An adjective used in biology to mean 'on the belly side' of an animal. Fish have a ventral fin on their underside; an insect's ventral surface is the part facing the ground.

An adjective used in biology to mean 'on the belly side' of an animal.生物學上用來指動物「腹部那一側」的形容詞。Fish have a ventral fin on their underside魚在腹部下方有一個ventral fin（腹鰭）; an insect's ventral surface is the part facing the ground昆蟲的ventral surface（腹面）就是朝向地面的那一面。

Its opposite is dorsal, 'on the back side' — the fin you see cutting through the water when a shark swims is the dorsal fin, the one underneath is ventral. Scientists use this pair because 'up' and 'down' are useless when you are talking about creatures with very different body plans: a fish, a dog and a standing human all point in different directions, but every one of them has a belly side.

Its opposite is dorsal, 'on the back side'它的反義詞是dorsal，「背部那一側」 — the fin you see cutting through the water when a shark swims is the dorsal fin鯊魚游泳時劃過水面的那片鰭就是dorsal fin（背鰭）, the one underneath is ventral下面那片才是ventral。Scientists use this pair because 'up' and 'down' are useless科學家使用這一組詞是因為「上」和「下」沒有用, when you are talking about creatures with very different body plans當你在講身體構造完全不同的生物時: a fish, a dog and a standing human all point in different directions魚、狗和站著的人都朝著不同方向, but every one of them has a belly side但牠們每一個都有一個腹側。

For humans, doctors more often say anterior (front) than ventral, though ventral does appear in anatomy books and especially in talk about the brain and spinal cord. Outside biology, engineers borrow it for machines: a ventral fin on an aircraft is one on the underside of the fuselage.

For humans, doctors more often say anterior (front) than ventral對人類來說，醫生比較常說anterior（前面）而不是ventral, though ventral does appear in anatomy books and especially in talk about the brain and spinal cord不過ventral還是會出現在解剖學書籍裡，尤其是在講腦部和脊髓的時候。Outside biology, engineers borrow it for machines在生物學之外，工程師也把這個字借來用在機械上: a ventral fin on an aircraft is one on the underside of the fuselage飛機的ventral fin指的是機身下方的鰭。

The word can also be a noun for such a part — 'the ventrals' meaning the ventral fins — but that is specialist usage. This is a textbook word, not a conversation word; nobody says 'my ventral side hurts'.

The word can also be a noun for such a part這個字也可以當名詞指這樣的部位 — 'the ventrals' meaning the ventral fins「the ventrals」指的就是那些腹鰭 — but that is specialist usage但這是很專業的用法。This is a textbook word, not a conversation word這是課本用字，不是對話用字; nobody says 'my ventral side hurts'沒有人會說「my ventral side hurts」。