Right lobe of the liverThe larger of the two main lobes. From the front it lies to the right of the falciform ligament.
Left lobe of the liverThe smaller main lobe. It tapers to a thin edge on the left side of the body.
Falciform ligamentA sickle-shaped fold from the liver to the front belly wall. From the front it marks off the right lobe from the left.
Round ligament (ligamentum teres)A cord in the free edge of the falciform ligament. It is what is left of the umbilical vein.
Coronary ligamentIt ties the liver's top to the diaphragm. Its two layers border the bare area.
Triangular ligamentsOne at each end of the coronary ligament. Its two layers meet there and tie the lobe to the diaphragm.
From below and behind 11
GallbladderA pear-shaped sac in a hollow on the underside of the liver. It stores bile.
Inferior vena cavaThe great vein, in a groove on the back of the liver. The hepatic veins empty into it.
Caudate lobeA small lobe on the upper part of the underside. Between inferior vena cava and ligamentum venosum.
Quadrate lobeA small lobe on the lower part of the underside. Between gallbladder and round ligament.
Porta hepatisA deep slit across the underside, between the two small lobes. The vessels and ducts pass through it, all but the hepatic veins.
Hepatic portal veinIt brings blood from the intestines, rich in absorbed food. About three quarters of the liver's blood arrives this way.
Hepatic artery properIt brings oxygen-rich blood, about a quarter of the supply. It is a branch of the celiac trunk.
Common hepatic ductIt carries bile out of the liver. The cystic duct joins it and they form the bile duct.
Cystic ductThe duct of the gallbladder. Bile passes along it both into and out of the gallbladder.
Ligamentum venosumA cord in a fissure beside the caudate lobe. It is what is left of a vein that bypassed the liver before birth.
Bare areaA patch on the back of the liver with no peritoneum. It lies directly against the diaphragm.
How this list was compiled: Every name and detail line was checked on 2026-09-30 against TeachMeAnatomy, The Liver, https://teachmeanatomy.info/abdomen/viscera/liver/; Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th edition, 1918 (public domain), the section on the liver, https://archive.org/details/anatomyofhumanbo00grayrich; Kenhub, Liver, https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/liver; and Wikipedia, Liver, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver. The wording is in our own words. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-04 by script. The outlines of both views follow two public domain plates of Johannes Sobotta, Atlas and Text-book of Human Anatomy, 1906 (public domain; files from Wikimedia Commons): the liver from the front (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sobo_1906_387.png) and the liver from below and behind (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sobo_1906_389.png). The ligaments, vessels and ducts were checked against Henry Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th edition, 1918, figs. 1085 to 1087 (public domain). Own drawing in smooth curves through points read off the plates; no picture is embedded. Licence: own drawing; outlines after public domain plates
How it works
The liver drawn twice: from the front, and tipped up so its underside shows. Seventeen parts to find and name, from the falciform ligament to the three tubes that pass through the porta hepatis.
Read the full guide
From the front: two lobes and their ligaments
The falciform ligament runs down the front and marks off the large right lobe from the smaller left lobe. The round ligament hangs from its lower edge. The coronary ligament follows the top, with a triangular ligament at each end.
The underside: an H
Two small lobes sit between the limbs of an H. The crossbar is the porta hepatis. Above it the caudate lobe lies beside the inferior vena cava; below it the quadrate lobe lies beside the gallbladder. The portal vein, hepatic artery and hepatic duct pass through the crossbar.
Caudate is next to the cava; quadrate is next to the gallbladder.
At the porta the portal vein is the big one; the artery and the duct are the small pair beside it.
Questions and answers
How many lobes does the liver have?
Four. The large right lobe and the smaller left lobe show from the front. The caudate lobe and the quadrate lobe are two small lobes on the underside, above and below the porta hepatis.
What is the porta hepatis?
A deep slit across the underside of the liver, between the caudate and quadrate lobes. The hepatic portal vein and the hepatic artery enter through it and the hepatic ducts leave. Only the hepatic veins go another way.
Where does the liver get its blood?
From two vessels. The hepatic portal vein brings about three quarters of it, from the intestines. The hepatic artery proper brings the rest, rich in oxygen. The hepatic veins carry blood away to the inferior vena cava.
Can I use it to label the structures in this inferior view of the liver?
For practice, yes. The second drawing is the underside from below and behind. The drawings are our own, not a textbook figure, so the page is not an answer key for a course activity.