Superior lobe (right lung)The upper of the right lung's three lobes, above the horizontal fissure.
Middle lobe (right lung)The right lung's middle lobe, between the horizontal and oblique fissures. The left lung has none.
Horizontal fissureSeparates the superior from the middle lobe of the right lung. Only the right lung has one.
Oblique fissureA slanting fissure in each lung. In the right lung it separates the inferior lobe from the others; in the left it divides the two lobes.
Superior lobe (left lung)The upper of the left lung's two lobes, above the oblique fissure.
Cardiac notchAn indentation in the left lung's border. It leaves room for the heart.
The right lung: 5 1
Inferior lobe (right lung)The lowest lobe of the right lung, below the oblique fissure.
The left lung: 3 1
Inferior lobe (left lung)The lower of the left lung's two lobes, below the oblique fissure.
Apex, base and pleura: 5 5
ApexThe top of the lung, its superior region.
BaseThe bottom of the lung, which rests near the diaphragm.
Visceral pleuraThe layer that lies on the lung itself and lines its fissures.
Pleural cavityThe space between the visceral and parietal pleurae, which holds pleural fluid.
Parietal pleuraThe outer layer, joined to the chest wall, mediastinum and diaphragm.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 22.2 The Lungs, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/22-2-the-lungs : lobes separated by fissures; the right lung of three lobes (superior, middle, inferior) and the left of two (superior, inferior); the cardiac notch in the left lung leaving room for the heart; the apex as the superior region and the base near the diaphragm; the visceral pleura on the lung and lining its fissures, the parietal pleura joined to the thoracic wall, mediastinum and diaphragm, and the pleural cavity between them holding pleural fluid. Wikipedia, Lung, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lung : the right lung divided by a horizontal and an oblique fissure, the horizontal separating the upper from the middle lobe and the oblique the lower from the middle and upper; the left lung divided by an oblique fissure. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-04 by script. The outlines of the two lungs, the trachea and bronchi between them, the cardiac notch, the run of the fissures and the branching of the bronchial tree inside the lobes are laid out after Bronchi, Bronchial Tree, and Lungs (Wikimedia Commons file Illu bronchi lungs.jpg), US National Cancer Institute SEER training modules, public domain; the cartilage rings and the fork of the trachea follow Gray's Anatomy (1918) fig. 961, Front view of cartilages of larynx, trachea, and bronchi, by Henry Vandyke Carter, public domain; checked against fig. 970, Front view of heart and lungs, of the same book, public domain. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
Label the lungs from the front: the lobes of each lung, the fissures between them, the cardiac notch, and the pleura round the left lung. Start with the 6 main parts, then each lung and its coverings.
Read the full guide
Three lobes and two
The right lung has three lobes: superior, middle and inferior, split by the horizontal and oblique fissures. The left lung has only two, split by an oblique fissure, and a cardiac notch where the heart sits.
The pleura
Each lung is wrapped in pleura. The visceral pleura lies on the lung itself, the parietal pleura lines the chest wall, and the pleural cavity between them holds a thin film of pleural fluid.
Only the right lung has a middle lobe and a horizontal fissure; the left gives that room to the heart.
Questions and answers
How many lobes do the lungs have?
Five in all: three in the right lung (superior, middle and inferior) and two in the left (superior and inferior).
Why is the left lung smaller?
It shares space with the heart, which sits in its cardiac notch, and it has two lobes to the right lung's three.
What is the difference between visceral and parietal pleura?
The visceral pleura covers the lung; the parietal pleura lines the chest wall, mediastinum and diaphragm. The pleural cavity is the space between them.