In human anatomy, the carpal bones are the bones of the human wrist.

There are eight of them altogether, and they can be thought of as forming two rows of four.

Proximal Row

• Scaphoid (or navicular) - this bone, with the lunate, articulates with the radius of the arm.
• Lunate - articulates with the radius and the capitate.
• Triquetrum - on the ulnar side of the hand, but does not articulate with the ulna.
• Pisiform - a sesamoid bone that lies anterior to (closer to the palm than) the triquetrum.

Distal Row

• Trapezium - the most lateral bone of this row. It articulates with the metacarpal of the thumb.
• Trapezoid - articulates with the 2nd metacarpal.
• Capitate - articulates with the metacarpal of the middle finger.
• Hamate - articulates with the metacarpals of the 4th and 5th fingers. It has a projection called a hook.

Mnemonics that can be useful for remembering the carpal bones are:

• "Scared Lovers Try Positions That They Cannot Handle"
• "Students Like The Professor To Teach Complex Hypotheses"
• "She Likes To take Prostitutes To The Calley Hotel" (to take representing the 2 T's of Triquetrum)

See also

• Bone terminology
• Terms for anatomical location