Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
nasal pharynx
References
Images
A labeled medical illustration shows a sagittal section of the pharynx, highlighting anatomical features such as the tonsils, palate, tongue, epiglottis, and related muscles. An inset diagram identifies the nasal, oral, and laryngeal regions of the pharynx in color.
Britannica AI Icon

nasal pharynx

anatomy
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

A labeled medical illustration shows a sagittal section of the pharynx, highlighting anatomical features such as the tonsils, palate, tongue, epiglottis, and related muscles. An inset diagram identifies the nasal, oral, and laryngeal regions of the pharynx in color.
human pharynx Sagittal section of the pharynx.

The nasal pharynx is the uppermost part of the pharynx, located at the back of the nasal cavity. It serves as a passageway for air from the nose to the oral pharynx. This region also connects to the middle ear via the eustachian tubes, which help equalize air pressure. The pharyngeal tonsil is situated on the posterior wall of the nasopharynx. The pharynx as a whole is a cone-shaped passageway that connects the nasal and oral cavities to the esophagus and larynx, serving both respiratory and digestive functions.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
  1. pharynx
  2. human respiratory system - The pharynx
  3. human respiratory system - The nose

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.