Outer ear (external ear)The auricle, the ear canal and the tympanic membrane.
Middle earThe air space behind the eardrum. It is spanned by the three ossicles and linked to the pharynx by the Eustachian tube.
Inner earA bony labyrinth of canals in the temporal bone. The cochlea is for hearing and the vestibule for balance.
Auricle (pinna)The fleshy outer ear. Its curves direct sound waves into the auditory canal.
Tympanic membrane (eardrum)The eardrum. It vibrates when sound waves strike it.
Malleus (hammer)The first ossicle, attached to the tympanic membrane. It moves the incus.
Incus (anvil)The middle ossicle, linking the malleus to the stapes.
Stapes (stirrup)The last ossicle, attached to the inner ear at the oval window.
Semicircular canalsThree ring-like extensions of the vestibule that sense head movement.
CochleaThe spiral part of the inner ear. Sound is turned into nerve signals here.
Regions and the bone: 4 1
Temporal boneThe skull bone that houses the middle and inner ear. The ear canal enters it at the external auditory meatus.
Outer ear: 3 1
Auditory canal (ear canal)Carries sound to the eardrum. It enters the skull through the external auditory meatus of the temporal bone.
Middle ear: 6 3
Oval windowWhere the stapes meets the inner ear, on the wall of the vestibule. At the start of the scala vestibuli.
Round windowA membrane-covered opening where the scala tympani of the cochlea ends.
Eustachian tube (auditory tube)Connects the middle ear to the pharynx. It evens out air pressure across the eardrum. It opens when you swallow or yawn.
Inner ear: 4 2
VestibuleThe part of the inner ear for balance. Its utricle and saccule sense head position.
Vestibulocochlear nerveCarries signals from the cochlea and the vestibule to the brain stem. In two bundles traveling together.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 14.1 Sensory Perception, Audition (Hearing) and Equilibrium, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/14-1-sensory-perception : the auricle (some sources say pinna) directing sound into the auditory canal, which enters the skull through the external auditory meatus of the temporal bone; the tympanic membrane or ear drum; the auricle, canal and membrane as the external ear; the middle ear spanned by the ossicles malleus, incus and stapes (hammer, anvil, stirrup), the malleus on the membrane and the stapes attached to the inner ear; the Eustachian tube linking the middle ear and pharynx, equalising air pressure and opening on swallowing or yawning; the inner ear as a bony labyrinth in the temporal bone, with the cochlea for hearing and the vestibule for balance, their signals travelling together as the vestibulocochlear nerve to the brain stem; the oval window at the start of the scala vestibuli and the round window where the scala tympani ends; the utricle and saccule sensing head position and the semicircular canals, three ring-like extensions of the vestibule, sensing head movement. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-04 by script. The auricle follows Gray's Anatomy (1918) fig. 904, The auricula, lateral surface, by Henry Vandyke Carter, public domain; the section and the labyrinth were drawn after figs. 907 and 920 of the same book, public domain. Licence: own work
How it works
Label the ear on one section from the outside in: the outer ear, the three tiny bones of the middle ear, and the cochlea and canals of the inner ear. Start with the 10 main parts, or print the blank ear diagram.
Read the full guide
Outside to inside
The auricle funnels sound down the canal to the eardrum. The malleus, incus and stapes carry the vibration across the middle ear to the oval window of the cochlea, and the vestibulocochlear nerve takes the signal to the brain stem.
Hearing and balance
The inner ear does two jobs. The cochlea turns sound into nerve signals, while the vestibule senses the position of the head and the three semicircular canals sense its movement.
The three bones go in alphabetical order from the eardrum inward: malleus, incus, stapes.
Questions and answers
What are the three parts of the ear?
The outer ear (auricle, canal and eardrum), the middle ear (the three ossicles and the Eustachian tube) and the inner ear (the cochlea, the vestibule and the semicircular canals).
What does the Eustachian tube do?
It joins the middle ear to the pharynx and evens out the air pressure on the two sides of the eardrum. It opens when you swallow or yawn.
What does the blank ear diagram show?
The same section with its 17 numbered rings and no names, ready to label by hand.