Chân của tôi đau.

Vietnamese possession usually goes:

noun + của + possessor

So:

• chân = leg / foot
• của = of
• tôi = I / me / my

That makes chân của tôi literally the leg/foot of me, which is how Vietnamese expresses my leg or my foot.

This is different from English, where the possessor comes first: my leg.

Của is a possession marker. It often works like of or shows that something belongs to someone.

Examples:

• nhà của tôi = my house
• sách của bạn = your book
• chân của tôi = my leg / my foot

So in this sentence, của links chân to tôi.

It is understandable, but for body pain Vietnamese very often says:

• Tôi đau chân.

This is usually more natural in everyday speech.

Literally, that is closer to I hurt leg/foot, but naturally it means My leg hurts, My foot hurts, or I have leg pain.

So:

• Chân của tôi đau = understandable, a bit more explicit
• Tôi đau chân = very common and natural

Vietnamese often does not need a verb like to be in sentences like this.

Đau means hurt, be painful, or ache. It can function like a stative verb/adjective, so Vietnamese can simply say:

• Chân của tôi đau. = My leg hurts.

There is no need to add a separate word meaning is.

It can feel like both, depending on how you analyze Vietnamese grammar.

In practice, learners can think of đau as meaning:

• to hurt
• to ache
• painful

So:

• Tôi đau đầu. = I have a headache / My head hurts.
• Tay tôi đau. = My arm/hand hurts.
• Chân của tôi đau. = My leg/foot hurts.

The important thing is that đau can directly describe the painful condition without needing is.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Chân is a broad word that can refer to the lower limb, so in many situations it may be understood as:

• leg
• foot
• sometimes even feet/legs depending on context

If you want to be more specific, Vietnamese can use other words, for example:

• bàn chân = foot
• cẳng chân = lower leg
• đùi = thigh

So Chân của tôi đau could mean My leg hurts or My foot hurts, depending on the situation.

Vietnamese nouns usually do not change form for singular or plural.

So chân could mean:

• leg
• legs
• foot
• feet

Context tells you which one is meant.

If you want to be specific, you can add more information:

• một chân = one leg
• hai chân = two legs
• chân trái = left leg/foot
• chân phải = right leg/foot

So by itself, Chân của tôi đau does not force a singular reading.

Yes. Chân tôi đau is also possible and often sounds quite natural.

Vietnamese often omits của in everyday speech, especially when the relationship is obvious.

Compare:

• Chân của tôi đau. = My leg hurts.
• Chân tôi đau. = My leg hurts.

Both work. The version with của can sound a little more explicit.

Vietnamese commonly expresses pain with the person as the main topic or subject-like element:

• Tôi đau chân. = My leg hurts / I have leg pain.

This is very common with body parts:

• Tôi đau đầu. = I have a headache.
• Tôi đau lưng. = My back hurts.
• Tôi đau bụng. = My stomach hurts.

So even though English often says My leg hurts, Vietnamese often prefers a structure more like I hurt in the leg.

Tôi is the pronoun I / me, but in a possessive phrase with của, it corresponds to English my.

So:

• tôi = I / me
• của tôi = my / mine

In chân của tôi, the whole phrase means my leg.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• chân ≈ chuhn
• của ≈ koo-uh, with a dipping hỏi tone
• tôi ≈ toy
• đau ≈ dow (like the start of down without the final n)

A rough full reading: chuhn koo-uh toy dow

A few pronunciation notes:

• ch in chân is softer than English ch in chair
• đ is like a normal English d
• tones matter, especially on của

If you are learning a specific dialect, the exact pronunciation may vary a bit.

Yes, very many. This is a very useful pattern.

Common examples:

• Tôi đau đầu. = My head hurts / I have a headache.
• Tôi đau bụng. = My stomach hurts.
• Tôi đau lưng. = My back hurts.
• Tôi đau tay. = My arm/hand hurts.
• Tôi đau vai. = My shoulder hurts.
• Tôi đau cổ. = My neck hurts.

You can also build them with possession:

• Đầu của tôi đau.
• Lưng tôi đau.

But in daily conversation, Tôi đau + body part is often the most natural pattern.