Anatomy Directional Terms

inferior

something that is below a particular point

superior

something that is above a particular point

anterior

toward the front of the body

posterior

toward the rear of the body

medial

nearer to the center of the midline of the body

lateral

anything further away from the center or midline

distal

farther away from trunk of body

proximal

close to trunk of body

superficial

near surface of body

deep

far from surface of body

intermediate

anything between two reference points

caudal

something lower than another part of the body

cranial

anything near the head (opp. of caudal)

visceral

anything not visible on the surface of the body (similar to deep)

palmar

palm side of hand

plantar

bottom of the foot

dorsal

something is on the back of a reference point

ventral

the front of a reference point

sagittal plane/lateral plane

separates body into left and right halves

midsagittal plane

midline of the body

parasagittal plane

any line parallel to midline if body

coronal plane/frontal plane

divides body into front and back parts (also known as dorsal and ventral parts)

transverse plane/axial plane

divides body into the top half and the bottom half

axial region

middle of your body but not legs and arms. Divided into 4 sections: head, neck, chest, and trunk regions

appendicular region

your arms and legs. Divided into limbs (arms and legs) and appendages (fingers and toes)

cranial region

head (minus the face)

facial region

face below level of ears

frontal region

forehead

orbital/ocular region

area around eyes

auricle region

ears

nasal region

nose

buccal region

cheeks

oral region

mouth

mental region

chin

cervical region

neck

gluteal region

buttocks

femoral region

thigh

popliteal region

knee

sural region

back of lower leg

calcaneal region

heel

plantar region

sole of foot

right and left hypochondriac region

uppermost and most lateral regions

epigastric region

upper middle section where stomach is

right and left lumbar regions

middle and lateral regions

umbilical region

area around bellybutton

right and left inguinal/iliac regions

lowest and most lateral of the 9 subregions

hypogastric region

pubic region