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What is the Kanji for 'Outside'? | 外

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for 'Outside', you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for 'Outside' is 外.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Outside

    Reading

    kunyomiそと

    soto

    はず

    hazu

    onyomi

    ge

    がい

    gai

    Parts

    Evening Divination

    Example Word

    外れ: end or miss. The Japanese noun '外れ (はずれ)' can have two distinct meanings. The first meaning is 'miss', referring to something that fails to hit the target or meet expectations. For example: that prediction was a miss「その予想は外れだった」(そのよそうははずれだった). The second meaning is 'end', referring to the farthest or outermost part of something, such as the end of a street or the edge of a town. For example: the shop is at the end of the street「その店は通りの外れにある」(そのみせはとおりのはずれにある). The context usually clarifies which meaning is intended, as the two usages are quite distinct.

    Radical

    Stroke Count

    5

    JLPT

    N5

    Grade

    2

    Frequency

    87

    Handwriting

Parts of the Kanji

If you visually break down this kanji, you can see it is made up of 2 parts:

    kanji

    Meaning

    Evening

    radical

    Meaning

    Divination

Words Using

This kanji is used in 30 words:

    word

    Meaning

    Outside

    word

    以外

    Meaning

    Except

    word

    外人

    Meaning

    Foreigner

    word

    外国人

    Meaning

    Foreigner

    word

    外国語

    Meaning

    Foreign language

    word

    外国

    Meaning

    Foreign country

    word

    海外

    Meaning

    Overseas

    word

    外す

    Meaning

    Remove, Miss

    word

    意外

    Meaning

    Unexpected

    word

    外出

    Meaning

    Outing

    word

    外食

    Meaning

    Eating out

    word

    外来語

    Meaning

    Loanword

    word

    国外

    Meaning

    Abroad

    word

    外部

    Meaning

    Outside

    word

    外交

    Meaning

    Diplomacy, Foreign relations

    word

    案外

    Meaning

    Unexpectedly

    word

    例外

    Meaning

    Exception

    word

    外相

    Meaning

    Foreign minister

    word

    外観

    Meaning

    Appearance

    word

    外貨

    Meaning

    Foreign currency

    word

    外れる

    Meaning

    Detach, Miss

    word

    外務省

    Meaning

    Foreign affairs

    word

    外科

    Meaning

    Surgery

    word

    外側

    Meaning

    Outside

    word

    外れ

    Meaning

    End, Miss

    word

    郊外

    Meaning

    Suburbs

    word

    町外れ

    Meaning

    Outskirts

    word

    外務

    Meaning

    Foreign affairs

    word

    外来

    Meaning

    Foreign

    word

    内外

    Meaning

    Inside outside, Domestic foreign

Kanji Related to Through the Part

These 3 kanji contain the part 夕 as well.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Name

    kanji

    Meaning

    Many

    kanji

    Meaning

    Dream

Kanji Related to Through the Part

These 9 kanji contain the part 卜 as well.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Up

    kanji

    Meaning

    Down

    kanji

    Meaning

    Fortune telling

    kanji

    Meaning

    Skin

    kanji

    Meaning

    Eminent

    kanji

    Meaning

    Proceed to

    kanji

    Meaning

    Set, Hang

    kanji

    Meaning

    Crude, Simple

    kanji

    Meaning

    Obituary

Learn the Kanji

Let's make sure you fully understand this kanji.

What does 外 mean?

外 means 'Outside'.

Japanese school students learn this kanji in Second Grade, while non-native learners often study it for the JLPT N5 exam.

To help you master this kanji, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.