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Cross-section diagram of the human ear showing the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear, with labeled parts including the auricle, auditory canal, tympanic membrane, ossicles, cochlea, semicircular canals, and nerves. Diagram of the human ear showing how sound waves travel through the outer ear and auditory canal to the tympanic membrane, causing vibrations in the ossicles, and then through the middle and inner ear, including the cochlea. Color-coded sections highlight the outer ear in orange, middle ear in pink, and inner ear in blue.
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anatomy
Also known as: fenestra vestibuli
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Cross-section diagram of the human ear showing the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear, with labeled parts including the auricle, auditory canal, tympanic membrane, ossicles, cochlea, semicircular canals, and nerves.
Human ear The structures of the outer, middle, and inner ear.

The oval window is an oval opening located between the middle ear and the vestibule of the inner ear. It is where the base of the stapes, one of the auditory ossicles (tiny bones in the middle ear), is attached.12

The middle ear is an air-filled space that connects to the inner ear. This connection features two small openings: the oval window and the round window. The stapes, the innermost of the three auditory ossicles, fits into the oval window. When sound waves cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate, these vibrations are amplified and transmitted through the malleus and incus to the stapes. The stapes then rocks back and forth, transmitting these vibrations to the fluid-filled inner ear, initiating the process of hearing.23

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
  1. oval window
  2. human ear - Auditory ossicles
  3. human ear - Function of the ossicular chain

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