The clitoris is located at the top of the vulva, where the inner lips (labia minora) meet. The visible part, called the glans, sits just beneath a small fold of skin known as the clitoral hood. It’s a small, rounded structure roughly the size of a pea, though this varies from person to person. Most of the clitoris is actually internal, but the glans is the one part you can see and feel from the outside.
Where Exactly to Look
If you’re looking at the vulva from the front, the clitoris sits at the very top, above the urethral opening and the vaginal entrance. The two inner lips of the vulva angle upward and converge near the top. Right where they meet, tucked underneath a small hood of skin, is the clitoral glans.
The distance between the clitoris and the vaginal opening varies quite a bit. Measured from the glans to the urethral opening (which sits just above the vaginal entrance), the range is roughly 1.6 cm to 4.5 cm. That’s a nearly threefold difference from one person to the next, which is one reason the clitoris can seem harder to find on some bodies than others. In some people it’s prominently positioned and easy to spot; in others it’s set further back and more fully covered by the hood.
The Clitoral Hood and Normal Variations
The clitoral hood is a fold of skin that partially or fully covers the glans, similar to how a foreskin covers the head of a penis. Pediatric anatomical studies have documented at least four distinct hood shapes: horseshoe, trumpet, coffee bean, and tent. These variations in shape and coverage are completely normal, but they mean the glans can be more or less visible depending on the individual.
In many people, the hood covers the glans almost entirely when unaroused. If you can’t see the glans right away, gently retracting the hood upward will reveal it. You’ll feel a small, firm, rounded bump underneath. The hood and the inner lips are separate structures, so tracing the inner lips upward to their junction will reliably guide you to the right area, even when the hood obscures the glans itself.
How to Find It by Touch
Visually locating the clitoris is straightforward with a mirror and good lighting, but during sexual activity, touch is usually the primary guide. Start at the top of the vulva, where the inner lips meet. Using a fingertip, gently press into that junction. You’ll feel a small, firm nub beneath the skin, roughly centered. That’s the glans.
The glans is densely packed with sensory nerve fibers. A 2022 study from Oregon Health & Science University counted the nerve fibers running to the clitoral glans and estimated more than 10,000 in total, with additional smaller nerves beyond the main trunk. Those nerve fibers are concentrated in a very small area, which is why even light, indirect pressure through the hood can produce strong sensation. If direct touch on the exposed glans feels too intense, stimulating through the hood or along the sides of the shaft (the internal structure that extends upward from the glans beneath the skin) is a common and effective alternative.
The nerves supplying each side of the glans stay on their respective sides and don’t cross the midline. This means the left and right halves of the glans can feel slightly different, and many people find one side more responsive than the other. Experimenting with position and pressure on each side can help identify what feels best.
How Arousal Changes Things
During sexual arousal, blood flow increases to the entire genital area, causing the clitoral tissues to swell and become erect. The glans may become slightly larger and more prominent, making it easier to see and feel. After stimulation ends, it returns to its resting size.
This engorgement is helpful for locating the clitoris during partnered sex. With arousal, the glans becomes firmer and more pronounced under the fingertip. If you’re having difficulty finding it, spending more time on broader stimulation of the surrounding area first (the inner lips, the mons, the hood) allows engorgement to occur, which makes the glans more distinct to the touch.
Why Location Matters for Orgasm
In a study of 749 women, 94% reported that clitoral stimulation could produce orgasm. Vaginal intercourse, by comparison, ranked behind manual clitoral stimulation and oral sex in its ability to bring a partner to orgasm. About 64% of women said their usual path to orgasm involved a combination of both clitoral and vaginal stimulation.
The anatomy helps explain why. The glans is the most nerve-dense external structure in the vulva, and it sits above the vaginal opening rather than inside it. During penetrative sex, the clitoris receives indirect stimulation at best, and the degree of that stimulation depends partly on the distance between the glans and the vaginal entrance. People with a shorter distance tend to receive more indirect clitoral contact during intercourse, while those with a greater distance often need direct clitoral stimulation alongside penetration.
Most of the Clitoris Is Internal
The visible glans is just the tip of a much larger structure. Beneath the surface, the clitoris includes a shaft, two legs (called crura) that extend along the pubic bone, and two bulbs of erectile tissue that flank the vaginal canal. The full structure spans several inches and wraps around the vaginal opening from the inside.
This internal anatomy is relevant because stimulation that seems to come from “inside” during penetration is often activating the internal portions of the clitoris through the vaginal walls. Understanding that the clitoris is a broad, wishbone-shaped organ rather than a single external button helps explain why pressure on the front vaginal wall, stimulation of the outer lips, or even grinding against the mons pubis can all feel pleasurable. They’re all interacting with different parts of the same structure.