外
外 — Outside
outside
On’yomiガイ (gai)
On’yomiゲ (ge)
Kun’yomiそと (soto)
Kun’yomiほか (hoka)
Kun’yomiはずす (hazusu)
Kun’yomiはずれる (hazureru)
Kun’yomiと- (to)
Stroke order (5 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 外
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海外 | かいがい kaigai | foreign; abroad; overseas |
| 外交 | がいこう gaikou | diplomacy; selling (e.g. door-to-door); canvassing |
| 外国 | がいこく gaikoku | foreign country |
| 外国人 | がいこくじん gaikokujin | foreigner; foreign citizen; foreign national |
| 外相 | がいしょう gaishou | Foreign Minister |
| 外務省 | がいむしょう gaimushou | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
Study notes
外 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 5 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #81 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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