Cochlea

Cochlea
Cross section of the cochlea
Posterior canal Superior canal Utricle Horizontal canal Vestibule Cochlea Saccule Parts of the inner ear, showing the cochlea
Details
Pronunciation	/ˈkɒkliə, ˈkoʊkliə/[1]
Part of	Inner ear
System	Auditory system
Identifiers
Latin	cochlea
MeSH	D003051
NeuroLex ID	birnlex_1190
TA98	A15.3.03.025
TA2	6964
FMA	60201
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

This article is one of a series documenting the anatomy of the
Human ear
Outer ear Auricle Ear canal
Middle ear Tympanic membrane Ossicles Malleus Incus Stapes
Inner ear Vestibules Utricle Saccule Cochlea Semicircular canals
v t e

The cochlea is the part of the inner ear involved in hearing. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, in humans making 2.75 turns around its axis, the modiolus.^[2][3] A core component of the cochlea is the organ of Corti, the sensory organ of hearing, which is distributed along the partition separating the fluid chambers in the coiled tapered tube of the cochlea.

The name cochlea derives from Ancient Greek κοχλίας (kokhlias) 'spiral, snail shell'.