lesser palatine nerve

{{Infobox nerve

| Name = Lesser palatine nerve

| Latin = nervi palatini minores

| Image = Gray780.png

| Caption = The sphenopalatine ganglion and its branches. (Posterior palatine at bottom right.)

| Image2 =

| Caption2 =

| Innervates =

| BranchFrom = Pterygopalatine ganglion

| BranchTo =

}}

The lesser palatine nerves (posterior palatine nerve) are branches of the maxillary nerve (CN V₂). They descends through the greater palatine canal alongside the greater palatine nerve, and emerge (separately) through the lesser palatine foramen to pass posteriorward.{{Cite book |title=Last's anatomy: regional and applied. |date=2011 |author=Chummy S. Sinnatamby |isbn=978-0-7020-4839-5 |edition=12th |location=Edinburgh |pages=496 |oclc=764565702}} They supply the soft palate, tonsil,{{Cite book |last=Gray |first=Henry |url=https://archive.org/details/anatomyofhumanbo1918gray?view=theater#page/623/mode/2up |title=Gray's Anatomy |year=1918 |edition=20th |pages=893}} and uvula.