Tongue Diagram Detailed Illustration with Clear Labels

The tongue is an organ present in the mouth. It is covered with a moist pink tissue called the mucosa. Some of the main functions of the tongue is swallowing, tasting, licking, breathing and speaking. The reason behind the rough texture of the tongue is the presence of papillae on it. The tongue has multiple taste buds and numerous nerves that help the tongue in transferring taste signals to the brain and allows taste sensation. In this article, we will discuss the structure of the tongue in detail with a diagram, and also about the different functions performed by it. 

Check also: Digestion and Absorption Revision Notes

Key Takeaways: Tongue, Papillae, Mucosa, Taste Sensation, Salivary Glands

---

Anatomy of Tongue

[Click Here for Sample Questions]

Anatomy of Tongue

Also Read: Tongue Structure and its Functions

---

Structure of Tongue

[Click Here for Sample Questions]

The length of the human tongue is 3.3 inch in men and 3.1 inch in women. It is present in the oral cavity. The tongue is mainly divided into three parts that are as follows:

• Tip
• Body
• Base

Embryologically, the tongue is bifurcated into two parts: anterior and posterior. The anterior part of the tongue is known as the presulcal part or oral. It consists of roots attached to the bottom of the oral cavity. On the other hand, the posterior part is known as postsulcal part or pharyngeal. It includes the base that forms the ventral wall of the oropharynx. Three elements of the tongue are:

• Epithelium
• Muscles
• Glands

Read Also: Mouth Anatomy

Epithelium

It consists of taste buds and papillae. The taste buds present in epithelium allow one to sense taste. They have a broad bottom and are lined by squamous epithelial tissue. The cells are slender and rod-shaped. They have a nucleus in the centre. They help in comprehending taste, which mixes with the saliva for proper sensation. 

The papillae are minute projections of the mucous membrane. There are a total of five types of papillae in a tongue. These are Circumvallate Papillae, Fungiform Papillae, Filiform, Conical (Conic) Papillae and Foliate Papillae.

Muscles

The muscles of the tongue are voluntary and contain cross-striated muscular fibres.

Glands

The tongue has small glands. There are three types of glands:

• Mucous Glands
• Serous Glands
• Lymph Nodes

The lymph nodes are an important and present at the posterior part of the tongue. They are also known as lingual tonsils.

Also read: The small intestine 

---

Functions of Tongue

[Click Here for Sample Questions]

The tongue plays numerous crucial functions in the human body. Below mentioned are the prominent functions performed by the tongue.

• Mastication: One of the basic functions of the tongue is it helps in chewing the food. 
• Deglutition: One the food is chewed, the tongue also helps in swallowing food.
• Taste: We can sense food because of the tongue only. It transmits the taste signals to the brain and allows it to sense taste.
• Speech: One of the most important functions performed by the tongue is to allow a person to speak. 
• Secretion: The tongue helps in keeping the mouth moist as It secretes mucous and serous fluid. 

---

Things to Remember

• Tongue is an important organ of the human body. Some of the important functions performed by the tongue are swelling, talking, chewing, tasting etc. 
• The moist pink tissue that covers the tongue is known as mucosa.
• Papillae is the reason why the texture of the tongue is rouge. 
• The tongue has three elements which are: Epithelium, Muscles and Glands.