Clitoris

Close-up of a vulva with an enlarged inset labeling 1 as the clitoral hood and 2 as the clitoral glans. — Close-up view of the upper **vulva** with an enlarged inset labeling the visible external parts of the **clitoris**. In the inset, **(1)** marks the **clitoral hood**, the fold of skin that partly covers and protects the clitoris, and **(2)** marks the **clitoral glans**, the small exposed tip of the clitoris. Only the glans and its hood are visible here; most of the clitoris extends internally beneath the surrounding tissues and cannot be seen in the photograph.^[1]

Animated close-up of a woman masturbating by repeatedly tapping the clitoral area with a fingertip. — Animated close-up of **clitoral masturbation** in which a woman repeatedly taps the **clitoral area** with a fingertip. The animation illustrates one form of direct or near-direct clitoral stimulation, using light repeated contact rather than continuous rubbing.

Clitoris is a highly sensitive erectile organ of the vulva and an important part of sexual pleasure and orgasm. The small part that can be seen outside the body is only the tip of a much larger structure extending beneath the surrounding tissues.^[2]

Anatomy and structure

Where is the clitoris?

Close-up frontal view of a vulva in which the visible clitoral glans is not externally visible. — Frontal close-up of a **vulva** in a relaxed state, where the visible **clitoral glans** is not externally visible. In this example, the **clitoris** is hidden beneath the **clitoral hood** and surrounding tissues, which is a common and normal external appearance.

The clitoris is located at the upper end of the vulva, where the inner labia meet. Its visible tip lies above the urethral and vaginal openings and is usually partly or completely surrounded by the clitoral hood.

What part of the clitoris can be seen?

The small visible part is called the clitoral glans. Depending on the woman, it may be easy to see, partly hidden, or almost completely covered by the clitoral hood.

Most of the clitoris is hidden

Behind the visible glans is the body of the clitoris, which continues into two long branches called the crura. These structures are beneath the surface and cannot be seen simply by spreading the pussy open.^[2]

A 2024 meta-analysis of 21 anatomical studies found an average clitoral body length of about 25 mm and average crus length of about 52 mm, showing how much larger the complete structure is than its visible tip.^[3]

Clitoris size varies between women

Close-up of a vulva with the surrounding tissues held apart, showing a large visible clitoral glans. — Close-up of a **vulva** with the surrounding tissues held apart by the fingers, exposing a **large** and prominent **clitoral glans** near the top of the vulva.

Close-up of a vulva being held open with the fingers, showing a small visible clitoral glans. — Close-up of a **vulva** with the surrounding tissues held apart by the fingers, showing a **small** and only slightly prominent **clitoral glans** near the top of the vulva.

The visible glans also differs naturally in size. The same meta-analysis found an average glans length of about 6.4 mm and width of about 5.1 mm, but measurements varied substantially between women.^[3]

This means that one woman may have a very small and hidden clitoral glans while another has a much larger and clearly visible one. Both appearances can be part of normal female anatomy.

Clitoral hood

The clitoral hood is a fold of skin covering and surrounding the clitoral glans. It protects the sensitive glans and can move as the surrounding tissues are touched or moved.

How much of the clitoris remains covered differs between women. Looking only at the outside of the pussy therefore does not necessarily show the full size of the glans.

Function and sexual arousal

What is the clitoris for?

Animated close-up of a partner stimulating the clitoral area with a finger. — Animated close-up of a partner stimulating the **clitoral area** with a finger. The animation shows direct manual **clitoral stimulation**, a common form of sexual touching that can produce strong **sexual pleasure** and may contribute to orgasm.

The clitoris is primarily involved in sexual sensation and pleasure. Unlike the urethra and vagina, it is not an opening through which urine, menstrual blood, a penis during vaginal sex, or a baby passes.^[2]

The clitoris becomes larger during arousal

The clitoris contains erectile tissue. During sexual arousal, increased blood flow causes it to become engorged and larger, somewhat like an erection of the penis.

MRI studies have directly measured increases in clitoral blood flow and size while women watched erotic material.^[4]

Touch and sensitivity

Clitoral sensitivity

The clitoris is highly sensitive, but there is no single kind of touch that feels best to every woman. Preferences differ in location, pressure, movement and whether stimulation is directly on the glans or around it.^[5]

Direct and indirect clitoral touching

In a U.S. probability survey of 1,055 women, 66.6% reported enjoying touch directly on the clitoris. However, 45.3% also liked touching around the clitoris, 25.2% liked occasional brushing across it without pressure, and 5.2% preferred avoiding direct clitoral touch.^[5]

This helps explain why pressing directly on the visible clitoral glans may feel very pleasurable to one woman but too intense to another.

Common touch movements

Animated close-up of a woman masturbating by moving her hand in circular motions over the clitoral area. — Animated close-up of a woman masturbating by moving her hand in circular motions over the **clitoral area**. The animation shows **circular clitoral stimulation**, with the fingers rubbing around and across the upper vulva in a repeated circular movement.

The same survey found that common preferred patterns of genital touching included up-and-down movement (63.7%), circular movement (51.6%) and side-to-side movement (30.6%). Light and medium pressure were preferred more often than firm pressure.^[5]

These are population patterns, not a universal clitoral technique. Individual preferences for location, pressure, speed and movement vary considerably.

Clitoris during sex and orgasm

Clitoris and orgasm

Clitoral stimulation is important for orgasm for many women. In the same U.S. survey, 18.4% said vaginal intercourse alone was sufficient for orgasm, while 36.6% said clitoral stimulation was necessary for them to orgasm during intercourse and another 36% said it made their orgasms feel better.^[5]

For the rhythmic genital movements that can accompany orgasm, see Pussy Contractions.

Clitoris during vaginal sex

Close-up of vaginal penetration showing the penis entering the vagina below the clitoral area. — Close-up of **vaginal penetration** showing the **penis** entering the **vagina** below the visible external **clitoral area**. The image illustrates that during vaginal sex the penis enters the vaginal opening, not the visible **clitoral glans**, although the tissues of the vulva and nearby internal clitoral structures may still be affected by movement and pressure during penetration.

The penis enters the vagina, not the visible clitoral glans. However, parts of the internal clitoral structures lie close to the vagina and can move during penetration.

A small ultrasound pilot study of three women observed movement of the clitoral roots during vaginal stimulation.^[6]

External clitoral stimulation can also be added during vaginal sex with fingers, a vibrator or other contact with the vulva.

Clitoris and penis

The clitoris and penis develop from related embryonic structures and both contain erectile tissue. They therefore share some basic features, including a glans and tissues that become engorged with blood during sexual arousal.^[2]

Related adult search terms include:

clit
clit stimulation
clit rubbing
clitoral orgasm
big clit
large clitoris
exposed clitoris

More examples of the clitoris

The visible appearance of the clitoris varies considerably between women. The clitoral glans may be small or relatively large, completely exposed or mostly covered by the clitoral hood.

Close-up view of a vulva with the surrounding tissues held apart, making the **clitoris** easy to see. The rounded pink structure projecting near the top is the visible **clitoral glans**; the much larger internal part of the clitoris extends beneath the surrounding tissues and cannot be seen in the photograph. Below it, the inner labia are spread apart and the vaginal opening is visible farther down. The size and degree of natural exposure of the clitoral glans vary considerably between women.

Full-body nude view with the upper midline of the vulva visible, showing the location of the clitoris beneath the clitoral hood. — Full-body view with the **vulva** visible from the front. The location of the **clitoris** can be identified at the upper midline of the vulva, where the inner labia meet. The **clitoral glans** itself is mostly covered by the **clitoral hood**, while the slightly prominent contour of the hood suggests a relatively noticeable clitoral area.

Animated close-up of a woman stimulating a large visible clitoris between her fingers with repeated up-and-down movements. — Animated close-up of a woman performing **clitoral masturbation** by holding a large visible **clitoris** between the fingers and stimulating it with repeated up-and-down movements. The animation shows another technique of direct clitoral stimulation, illustrating the diversity of ways the clitoris can be touched.

Close-up of the lower genital region with the vulva held open, showing the clitoral area, vaginal opening, perineum and anus. — Close-up of the lower genital region with the **vulva** held open by the fingers. The image shows the anatomy extending from the upper vulvar and **clitoral area**, through the inner labia and vaginal opening, across the **perineum**, to the **anus**.

References

↑ CRW09. Clitoris glans - detailed, 2014. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC BY-SA 3.0.
↑ ^2,1 ^2,2 ^2,3 ^2,4 Pauls R. N. Anatomy of the clitoris and the female sexual response. Clinical Anatomy, 2015. PubMed
↑ ^3,1 ^3,2 Longhurst G. J. et al. Beyond the tip of the iceberg: A meta-analysis of the anatomy of the clitoris. Clinical Anatomy, 2024. PubMed
↑ Deliganis A. V. et al. Female genitalia: dynamic MR imaging with use of MS-325—initial experiences evaluating female sexual response. Radiology, 2002. PubMed
↑ ^5,1 ^5,2 ^5,3 ^5,4 Herbenick D. et al. Women's Experiences With Genital Touching, Sexual Pleasure, and Orgasm: Results From a U.S. Probability Sample of Women Ages 18 to 94. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 2018. PubMed
↑ Buisson O, Jannini EA. Pilot echographic study of the differences in clitoral involvement following clitoral or vaginal sexual stimulation. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2013. PubMed