The fuel injector provides an oncoming flow, that is uniform and stable in time, of the spray-discharge orifices is produced and consequently, and a reduction in variance in the spray and flow-through characteristics variables. The fuel injector includes at least one excitable actuator and a valve element that is movable along a longitudinal valve axis, which collaborates in a sealing manner with a valve seat. Upstream of the valve seat, circumferentially a plurality of flow-through regions are provided, between which there are guidance regions for the valve element. The spray-discharge orifices downstream from the valve seats, whose number differs from the number of the flow-through regions, discharge the fuel finely atomized. At least two flow-through regions differ in size, such as circumferential width and/or radial depth, and/or contour. The fuel injector directly injects fuel into a combustion chamber of an engine using compression of a fuel/air mixture and spark ignition.