The parietal bones are two of the largest bones of the skull. Together they form a large portion of the sides and roof of the cranium. Each bone has the shape of an irregular quadrilateral, and has two surfaces, four borders, and four angles. The Latin parietalis means "of a wall."

Each parietal bone articulates with the other parietal bone in the midline (top of the head), with the frontal bone in front of it, with the occipital bone behind it, and with the sphenoid and temporal bones lower down on the side of the skull. The parietal bones are separated from each other by the sagittal suture, from the frontal bone by the coronal suture, and from the occipital bone by the lambdoid suture.