Label the Kidney

One kidney cut open from the front: 14 parts to name, labeled or blank.

Label the Kidney

Name Date

Tap the renal cortex

1 of 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Renal cortex
  2. Renal medulla
  3. Renal pyramid
  4. Renal column
  5. Renal papilla
  6. Minor calyx
  7. Major calyx
  8. Renal pelvis
  9. Ureter
  10. Renal artery
  11. Renal vein
  12. Renal hilum
  13. Renal capsule (fibrous capsule)
  14. Adrenal gland

Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the heart that pumps blood to the kidney

All 14 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Start here: 7 main parts 7

  1. Renal cortex The outer region of the kidney, just inside the capsule.
  2. Renal medulla The inner region of the kidney. Its most characteristic features are the renal pyramids and papillae.
  3. Renal pyramid One of the cone-shaped divisions of the medulla. With its renal columns it makes a kidney lobe.
  4. Minor calyx A small cup round each papilla that catches urine. Minor calyces join into the major calyces.
  5. Renal pelvis The funnel formed from the calyces. Its smooth muscle moves urine into the ureter by peristalsis.
  6. Ureter Carries urine from the renal pelvis away to the bladder.
  7. Renal artery Branches directly from the aorta and brings blood to the kidney.

Cortex and medulla: 5 2

  1. Renal column Connective tissue running down from the cortex between the pyramids. It carries vessels and divides the kidney into 6 to 8 lobes.
  2. Renal papilla The tip of a pyramid. Its bundles of collecting ducts pass urine into a calyx.

Where urine drains: 4 1

  1. Major calyx Formed where minor calyces join. The major calyces form the renal pelvis.

Vessels and coverings: 5 4

  1. Renal vein Returns cleaned blood directly to the inferior vena cava.
  2. Renal hilum The entry and exit point on the inner side of the kidney. It is for vessels, nerves, lymphatics and the ureter.
  3. Renal capsule (fibrous capsule) A fibrous layer of dense connective tissue directly covering the kidney. It holds the kidney's shape and protects it.
  4. Adrenal gland Sits on top of each kidney. Its cortex makes aldosterone, which acts on the kidney.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 25.3 Gross Anatomy of the Kidney, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/25-3-gross-anatomy-of-the-kidney : the fibrous capsule of dense irregular connective tissue; the adrenal gland on the superior aspect, its cortex producing aldosterone; in frontal section the outer renal cortex and inner medulla; renal columns radiating from the cortex between the renal pyramids and papillae, dividing the kidney into 6 to 8 lobes and supporting vessels; papillae as bundles of collecting ducts passing urine to the calyces; the renal hilum as the entry and exit for vessels, nerves, lymphatics and ureters; the renal pelvis formed from the major and minor calyces, its smooth muscle moving urine into the ureter by peristalsis; renal arteries from the descending aorta and renal veins to the inferior vena cava. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Label the kidney on one coronal section, cut from the front to show the inside: the cortex and medulla, the path urine drains, and the vessels at the hilum. Start with the 7 main parts, or print the kidney diagram unlabeled.

Read the full guide

Cortex, medulla and the lobes

The cortex is the outer band and the medulla the fan of pyramids inside it. Renal columns of cortex run down between the pyramids, and each pyramid with its columns makes a lobe; a kidney has 6 to 8.

Where urine goes

Urine leaves each pyramid at its papilla into a minor calyx. Minor calyces join into major calyces, which form the renal pelvis, and the pelvis funnels urine into the ureter at the hilum.

  • Follow the cups inward from the tip of a pyramid: papilla, minor calyx, major calyx, renal pelvis, ureter.

Questions and answers

What passes through the renal hilum?

Everything that enters or leaves the kidney: the renal artery and vein, nerves, lymph vessels and the ureter.

What is the difference between the renal cortex and medulla?

The cortex is the outer region, just inside the capsule. The medulla is the inner region, made of the renal pyramids with their papillae.

What does the unlabeled kidney diagram show?

The same coronal section with its 14 numbered rings and no names, ready to fill in by hand.

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