Cell Diagram – Parts of a Cell
A labelled diagram of a typical animal cell: every organelle named, with a one-line job description for each.
What is a cell?
A cell is the smallest living unit: every plant, animal and fungus is built from them, and bacteria are a single cell each. Your body has around 30 trillion, of more than 200 kinds, from long nerve cells to disc-shaped red blood cells. Almost all of them share the same basic parts shown in this diagram.
Each part, or organelle, has one job, like the rooms of a factory. The nucleus stores the plans (DNA), ribosomes build proteins from those plans, the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus finish and ship them, and mitochondria supply the energy for all of it. The membrane around the outside decides what comes in and goes out.
Most cells are 10–30 micrometres across, too small to see without a microscope, and the organelles inside are smaller still: ribosomes can only be seen with an electron microscope.
The parts of a cell, and what each one does
- Núcleo — holds the DNA and controls the cell.
- Citoplasma — the jelly that fills the cell, where most chemical reactions happen.
- Mitocondrias — release energy from glucose by respiration.
- Ribosomas — build proteins from instructions copied out of the DNA.
- retículo endoplasmático rugoso — folds and transports proteins made by its ribosomes.
- Aparato de Golgi — packages and labels proteins before they leave the cell.
- Membrana celular — the thin skin that controls what enters and leaves the cell.
This is an animal cell. A plant cell has three extra parts — see the plant cell diagram for those.
Spin this cell in 3D, slice it open and pull each organelle out on its own in the Cell Explorer below.
Preguntas frecuentes
What are the main parts of a cell?
The nucleus (controls the cell), cytoplasm (the jelly everything sits in), mitochondria (release energy), ribosomes (make proteins) and the cell membrane (controls what goes in and out).
What is the difference between a labelled and unlabelled cell diagram?
A labelled diagram names every organelle, like the one above. An unlabelled version shows only the shapes, usually as a worksheet for students to fill in the names themselves.
Which organelle controls the cell?
The nucleus. It holds the DNA, which contains the instructions for every protein the cell makes and so decides what the cell does.
How can I see inside a cell in 3D?
Open the Cell Explorer below: you can spin the cell, slice it open with the cut-away slider, and pull each organelle out on its own to see its shape.
