The 101 Guide to the Clit

 That’s right. Unless you are a gynecologist, chances are you do not really know how to locate a woman’s clit. That’s why we’re going to give you a guided tour to this very important part of the female anatomy.

Searching for Hidden Treasure

The love button, the joy buzzer, the pebble in the moss, the little man in the canoe – whatever you call the clitoris, you know it’s there somewhere, according to legend, but the dang thing is hard to find. Part of the problem is that anatomy can vary from woman to woman. Well, actually it doesn’t vary that much. She’s not going to have her clit under her nose (unless she’s had a severe full body-lift). But you may not recognize her clit because it doesn’t resemble your last girlfriend’s – or that anatomy illustration – in size, shape, or positioning. So the first thing to know when seeking out the wild clitoris is this: every woman is different.

That said, we begin our journey in the same basic area – south of the pubic triangle, north of the vagina. You do know how to find a vagina, don’t you? As we navigate upward from the vagina, you will notice two thin walls of flesh on either side of you. These are the labia minora, a.k.a. the meatflaps. Like testicles, the labia come in a variety of sizes and shapes; some women’s are neat and tidy, and some have low hangers. While they are not part of the clitoris, they are attached to the skin that covers it. Pulling on them or rubbing them may be pleasurable to a woman, and some may even enjoy getting off this way if they don’t like direct clitoral stimulation. But in general, the labia minora are just window dressing.

Do Not Enter

Forging up and ahead, you will encounter on the uppermost rim of the vagina, a small protuberance, where, if you look very closely, you will see a small hole. This is the urethra, otherwise known as the peehole. In general, you do not want to mess too much with the urethra, not only because it issues forth urine, but because too much poking and rubbing in this area can result in discomfort and urinary infections for the woman.

Now we’re getting somewhere!

Clit, Ho!

Hopefully by now, you have reached the foothills of the clitoral shaft. Yes, it is a shaft, just like your shaft, but much smaller. (Right? It’s unlikely, though possible, that your girlfriend’s clit could actually be larger than your dick. If so, I imagine you two make an interesting couple.) The clitoris is the female analog to the penis, and is filled with the same type of spongy erectile tissue as the cock. That means that it does get larger, longer, and harder when the woman becomes aroused. But we haven’t gotten to that part yet. For now, let’s concentrate on seeing the sights.

At the apex of the female genitalia, shrouded by a forest of pubic hair (unless she’s clear-cut her short and curlies) and walled in on either side by the labia majora (the fatty pads that press together and enclose her pussy) lies the goal. But although we are oh-so close now, our target may still be hard to find. The clitoris may be hidden from direct view by folds of skin known as the prepuce or clitoral hood. Anatomically, this corresponds to the male foreskin. With 6,000 to 8,000 nerve endings, the clitoris is very sensitive and needs some buffering between it and the world (or the inside of her jeans). The skin of the clitoral hood protects the clit from direct overstimulation. When the woman is aroused, her clit may enlarge and the hood may retract (too bad you can’t get a remote control for that), revealing the head of the clitoris. Otherwise, if she’s not aroused, you may have to pull the skin back with your fingers to get to the actual clit itself.

Look Under the Hood

With the skin of the clitoral hood retracted, you’ll now see the button itself. It’s small, smooth and round, and if you look closely you’ll see that it resembles an itty-bitty tiny cock head. But don’t let that freak you out. Just remember that, like your cock head, this part of a woman is extremely sensitive and needs to be treated with care. Poking, prodding, rough licking, or sharp fingernails are not appreciated.

Some women don’t like direct or vigorous stimulation on the tip of their clit at all. They may prefer to have the sides, i.e., the “shaft” part, stimulated. If you run your finger upward from the tip of the clit to where you hit the pubic bone, you will have traced the length of her clitoral shaft. It may feel like a firm ridge under the skin, and it will get harder and more pronounced when she is turned on. Try stroking along the sides or top of the clit shaft, or try pressing lightly with a finger and moving just the skin of the hood back and forth. Guys who are uncut will be familiar with this jack-off technique.

Another hot spot to try out is the underside of the clit. You know how good it feels to get the underside of your cock head worked during a blowjob? The next time you go down on her, try lickinglightly just below and underneath the tip of her clit. Remember, don’t get too close to the peehole. Or do, if you’re into that kinda thing.

Since the clit hood is analogous to the foreskin – well, you know what can build up under your foreskin. Yes, women do get the equivalent of dick cheese, or smegma, albeit in smaller and probably less smelly amounts. But if your girlfriend’s coochie is less than fresh, this is one place to look for the problem. She needs to be pulling back the skin over her clit and washing underneath to get rid of the accumulating gunk.

The Secret Subterranean Clit

Now that we’ve thoroughly acquainted you with the topside of the clit, it’s time to delve deeper. This is where things get tricky and where we enter mysterious realms you previously never dreamed existed. You see, that little nub that sticks out on her – well, that’s really only the tip of the clit iceberg, so to speak.

Let’s go further now, into the inner realms of your girlfriend’s pelvis. Because that’s where the rest of her clit is. Yes, the rest of her clit. There’s more, much more, to it than that little bump on the surface, although arguably that’s the most crucial part. Although the shaft and head of the clit stick out from the body only a centimeter or two, in reality the shaft extends inside the body, into the pelvis, about 7 to 9 centimeters (3 to 4 inches). Like the above-ground clit, the rest of the shaft is made of the same erectile tissue, which gets hard and engorged during arousal. (This kind of begs the question, If Viagra can keep a guy hard, wouldn’t it also keep a woman’s clit hard?)

But wait, there’s more! The clitoris keeps going and going. Branching out from the main shaft, and running along either side of the vagina (this is an inch or two under the skin) are the two “legs” of the internal clitoris. Imagine a wishbone shape, with the top of the wishbone being the tip of the clit, and the two sides forking down around the vagina. These branches are also made of spongy tissue that engorges when the woman gets aroused. This is good, because it increases blood flow to her genitals, and it may also put a bit more of a squeeze on the inner sides of her vagina. Also, just beneath the labia minora (remember the meatflaps?) lie two “bulbs” that are also part of the clitoral structure. When they get enlarged, they harden the walls of the vagina, which scientists think may help facilitate intercourse (it sounds like it wouldn’t hurt).

Some doctors who have studied the clit in detail (wouldn’t that be a dream job?) say that the elusive G-spot may also be connected to or part of the clit. The G-spot, more clinically called the urethral sponge, is another mass of spongy tissue that surrounds the woman’s urethra and sits on the top side of the vagina just beneath the clit. You can stimulate the G-spot most easily by pressing up against the top inner vaginal wall, angling toward the belly button. The G-spot feels like a rough bump about the size of half a walnut. For some women, pressing on this spot just makes them feel like they need to pee. But for others, it creates mind-blowing orgasms, which in some cases turn into gushing geysers of female ejaculation.

Applying Your Knowledge

Now that you’ve gotten to know the clit inside and out, how can you take your newfound knowledge home and apply it in the bedroom? For one thing, now that you know how much of the clit is inside and around a woman’s vagina, you may want to reevaluate your technique for finger fucking and thrusting. The good old in-and-out isn’t really gonna do that much for her. You gotta work that thing – move it around in there and stir things up. Move it side to side, up and down, every which way. I don’t mean you should be poking directly at her vaginal walls – just try applying a little more pressure laterally with your strokes, and try to bump into the G-spot when you can.

Of course, knowing that there’s so much more to the clit than meets the eye is no excuse for neglecting the main attraction. The part of the clit that we see and know and love is still the most active and sensitive part of the female sex organs, and it needs to keep getting all the attention you can give it. But now you can see that what appeared to be just a fleshy nub is really more complex. It has a sensitive tip and underside, a shaft, and a hood covering it all. You can try focusing on any or all of these parts of the clit when you finger or eat out your girlfriend. Try a little of this and a little of that and see how she responds.

Now that you’ve got your basic roadmap to the clitoris, keep exploring. Every woman is different and unique, so take the time to really learn your way around your favorite pussy. Your best sexual adventures are still ahead of you.