The clitoris is located at the front of the vulva, just above the urethral opening, where the inner lips (labia minora) meet at the top. The small, rounded part you can see or feel externally is called the glans, and it sits beneath a fold of skin known as the clitoral hood. But the visible portion is only a fraction of the full organ, which extends several inches inside the body.
Finding the Glans Clitoris
If you start at the vaginal opening and trace upward along the inner lips, you’ll reach a point where those two folds of skin come together at the top of the vulva. Right at that junction, tucked under a small hood of skin, is the glans clitoris. It feels like a small, firm, rounded bump, roughly the size of a pea in most women. Measured precisely, the glans averages about 5 millimeters long and 3.4 millimeters wide, though there’s a normal range of variation from person to person.
The clitoral hood works like a protective covering. It’s a fold of skin that drapes over and around the glans, shielding it from constant friction against clothing. In some women the hood fully covers the glans, while in others the glans is partially or mostly exposed. You can gently retract the hood to reveal the glans underneath. The degree of coverage varies and is entirely normal across a wide spectrum.
The Internal Structure
What most people think of as “the clitoris” is just the external tip. The full clitoral structure extends inside the body in a shape resembling an upside-down wishbone, spanning about 2.5 inches wide. This internal anatomy wasn’t well understood until MRI imaging studies mapped the full organ, revealing just how much tissue is involved.
Behind the glans, the clitoral body extends inward and then branches into two legs called crura. These are the longest parts of the clitoris, forming the “V” shape of the wishbone. The crura run along either side of the vaginal canal and urethra, partially surrounding both structures. Between the crura and the vaginal wall sit two bulbs of erectile tissue called the vestibular bulbs. Together, the body, crura, and bulbs form a cluster of erectile tissue that wraps around the vaginal canal from the front and sides.
This internal positioning explains why vaginal penetration can feel pleasurable even though the visible part of the clitoris isn’t being directly touched. The internal arms and bulbs of the clitoris are close enough to the vaginal wall that pressure and movement inside the vagina can stimulate them indirectly.
Why It’s So Sensitive
The clitoral glans is the most nerve-dense structure in the vulva. For decades, popular sources repeated the figure of 8,000 nerve endings, but a 2023 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine conducted the first actual count. Researchers found approximately 10,280 myelinated nerve fibers innervating the glans, and noted that the true total is likely higher still when other fiber types are included. That concentration of nerves packed into such a small area is what makes the glans extraordinarily sensitive to touch.
The clitoris is the only human organ whose sole known function is providing pleasure. It has no role in urination or reproduction. Every part of the clitoris except the glans is made of erectile tissue, similar in composition to the tissue in a penis.
What Happens During Arousal
When a person becomes sexually aroused, the smooth muscle inside the clitoral tissue relaxes, allowing blood to flow in and fill the erectile tissue. This causes the entire clitoral complex to swell and become firmer, a process that mirrors how an erection works in a penis. The vestibular bulbs can double in size during arousal, which in turn causes the labia to visibly swell and become more engorged.
The glans itself also becomes more prominent and may peek out further from under the hood. As arousal builds, some women find the glans becomes so sensitive that direct contact is uncomfortable, and stimulation around or over the hood feels better. Others prefer direct contact. This varies widely from person to person and can even change depending on the stage of arousal.
Normal Variation in Size and Appearance
There’s a wide range of what’s normal. Total clitoral length, including the glans and the body just behind it, averages about 16 millimeters (a little over half an inch), but individual measurements range from under a centimeter to well over two centimeters. The glans can be barely visible or quite prominent. The hood can be thin and close to the body or thicker with more coverage. None of these variations affect function or sensitivity in a predictable way.
The clitoris also changes over a lifetime. Hormonal shifts during puberty, pregnancy, menopause, and with certain medications can affect its size and sensitivity. Some increase in size is common after menopause due to changes in the surrounding tissue, while reduced blood flow can sometimes decrease sensitivity.