外 Stroke Order — How to Write 外
外 is written in 5 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 夕, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
外 Radical and Character Components
外 is an ideographic compound. Night-time 夕 divinations 卜; the supernatural, the foreign.
Radical: 夕 + 2 more strokes
外 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- wài
Meanings of 外 in Chinese
1
wài外
Outside; external, as opposed to 'inside'.
外面很冷，你多穿点衣服。
It's cold outside, so put on more clothes.
Refers to something or someone not belonging to one's own side, region, or group.
她来这里工作，因为她是外地人，所以不太了解当地的风俗。
She came here to work, and because she is from out of town, she doesn't know much about the local customs.
Refers to 'foreign' or 'external', indicating things, people, or places from other countries.
今天有外宾来访，我们要做好准备。
Today, foreign guests are visiting, so we need to prepare well.
Referring to relatives from the mother's side, such as maternal grandparents, nephews, or nieces.
周末我们会去外公家吃饭。
We will go to my maternal grandfather's house for dinner on the weekend.
Referring to one's wife's parents: 'wàifù' specifically for father-in-law, and 'wàigū' for mother-in-law (an older term for 'yuèmǔ').
我的外父很喜欢钓鱼。
My father-in-law loves fishing.
Refers to 'husband' (as in 'wàizi'), a polite or traditional term used by a wife to refer to her own husband.
外子最近常加班，辛苦了。
My husband has been working overtime a lot lately; he's had a tough time.
Distant; referring to an outsider or someone not closely related.
别把她当外人，她是我们自己人。
Don't treat her like an outsider; she's one of us.
Refers to something unofficial or informal, as opposed to formal. For instance, '外号' (nickname) refers to an unofficial name, and '外史' (unofficial history) refers to historical accounts outside of official records.
因为他总是喜欢穿蓝色衣服，所以大家都给他起了个外号叫‘蓝精灵’。
Because he always likes to wear blue clothes, everyone gave him the nickname 'Smurf'.
A character type in traditional Chinese opera, often referring to 'outer' roles such as wàidàn (elderly female), wàimò (elderly male), or wàijìng (supporting painted-face).
京剧里，外旦通常扮演年长的女性角色。
In Peking opera, wàidàn typically portrays elderly female characters.
Common Words and Phrases with 外
1
Foreign countries or nations; often referring to non-Jewish peoples in a biblical context.
在那个遥远的年代，村庄里的人们对外邦来客总是充满好奇。
In that distant era, the villagers were always full of curiosity towards visitors from foreign lands.
2
Currency of another country.
在国际旅行时，我们需要兑换一些外币。
When traveling internationally, we need to exchange some foreign currency.
3
Outside; the exterior part; a place away from home or work.
外边下雨了，我们把窗户关上吧。
It's raining outside, let's close the windows.
4
The external appearance or look of something or someone.
我们不能只看一个人的外表来判断他的内心。
We cannot judge a person's inner self solely by their outward appearance.
5
a foreign guest or visitor
这次文化交流活动吸引了许多外宾参加。
This cultural exchange event attracted many foreign guests to participate.
6
The outside part or surface of something; external.
这栋建筑的外部装饰非常精美。
The external decoration of this building is very exquisite.
7
other cities or towns
每年都有大量外埠游客来本市参观游览。
Every year, a large number of visitors from other cities come to visit and tour this city.
8
extra income or found money
小李靠着晚上做手工，赚了点外财来补贴家用。
Xiao Li earned some extra income by making handicrafts in the evenings to help with household expenses.
9
10
The outermost layer of the Earth's atmosphere, often used as a synonym for the exosphere.
在地球的外层大气中，稀薄的粒子不断逃逸到太空中。
In Earth's outer atmosphere, sparse particles continuously escape into space.
11
To combine two different radio frequencies to produce a beat frequency, often a lower frequency signal which is then multiplied and heterodyned to create a desired carrier frequency.
外差接收机通过将接收到的信号频率与本地振荡器频率混合，来产生一个固定的中频信号。
A heterodyne receiver produces a fixed intermediate frequency signal by mixing the received signal frequency with the local oscillator frequency.
12
Outfield (in baseball/softball) or forestage (in traditional opera).
那个棒球运动员在外场表现出色，接住了好几个飞球。
That baseball player performed excellently in the outfield, catching several fly balls.
13
foreign banknotes
旅行前，她特意去银行兑换了一些外钞，以便在目的地消费。
Before her trip, she specifically went to the bank to exchange some foreign banknotes for spending at her destination.
14
An official or minister from a foreign or vassal state.
古时，一位外臣带来珍贵的异域宝物，觐见主君，以示两国友好。
In ancient times, a vassal official brought precious exotic treasures to an audience with the sovereign, signifying the friendly relations between the two states.
15
To go out; to be away from one's home or office, often for work or an activity.
她喜欢在周末外出散步。
She enjoys going out for a walk on weekends.
16
External haemorrhage is a type of bleeding where blood from blood vessels flows out of the body, such as nosebleeds or bleeding from external wounds.
她的手在切菜时不小心划伤了，导致了轻微的外出血。
Her hand was accidentally cut while chopping vegetables, resulting in minor external bleeding.
More words with 外
- é额wài外extra, additional
- hù户wài外Outdoors; open air; outside.
- cǐ此wài外besides; in addition; moreover
- kè课wài外extracurricular, after-school
- lìng另wài外in addition; moreover; besides
- mèi媚wài外To fawn upon foreigners, Foreign sycophancy
- qí其wài外besides; in addition
- sài塞wài外Beyond the Great Wall, The regions north of the Great Wall
- shì室wài外outdoor
- tí题wài外Off-topic, Irrelevant
- gé格wài外especially, particularly
- jiāo郊wài外suburbs, outskirts
- shè涉wài外Foreign-related, Involving foreign affairs
- yuán员wài外Squire, rich gentleman
- zǐ紫wài外xiàn线ultraviolet, UV
- gōng宫wài外yùn孕Ectopic pregnancy
- xī膝wài外fān翻Genu valgum, Knock-knees
- ér而wài外other than; besides
- lì例wài外exception
- chóu仇wài外xenophobia, hatred of foreigners
Idioms with 外
- wài外fāng方nèi内yuán圆outwardly principled, inwardly flexible
- wài外gǎn感nèi内shāng伤external illness and internal injury
- wài外hé合lǐ里yìng应external attack, internal support
- wài外jiāo交cí词lìng令formal evasive diplomatic language
- wài外jiāo交cí辞lìng令polite but empty rhetoric
- wài外kuān宽nèi内shēn深outwardly kind, inwardly cunning
- wài外qiáng强zhōng中gān干outwardly strong, inwardly weak
- wài外qīn亲nèi内shū疏outwardly close, inwardly distant
- wài外róu柔nèi内gāng刚outwardly gentle, inwardly strong
- wài外yú愚nèi内zhì智outwardly foolish, inwardly wise
- wài外yuán圆nèi内fāng方outwardly accommodating, inwardly principled
- ān安nèi内rǎng攘wài外secure internal stability, repel external threats
Questions about 外
- What does 外 mean in Chinese?
- 外 (wài) means “Outside” in Chinese.
- How do you pronounce 外?
- 外 is pronounced wài in Mandarin Chinese.
- How many strokes does 外 have?
- 外 has 5 strokes.
- How do you write 外?
- 外 is written in 5 strokes, starting from the radical 夕. See the animated stroke order on this page.
- What is the radical of 外?
- The radical of 外 is 夕, and 外 is an ideographic compound.