Nephron Labeled Diagram

One nephron across the cortex and medulla: 15 parts to name, labeled or blank.

Nephron Labeled Diagram

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Renal corpuscle
  2. Glomerulus
  3. Bowman's capsule
  4. Afferent arteriole
  5. Efferent arteriole
  6. Proximal convoluted tubule (PCT)
  7. Descending limb
  8. Loop of Henle (nephron loop)
  9. Ascending limb
  10. Distal convoluted tubule (DCT)
  11. Collecting duct
  12. Peritubular capillaries
  13. Vasa recta
  14. Renal cortex
  15. Renal medulla

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 Zoom out: the whole kidney, 14 parts

All 15 parts on the diagram

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Start here: 9 main parts 9

  1. Renal corpuscle The glomerulus and Bowman's capsule together, where blood is first filtered.
  2. Glomerulus A high-pressure tuft of capillaries between the afferent and efferent arterioles. 10 to 20 percent of the plasma filters out through it.
  3. Bowman's capsule It catches the filtrate and funnels it into the proximal convoluted tubule. Also called the glomerular capsule.
  4. Afferent arteriole Brings blood into the glomerulus.
  5. Efferent arteriole Carries blood out of the glomerulus. It goes on to the peritubular capillaries and vasa recta.
  6. Proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) The first, winding part of the tubule. Filtrate from Bowman's capsule enters it.
  7. Loop of Henle (nephron loop) The hairpin that dips into the medulla. It joins the descending and ascending limbs.
  8. Distal convoluted tubule (DCT) Winding like the PCT but shorter. It leads into a collecting duct.
  9. Collecting duct Collects urine from several nephrons and runs down to a papilla. It is continuous with the nephron but not part of it.

Corpuscle, cortex and medulla: 5 2

  1. Renal cortex The outer region of the kidney. The corpuscles and the convoluted tubules lie here.
  2. Renal medulla The inner region, where the loops and the collecting ducts run.

The tubule and duct: 6 2

  1. Descending limb The part of the loop of Henle running down into the medulla.
  2. Ascending limb The part of the loop of Henle climbing back to the cortex.

Blood vessels: 4 2

  1. Peritubular capillaries A second capillary network round the tubules. Fed by the efferent arteriole. It takes back water and solutes.
  2. Vasa recta Straight capillaries beside the loop of Henle. They run down into the medulla and back.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 25.4 Microscopic Anatomy of the Kidney, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/25-4-microscopic-anatomy-of-the-kidney : the renal corpuscle as the glomerulus, a high-pressure capillary bed between afferent and efferent arterioles, surrounded by Bowman's (glomerular) capsule, which directs filtrate to the PCT; 10 to 20 percent of plasma filtering; the PCT; the descending and ascending portions of the loop of Henle (nephron loop); the DCT, tortuous like the PCT but shorter; collecting ducts continuous with the nephron but not part of it, merging to empty at a papilla. 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 efferent arteriole forming the peritubular capillaries and vasa recta round the distal tubule portions; renal corpuscles and both convoluted tubules lying in the cortex; some loops of Henle not dipping beyond the cortex. Licence: own work

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

How it works

A nephron labeled diagram of one nephron and its blood supply, laid across the cortex and medulla of the kidney. Start with the 9 main parts, or print the nephron diagram unlabeled to label the nephron by hand.

Read the full guide

Following the filtrate

Blood filters out of the glomerulus into Bowman's capsule. The filtrate runs through the proximal convoluted tubule, down the descending limb, round the loop of Henle, up the ascending limb and through the distal convoluted tubule into a collecting duct.

Two capillary beds

The afferent arteriole feeds the glomerulus and the efferent arteriole drains it into a second network: the peritubular capillaries round the tubules and the vasa recta beside the loop, which take back most of the water and solutes.

  • Afferent arrives, efferent exits: the two arterioles are named by the direction of the blood.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a nephron?

The renal corpuscle (glomerulus and Bowman's capsule), the proximal convoluted tubule, the loop of Henle with its descending and ascending limbs, and the distal convoluted tubule. The collecting duct it drains into is not strictly part of it.

Where is the nephron in the kidney?

The renal corpuscles and both convoluted tubules lie in the cortex; the loops of Henle and the collecting ducts run down into the medulla.

What does the nephron diagram unlabeled show?

The same nephron with its 15 numbered rings and no names, ready to label by hand.

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