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Tongue muscles

Alexey Kryvenko, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

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Among the muscles of the tongue, paired, striated, there are intrinsic muscles and muscles that start on the bones of the skeleton (skeletal muscles). Intrinsic muscles of the tongue start and end within the tongue, and skeletal muscles have a bony origin.

Skeletal muscles of the tongue

Muscle	Start	Attachment	Function	Innervation
Genioglossus muscle	Mental spine of the mandible	The top and base of the tongue	Pulls the tongue forward and downwards	Superior laryngeal nerve
Hyoglossus muscle	Body and greater horn of the hyoid bone	Lateral part of the tongue	Pulls the tongue down and back	Inferior laryngeal nerve
Styloglossus muscle	Styloid process of the temporal bone	Lateral and inferior parts of the tongue	Pulls the tongue back and up	Same

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