What fuel is to a car is exactly what organs are to the human body!
We simply cannot function without them. Well, at least a few of the major ones for sure. The rest of the human body organs if we were to lose, you can say that our existence would be sub-optimal.
That said, it is fascinating how the human body is like a well-oiled machine (fuel to the car, remember?)! Everything works like clockwork, culminating in this beautiful, harmonious rhythm that is like poetry. That keeps us going every single day (literally!) of our lives.
We mean you would definitely want to know more about it, right? So you can teach your kids more about it? There is just so much to learn and discover about this amazing human body we have and all the organs that live in it, rent-free! Allow us to enlighten you! Trust us, you will love knowing body awareness.
How many organs are in the human body?
Well, this is not going to come as a surprise because the title kind of has already given it away. But still to answer your question of ‘how many organs are there in the human body’, we have a total of 78 of them.
That said, remember that not everyone will have all 78 of these organs. Some of them are gender-specific, which can bring the total number in your body down by a notch or two.
Do not be confused just yet. Things will get a lot clearer when we lay down the individual names of each organ. Just keep reading. That section is coming soon!
What is the largest organ in the human body?
We bet your kids have asked you this very same question when they first learned about organs in science class. And it has a fascinating answer too!
So what is the largest organ in the human body then?
The answer is skin!
Mind you, it is an external organ though. If you want to know which is the largest internal organ, that would be the totally awesome, superhuman-like, self-regenerating liver.
Anyway, coming back to skin, there is a lot of fun stuff you do not know about it. Like 15% of your body weight is just your skin! So say if you weigh 40 kilos, 6 of those would make up the weight of your skin.
What’s more, your skin can measure up to 2 square metres and hold up to 17.7 kilometres of blood vessels within itself! Bet you are viewing your skin in a new light now.
And which one is the smallest organ in the human body?
So here we are. At the other side of the fence. Well, the smallest organ in the human body by a long shot is:
Can you guess it? It is inside your brain.
It is the pineal gland, which has been named so because it looks like a teeny-tiny pine. It is in the centre of your brain and measures just about 8mm. That is really tine if you come to think of it. Think of a grain of rice. That is about the size this gland is!
But do not underestimate it because of its puny size! The pineal gland plays several important roles, ranging from the production of several different hormones to helping regulate your sleep cycle and improving your mood. This small organ can do a LOT.
List of organs in the human body
Okay not it is time for the million dollar moment. If you have been waiting to know the full list of human body organs name, this is your lucky, lucky day. We have got a full, printable chart for you right here! You can put this up in your classroom or at your home so your kids can refer to it like a sneaky little cheat-sheet!
| Anus | Arteries | Appendix | Adrenal Gland | Brain | Bone |
| Bronchi | Bladder | Bone Marrow | Bulbourethral Gland | Colon | Cervix |
| Clitoris | Capillary | Cerebellum | Diaphragm | Ear | Eye |
| Fallopian Tube | Genital | Gallbladder | Heart | Hair Follicle | Hypothalamus |
| Interstitium | Kidney | Joint | Liver | Lung | Larynx |
| Ligament | Lymph Node | Large Intestine | Lymphatic Vessel | Mouth | Mesentery |
| Mammary Gland | Nose | Nail | Nerve | Nasal Cavity | Ovary |
| Oesophagus | Penis | Pancrea | Pharynx | Placenta | Prostate |
| Pineal Gland | Pituitary Gland | Parathyroid Gland | Rectum | Skin | Spleen |
| Scrotum | Stomach | Stomach | Spinal Cord | Small Intestine | Salivary Gland |
| Skeletal Muscle | Seminal Vesicle | Subcutaneous Tissue | Teeth | Tonsil | Testes |
| Tendon | Tongue | Trachea | Thymus Gland | Ureter | Urethra |
| Uterus | Vulva | Vein | Vagina | Vas Deferens | Vestigial Organ |
Phew! That was a long list of organs in the human body. The good thing about this list of human body organs is that it serves as a handy reminder of all 78 of them. You can really use it to help your kids memorise the different names.
Are any of 78 of these organs absolutely crucial for survival?
Yes, 3 of them are! If these are damaged beyond repair, chances of survival are next to zero. Death will likely occur in seconds if these are removed or permanently damaged! Want to know which 3? Here you go:
- Brain
- First up is one of the most hard-working organs of your body, the brain! Though it is 60% fat, there is no end to the capacity of your brain. Which means it can store an infinite (think truly limitless) amount of data. And the information that it does store can travel at the rate of 431 kilometres per hour!
- Heart
- 115,000 times per day. That is the number of beats your heart takes in a time span of 24 hours! Never ceasing to function until death, your heart will pump about 2,000 gallons of blood every single day of your life.
- Lungs
- It is how you breathe in and out! Your lungs are constantly working without you even knowing they are. That is not all. When you breathe, you expel about 70% of the waste inside of you. And you have the lungs to thank for that.
Truly, all of this just shows how intricate, amazing and hard-working the human body really is. There is no match! And we do not even realise that most of the time! But you can always make up for it by learning about different organs and what they do.