
| Patient | What does that mean? Is my liver damaged? | ¿Qué significa eso? ¿Tengo el hígado dañado? |
| Clinician | Have you ever been told that you have hepatitis or another liver disease? | ¿Le han dicho alguna vez que tiene hepatitis u otra enfermedad del hígado? |
| Patient | No, but my mother had cirrhosis. | No, pero mi madre tuvo cirrosis. |
| Clinician | Have you noticed yellowing of your skin or eyes, or a change in the color of your urine? | ¿Ha notado color amarillo en la piel o en los ojos, o algún cambio en el color de la orina? |
| Patient | My belly and my legs have been swollen for two weeks. | Tengo el vientre y las piernas hinchados desde hace dos semanas. |
| Clinician | I am going to order liver function tests and an ultrasound of your liver. | Voy a pedirle pruebas de función hepática y una ecografía del hígado. |
| Patient | Do I need to stop drinking alcohol before the tests? | ¿Tengo que dejar de tomar alcohol antes de las pruebas? |
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Liver |
| Spanish (Español) | Hígado |
| Chinese (中文) | 肝臟 |
| Korean (한국어) | 간 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Gan |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Atay |
| Portuguese (Português) | Fígado |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | ตับ |
| Japanese (日本語) | 肝臓 |
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Your right to an interpreter in the United States
If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.
You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»
More terms: Digestive system
All terms in this area: Digestive system — Sistema digestivo
Sources
- Liver Diseases — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Enfermedades del hígado — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- liver — NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms — National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH
- hígado — Diccionario de cáncer del NCI — Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NCI), NIH
- Your Digestive System & How it Works — National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Your Right to Language Assistance Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.
Last reviewed: October 7, 2026