• 21 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Small and Large Intestine Diagram

The intestines from the front, then the rectum and anal canal cut through.

Small and Large Intestine Diagram

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Duodenum
  2. Jejunum
  3. Ileum
  4. Ileocecal valve
  5. Cecum
  6. Appendix
  7. Ascending colon
  8. Right colic flexure
  9. Transverse colon
  10. Left colic flexure
  11. Descending colon
  12. Sigmoid colon
  13. Teniae coli
  14. Haustra
  15. Epiploic appendages
  16. Rectum
  17. Anal canal
  18. Anal columns
  19. Internal anal sphincter
  20. External anal sphincter
  21. Anus

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. 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 wall of the small intestine, villi and all

All 21 parts on the diagram

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Small intestine 4

  1. Duodenum The first and shortest region of the small intestine. It begins at the pyloric sphincter of the stomach and makes a C-shaped curve.
  2. Jejunum The middle region of the small intestine. It runs from the duodenum to the ileum. No clear line marks where it ends.
  3. Ileum The last and longest region of the small intestine. It joins the cecum at the ileocecal valve.
  4. Ileocecal valve The valve at the opening between the ileum and the large intestine. It controls the flow of chyme from the small intestine into the large intestine.

Large intestine 8

  1. Cecum The first part of the large intestine. A sac-like pouch below the ileocecal valve. It receives the contents of the ileum.
  2. Appendix A thin winding tube attached to the cecum.
  3. Ascending colon Food residue travels up it, on the right side of the abdomen.
  4. Right colic flexure The bend where the ascending colon becomes the transverse colon. It lies under the liver. Also called the hepatic flexure.
  5. Transverse colon It carries food residue across the abdomen to the left side.
  6. Left colic flexure The sharp bend where the transverse colon becomes the descending colon. It lies just below the spleen. Also called the splenic flexure.
  7. Descending colon It runs down the left side of the abdomen.
  8. Sigmoid colon The S-shaped last stretch of the colon. It runs in toward the midline and leads into the rectum.

Bands, pouches and tags 3

  1. Teniae coli Three bands of smooth muscle that run the length of the colon. One is drawn. They stand in for the lengthwise muscle layer.
  2. Haustra The pouches of the colon. The pull of the teniae coli bunches the wall up into them.
  3. Epiploic appendages Small fat-filled tags attached to the outer surface of the colon.

Rectum and anal canal 6

  1. Rectum Leads from the sigmoid colon to the anal canal. It follows the curve of the sacrum.
  2. Anal canal The last part of the large intestine. A short passage that opens to the outside at the anus.
  3. Anal columns Lengthwise folds in the lining of the upper anal canal.
  4. Internal anal sphincter A ring of smooth muscle round the anal canal. It works without conscious control.
  5. External anal sphincter A ring of skeletal muscle outside the internal sphincter. It is under voluntary control.
  6. Anus The opening at the outside of the body. The anal canal ends here.

How this list was compiled: Every name and detail line was checked on 2026-09-30 against (1) OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 23.5 The Small and Large Intestines, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/23-5-the-small-and-large-intestines; (2) the US National Cancer Institute's SEER Training Modules, Small and Large Intestine, https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/digestive/regions/intestine.html; (3) Wikipedia, Large intestine. A name is asked only where two of the three use it. The hints and detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

This small and large intestine diagram shows the intestines from the front, with the large intestine framing the coils of the small intestine. A second view cuts through the rectum and the anal canal.

Read the full guide

Correctly label the following parts of the small intestine

Three regions, in the order food passes through them: the duodenum, a short C-shaped bend; the jejunum, the upper coils; and the ileum, the lower coils. The ileum opens into the large intestine at the ileocecal valve.

Correctly label the following parts of the large intestine

From the cecum and its appendix, follow the ascending colon up, round the right colic flexure, along the transverse colon, round the left colic flexure, and down the descending colon to the sigmoid colon. The rectum, the anal canal and the anus are in the second view. Haustra, teniae coli and epiploic appendages are found only on the large intestine.

  • The drawing is seen from the front, so the ascending colon, on the right side of the abdomen, is on the left.
  • Pouches mean large intestine: the small intestine has no haustra.

Questions and answers

What are the three parts of the small intestine?

The duodenum, the jejunum and the ileum, in that order from the stomach. The duodenum is the shortest and the ileum the longest.

What are the parts of the large intestine in order?

Cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon, rectum and anal canal. The appendix is attached to the cecum.

Where does the small intestine join the large intestine?

At the ileocecal valve, where the ileum opens into the cecum. The valve controls the flow of chyme into the large intestine.

What are haustra and teniae coli?

Teniae coli are three bands of smooth muscle along the colon. Their pull bunches the wall of the colon into a row of pouches, the haustra.

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