Carpal bones

Last revised by David Luong on 27 Feb 2024

The carpal bones, also known as the carpus (plural: carpi), are the eight bones of the wrist that form the articulation of the forearm with the hand. They are usually divided into two rows:

The names and order of these bones can be remembered through various mnemonics.

Terminology

Somewhat confusingly, the term carpus can also be used as a synonym for the wrist joint as a whole.

Variant anatomy

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