У мене болить литка.

In Ukrainian, pain is often expressed with a structure that literally looks more like At me, the calf hurts than I have a hurting calf.

So in У мене болить литка:

• у мене = at me / with me
• болить = hurts / aches
• литка = calf

This is a very common pattern with body parts and symptoms:

• У мене болить голова = my head hurts
• У нього болить спина = his back hurts
• У нас болять зуби = our teeth hurt

English and Ukrainian organize this idea differently.

Мене is in the genitive case.

That is because the preposition у in this kind of possession/state expression takes the genitive:

• у мене = at me / with me
• у тебе = at you / with you
• у нього = at him
• у неї = at her

This construction is extremely common in Ukrainian for saying that someone has something or is experiencing something.

Because the possessor is already clear from у мене.

So У мене болить литка already means that my calf hurts. Ukrainian does not need to repeat the idea of possession here.

Using моя is possible, but it changes the feel:

• У мене болить литка = neutral, natural
• Моя литка болить = more emphatic or contrastive

So the version without моя is the normal everyday way to say it.

Because литка is the grammatical subject of the verb болить.

In this sentence, the thing that hurts is the calf, so that noun stays in the nominative:

• литка болить = the calf hurts

Then у мене tells you whose calf it is or who is experiencing the pain.

This is different from English, where learners may instinctively expect something like an object after hurts, but Ukrainian treats the painful body part as the subject.

Because it agrees with литка, which is singular.

In Ukrainian, the verb matches the thing that hurts:

• У мене болить литка = one calf hurts
• У мене болять литки = both calves hurt

So:

• singular noun → болить
• plural noun → болять

This is a very useful pattern to remember.

Литка means the calf of the leg: the fleshy back part of the lower leg.

It does not mean:

• the whole leg
• the shin specifically

So if you want to be precise about pain in the calf muscle area, литка is the right word.

Yes, that is grammatically possible, but it is not the most neutral everyday phrasing.

Compare:

• У мене болить литка = normal, natural way to describe pain
• Моя литка болить = more marked; it can sound emphatic, as if you are focusing specifically on my calf

A learner should usually stick with У мене болить литка for ordinary situations.

The most neutral word order is:

У мене болить литка.

Ukrainian word order is flexible, but changing it usually changes emphasis.

For example:

• Литка у мене болить = emphasizes the calf
• Болить у мене литка = more marked, possible in context

So the original sentence is the best default version to learn first.

Both у мене and в мене are possible in Ukrainian.

The choice between у and в is often made for ease of pronunciation and rhythm. Ukrainian frequently alternates them to avoid awkward sound combinations.

So:

• У мене болить литка = perfectly natural
• В мене болить литка = also common, especially in speech

In this sentence, у мене is a very standard and comfortable choice.

You would make both the noun and the verb plural:

У мене болять литки.

Notice the changes:

• болить → болять
• литка → литки

This same pattern works with many body parts:

• У мене болить рука = my arm hurts
• У мене болять руки = my arms hurt
• У мене болить нога = my leg hurts
• У мене болять ноги = my legs hurt