The clitoris sits at the top of the vulva, just above the urethral opening, tucked beneath a small fold of skin called the clitoral hood. In most people, the visible portion (the glans) is not immediately visible without gently retracting that hood. Once you know the basic landmarks, it’s straightforward to find.
Where Exactly It Is
If you’re looking at the vulva from the front, follow the inner lips (labia minora) upward to where they meet at the top. That junction forms the clitoral hood, a small flap of skin created by the fusion of the upper portions of the inner lips. The glans of the clitoris sits just underneath this hood.
To actually see or feel it, use a finger to gently pull the hood upward or back toward the belly. You’ll feel a small, rounded nub of firm tissue, roughly the size of a pea, though this varies from person to person. The glans is positioned about 2.3 centimeters (roughly one inch) above the urethral opening on average, though that distance can range anywhere from about 1.2 to 3.4 centimeters depending on the individual.
Why It’s Not Always Visible
One reason people struggle to locate the clitoris is that it’s often completely hidden beneath the hood. Research on clitoral morphology describes several common hood shapes: a rounded arch (the most common), a pointed arch, or a roof-like ridge. In many cases, the glans stays tucked inside what researchers describe as a “preputial cylinder” and only becomes visible once the hood is gently pulled back.
Hood thickness also varies. Some people have thin, easy-to-retract hoods where the glans is partially visible without any manipulation. Others have thicker tissue that fully conceals the glans. With age, the hood tissue can loosen and drape more, making the glans even less obvious at first glance. None of these variations are abnormal. They just mean the approach to finding and stimulating the clitoris will differ slightly from one body to the next.
What You’re Feeling For
The glans feels like a small, firm bump. If you run a fingertip along the midline of the vulva starting from the top, you’ll feel the tissue change from soft skin to something firmer and more defined right beneath the hood. That’s the glans. It contains over 10,000 nerve fibers, making it the most sensitive structure in the entire genital area. For context, this is far denser nerve packing than almost any other structure of comparable size in the human body.
During arousal, the clitoris engorges with blood, similar to an erection. It becomes firmer, slightly larger, and easier to feel. This is one reason it can be simpler to locate during foreplay than when the body is in a neutral state. After arousal subsides, it returns to its resting size.
Most of It Is Internal
The visible glans is only a small fraction of the full clitoral structure. MRI studies show the clitoris extends internally in a wishbone shape, with two legs (called crura) that run several centimeters along either side of the pubic bone. The entire internal body is about 9 to 10 millimeters wide and made of erectile tissue that swells during arousal.
Flanking the urethra and vaginal opening are two oval structures called vestibular bulbs, which are closely connected to the clitoris. These also engorge during arousal. In many people, the bulbs appear to physically connect to the clitoral body, forming what researchers describe as one continuous structure. This means stimulation that feels like it’s coming from “inside” during penetration is often the internal portions of the clitoral complex being activated through the vaginal wall.
How to Stimulate It
Direct contact with the glans is intensely sensitive for most people, sometimes uncomfortably so. Many prefer stimulation through the hood or just to one side of the glans rather than directly on it. Start with lighter, broader pressure and adjust based on feedback.
Useful approaches include circular motions over the hood, gentle side-to-side movement across the glans area, or rhythmic pressure applied just above it. Because the internal structure extends downward along both sides of the vaginal opening, broader stimulation of the surrounding area also activates clitoral nerve pathways. During penetration, positions that create friction or pressure against the front wall of the vagina can indirectly stimulate the internal clitoral tissue and vestibular bulbs.
Sensitivity varies enormously between individuals and even within the same person depending on arousal level, time of the menstrual cycle, and how much stimulation has already occurred. What works one time may not work the next. The single most reliable approach is to ask your partner what feels good, or, if you’re exploring your own body, to try different types of touch and pressure without rushing toward a specific outcome.
Using a Mirror for Self-Exploration
If you’re trying to locate your own clitoris, a handheld mirror makes the process much easier. Sit or recline comfortably, hold the mirror between your legs, and use your free hand to gently separate the outer and inner lips. Follow the inner lips to where they converge at the top. Retract the hood gently upward. The glans will be visible as a small, rounded structure, pinkish in color and slightly glossy compared to the surrounding skin.
Familiarizing yourself with the anatomy visually can make it far easier to understand what you’re feeling during touch. Everyone’s vulva looks different, and the exact size, position, and prominence of the glans varies. Some people have a glans that naturally protrudes slightly beyond the hood, while in others it remains fully concealed until retracted. Both are completely typical.