The clitoris is a small, rounded structure located at the top of the vulva, just above the urethral opening and where the inner lips of the labia meet. What you can see from the outside, though, is only a fraction of the organ. Most of the clitoris is internal, extending several centimeters into the body in a shape often compared to an upside-down wishbone.
The Visible Part: Glans and Hood
The part of the clitoris you can see is called the glans. It sits at the top of the vulva, nestled beneath a fold of skin called the clitoral hood. The glans is small and rounded, typically about 5 millimeters long and 3 to 4 millimeters wide in adults, though size varies considerably from person to person. Some are closer to 1.5 centimeters in length. It can look like a small, smooth bud or nub, and it’s often partially or fully covered by the hood.
The clitoral hood is formed by the upper part of the inner labia (labia minora) fusing together. It functions much like a foreskin, protecting the sensitive glans underneath. Hoods come in different shapes. Research has documented at least four distinct forms: horseshoe, trumpet, coffee bean, and tent-shaped. Some hoods cover the glans completely, while others leave part of it exposed. All of these are normal variations.
The color of the glans and surrounding tissue ranges from pink to reddish-brown to dark brown, depending on your skin tone. Genital skin is often somewhat darker than the skin on the rest of your body, and this deepens naturally during puberty and over time. The texture of the glans is smooth and slightly glossy compared to the surrounding skin.
The Internal Structure
The vast majority of the clitoris is hidden beneath the surface. Internally, it’s shaped like a wishbone, with a central body that extends downward and branches into two legs called crura. These crura are the longest parts of the organ, and they curve around both sides of the vaginal canal and urethra. The total length of the clitoris, including these internal structures, can reach about 9 to 11 centimeters.
Between the crura and the vaginal walls sit two structures called vestibular bulbs. These are made of erectile tissue, the same type of spongy tissue that fills with blood during arousal. During sexual stimulation, the vestibular bulbs can swell to roughly double their resting size. At the base of it all is the root, where the nerve fibers from the erectile tissue converge.
This full anatomy wasn’t well understood until relatively recently. In 2005, Australian urologist Helen O’Connell and her colleagues used MRI imaging on living volunteers to map the clitoris in detail. Their work showed that the clitoris, urethra, and vagina are anatomically connected in ways that earlier descriptions had missed. The internal components embed deeply within surrounding fat and muscle tissue, which is why they aren’t visible from the outside.
Why It’s So Sensitive
The clitoris is the most nerve-dense structure in the human body relative to its size. A 2022 study from Oregon Health and Science University counted the nerve fibers in human tissue samples and estimated that the clitoral dorsal nerve alone contains over 10,000 nerve fibers. Because additional smaller nerves also supply the clitoris, the true total is even higher. For comparison, this is roughly twice the nerve density previously assumed based on older animal studies. All of those nerve fibers are concentrated in an organ that weighs only a few grams.
How It Changes During Arousal
The clitoris doesn’t look the same at rest as it does during arousal. When you’re sexually stimulated, blood flow to the clitoral tissue increases significantly. The smooth muscle in the clitoral shaft relaxes, arteries dilate, and blood fills the erectile tissue throughout the organ, both in the visible glans and in the internal crura and bulbs.
The result is that the glans swells, becomes firmer, and protrudes slightly from under the hood. It also becomes noticeably more sensitive to touch. The internal bulbs, which sit along the vaginal walls, engorge as well, contributing to the feeling of fullness and increased sensation during arousal. After arousal subsides, the tissue gradually returns to its resting size and position.
Normal Variation Is Wide
There’s no single “normal” appearance. Clitoral glans size, hood shape, how much of the glans is visible, and the color of the tissue all vary widely from person to person. Some people have a glans that’s easily visible when the hood is gently retracted; others have a smaller glans tucked more deeply under a larger hood. The distance between the clitoris and the urethral opening also varies, as does the relationship between the hood and the inner labia. In most people, the inner labia converge just beneath the glans as a separate structure from the hood itself, but the exact configuration differs.
Hormonal changes throughout life also affect clitoral size. The glans and hood grow during puberty, and androgen levels can influence tissue size in adulthood. None of these variations indicate a problem. The range of what’s healthy and typical is far broader than most people realize.