A diagram of the ear shows the parts of the ear. The human ear diagram typically divides the parts of the ear into three sections: outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. The diagram of the ear depicts the parts of the ear for each of the three sections. Diagrams of the ear do not usually show how an ear works. There are some animated ear diagrams that show the basics of how the ear works.

Human ear diagrams usually show a front view of the external or outer ear on the left side of the diagram. Therefore, diagrams of the ear are most often of the right ear. Since the anatomy of the ears is normally the same, it does not make a difference which ear is shown as a demonstration of the anatomy of the ear.

A basic ear diagram shows the main structures of the ear. The parts of the external ear that are usually labeled in a diagram of the ear are the ear canal and eardrum. The eardrum may be labeled as the tympanic membrane.

Diagrams of ears typically show the bony structures of the middle ear. The bony structures may be labeled separately as the hammer, anvil, and stirrup or they may be labeled collectively as the ossicles. The air-filled cavity of the middle ear is often drawn in the diagram, but not labeled. The Eustachian tube to the middle ear may or may not be labeled.

The parts of the inner ear that are often labeled are the cochlea, semicircular canals, and auditory nerve. For people who are interested in how the inner ear works, they may want to look for ear diagrams of the cochlea.

Some ear diagrams are not labeled. For educational purposes, they are left blank. These human ear diagrams can be used as a resource for teachers who are teaching human ear anatomy. They can be printed and used to test the students’ knowledge of the anatomy of the human ear. A person trying to learn the parts of the ear on their own may also want to use a blank ear diagram to test themselves.