Each of the above hernias may be characterised by several aspects:
* '''कन्जेनाइटल वा एक्वायर्ड''': congenital hernias occur prenatally or in the first year(s) of life, and are caused by a congenital defect, whereas acquired hernias develop later on in life. However, this may be on the basis of a locus minoris resistentiae (Lat. place of least resistance) that is congenital, but only becomes symptomatic later on in life, when degeneration and increased stress (for example, increased abdominal pressure from coughing in [[COPD]]) provoke the hernia.
* '''कम्प्लिट वा इन्कम्प्लिट''': for example, the stomach may partially herniate into the chest, or completely.
* '''इन्टर्नल वा एक्स्टर्नल''': external ones herniate to the outside world, whereas internal hernias protrude from their normal compartment to another (for example, mesenteric hernias).
* '''इन्ट्रापरायटल हर्निया''': hernia that does not reach all the way to the [[subcutis]], but only to the musculoaponeurotic layer. An example is a [[Spigelian hernia]]. Intraparietal hernias may produces less obvious bulging, and may be less easily detected on clinical examination.
* '''बाइल्याटरल''': in this case, simultaneous repair may be considered, sometimes even with a giant prosthetic reinforcement.
* '''रिड्युसिबल वा इरिड्युसिबल''' (also known as incarcerated): the hernial contents can or cannot be returned to their normal site with simple manipulation
