外

wài
HSK 2
#131 most
frequent character
outside, in addition, foreign
adjective
preposition
noun

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

外 pairs 卜, a picture of cracks on a turtle shell used in divination, with 夕. 卜 points to 'outside'. 夕 is now empty; it came from 月 yuè, which once gave the sound. From 'outside' the meaning grew to 'foreign' and to relatives on the mother's side.

Drawn as: outside shell cracks

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Example Sentences

外面很冷，我要穿多一点衣服。
wàimiàn hěn lěng ， wǒyào chuān duō yīdiǎn yīfú 。
It's very cold outside, I need to wear more clothes.
我从外面带了很多好吃的。
wǒ cóng wàimiàn dài le hěnduō hǎochī de 。
I brought a lot of delicious food from outside.
她是一个外国人。
tāshì yígè wàiguó rén 。
She is a foreigner.

Grammar Points

HSK 3
Expressing "except" and "in addition" with "chule… yiwai"除了…都除了…还+1
HSK 5
Defining upper and lower limits
HSK 5
Expressing "especially" with "gewai"

Words with similar meanings

外部wàibù
external
This term emphasizes the outer aspect or area, often used in technical or formal contexts.
外面wàimiàn
outside
This term refers to the physical area that is beyond the immediate surroundings, commonly used in everyday language.

Words Starting With 外

外交wài jiāo
diplomacy; diplomatic; foreign affairs
外向wài xiàng
outward-looking; extrovert; extroverted (personality); export-oriented (economy)
外界wài jiè
the outside world; external
外行wài háng
layman; amateur
外表wài biǎo
external; outside; outward appearance

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Public Lists with 外

Directions & Location
Above, below, left, right, inside, outside, near, far, north, south, etc.
HSK 2
All words for the HSK 2 test