The taste sensation from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue travels via which nerve?

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Taste from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue is carried by the chorda tympani, a branch of the facial nerve. Taste buds in that region send fibers through the chorda tympani, which then typically joins the lingual nerve to reach the brainstem. The lingual nerve itself mainly handles general sensation (touch, pain, temperature) rather than taste, so it isn’t the carrier for taste on its own. The posterior one-third of the tongue uses the glossopharyngeal nerve for taste, and the vagus nerve contributes only to taste in regions like the epiglottis, not the anterior tongue. So the correct pathway for taste from the anterior two-thirds is the chorda tympani.