Different Names for the Fingers and Knuckles

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One problem in hand analysis is the different names used for the fingers and knuckles. While the medical community has adopted standard anatomy terms, the field of hand analysis still uses its own set of names for different parts of the hand.

For example: In hand analysis the tip segment of the middle finger is called the 2nd finger's 1st phalanx, whereas in anatomy the same body part is considered the 3rd finger's 3rd phalanx.

A normal hand has a thumb and 4 fingers. Each finger has 3 bone segments and 3 joints. The thumb has 2 bone segments and 2 joints. The segments are known as phalanges (plural of phalanx).

For the purpose of this page, the following common part names are used:

• "Tip Segment" - The phalanx with the fingernail.
• "Middle Segment" - The middle phalanx.
• "Base Segment" - The phalanx closest to the hand.
• "Top Knuckle" - The upper joint, closest to the fingernail.
• "Middle Knuckle" - The middle joint.
• "Base Knuckle" - The joint that connects a finger to the hand.

All Fingers

Thumb

Finger Names

Article written: December 2, 2005

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