The tongue's anchoring muscles
Extrinsic tongue muscles (genioglossus, hyoglossus)
Muscles that anchor the tongue to the jaw and hyoid, moving it forward, back and down.
What it does
Muscles that run into the tongue from the jaw, hyoid bone and skull move it around the mouth. The genioglossus, which fans back from the inside of the chin, pushes the tongue forward. The hyoglossus pulls it down and back. Muscles inside the tongue change its shape.
Surprising fact
The genioglossus keeps the tongue from falling back into the throat; when it relaxes too much in sleep, it can contribute to snoring and sleep apnoea.
Why it matters
The tongue's muscles move food for chewing and swallowing and shape nearly every sound in speech, so their nerve, the hypoglossal, is tested in a neurological exam by asking you to stick out your tongue.
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.