外
| Property |
Value |
| Meaning |
outside |
| Strokes |
5 |
| JLPT Level |
N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) |
ガイ (gai)、ゲ (ge) |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) |
そと (soto)、はず-れる (hazu-reru) |
| Radical |
夕 (yū - evening/moon) [U+5915] |
Stroke Order
The character 外 follows the standard rule of writing from top-to-bottom and left-to-right.
- Stroke 1: The short vertical line on the left (the "夕" component).
- Stroke 2: The top horizontal line of the "夕" component.
- Stroke 3: The diagonal line of the "夕" component.
- Stroke 4: The dot inside the "夕" component.
- Stroke 5: The long vertical line on the right, which then hooks to the left (the "卜" component).
Radical Analysis
The kanji 外 is composed of two parts:
- 夕 (yū): Meaning "evening."
- 卜 (boku): Meaning "divination."
Historically, this character represented the act of divination performed in the evening. Because divination was often performed outside the main living quarters or because the "evening" implies the time when one is no longer "inside" the house, the meaning evolved to represent "outside."
Mnemonic
Imagine a diviner (卜) standing out in the evening (夕) air. He is standing outside because he needs to look at the stars to perform his reading.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
ガイ (gai)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 外国 |
がいこく |
gaikoku |
foreign country |
| 外科 |
げか |
geka |
surgery (department) |
| 外出 |
がいしゅつ |
gaishutsu |
going out |
| 外交 |
がいこう |
gaikō |
diplomacy |
ゲ (ge)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 外界 |
げかい |
gekai |
the outside world |
| 外題 |
げだい |
gedai |
title (of a play/book) |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
そと (soto)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 外 |
そと |
soto |
outside |
| 外側 |
そとがわ |
sotogawa |
exterior/outer side |
はず-れる (hazu-reru)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 外れる |
はずれる |
hazureru |
to be off/to miss/to be disconnected |
| 外す |
はずす |
hazusu |
to unfasten/to remove |
JLPT N5 Words Using 外
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
JLPT |
| 外 |
そと |
soto |
outside |
N5 |
| 外国 |
がいこく |
gaikoku |
foreign country |
N5 |
| 外国人 |
がいこくじん |
gaikokujin |
foreigner |
N5 |
| 外出する |
がいしゅつする |
gaishutsu suru |
to go out |
N4 |
| 外側 |
そとがわ |
sotogawa |
outside/exterior |
N4 |
| 外す |
はずす |
hazusu |
to remove/unfasten |
N4 |
| 外れる |
はずれる |
hazureru |
to miss/be off |
N4 |
| 外科 |
げか |
geka |
surgery |
N3 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 外は雨です。 |
そとはあめです。 |
Soto wa ame desu. |
It is raining outside. |
| 外国へ行きたいです。 |
がいこくへいきたいです。 |
Gaikoku e ikitai desu. |
I want to go to a foreign country. |
| 鍵を外してください。 |
かぎをはずしてください。 |
Kagi o hazushite kudasai. |
Please remove the key. |
| 彼は外出中です。 |
かれはがいしゅつちゅうです。 |
Kare wa gaishutsu-chū desu. |
He is currently out. |
| 予想が外れました。 |
よそうがはずれました。 |
Yosō ga hazuremashita. |
My prediction was wrong (missed the mark). |
| 外の空気を吸う。 |
そとのくうきをすう。 |
Soto no kūki o sū. |
To breathe the outside air. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji |
Reading |
Meaning |
How to distinguish |
| 外 |
ガイ / そと |
Outside |
Has the "夕" (evening) radical on the left. |
| 名 |
メイ / な |
Name |
Has "夕" at the bottom, but "口" (mouth) at the top. |
| 処 |
ショ / ところ |
Place |
Looks similar, but has the "夂" (walking) radical on the right. |
Usage Frequency Note
外 is a high-frequency kanji used daily in almost every context, from casual conversation (e.g., soto) to formal business and academic settings (e.g., gaikō, gaikoku). It is one of the first 100 kanji learned by students and is essential for basic communication.