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JLPT N46画 · 6 strokesradical 夕grade 2freq #150Kanken level 9JFT-Basic vocabularyJōyō kanji

outside, external, foreign

On'yomi (音読み)

  • ガイ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • そと
  • ほか
  • はず.す
  • はず.れる

Mnemonic

As the sun sets (夕), we step outside (外) to explore the foreign (外) world beyond our doors.

About this kanji

The kanji 外 means "outside", "external", or "foreign". It can be used as a noun or in compounds. For example, 外国 (がいこく) means "foreign country", and is often used when talking about travel or international matters. Another common compound is 外出 (がいしゅつ), which means "going out" and refers to leaving your home. In the context of actions, you have the verb 外れる (はずれる), meaning "to come off" or "to be disconnected". A useful note is that while 外 can refer to places beyond your home, it also emphasizes things that are different or not related to one's own culture.

Built from

Example sentences

  • 外で遊んでいます。

    I'm playing outside.

Meanings across languages

English
outside, external, foreign
Tiếng Việt
bên ngoài, ngoài, nước ngoài
日本語
外, 外側, 外部
한국어
외부
中文
外部
id
luar
th
ภายนอก
es
exterior
fr
extérieur
de
Außenbereich
pt
externo

Common compounds

  • 外国がいこくforeign country
  • 外出がいしゅつgoing out
  • 外れるはずれるto come off, to be disconnected

Words using this kanji

Related articles

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