外 — “outside” in Japanese

Grade 2がい, そと, ほか

Radical ⼣ · radical 36 The building block this kanji is filed under

“outside” in Japanese is 外, read gai, soto, hoka (がい, そと, ほか). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 外国 (foreign country).

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What does 外 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	外
Meaning	outside
Readings	がい, そと, ほか
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	外国 (foreign country)

How to read 外

外 is read gai (がい) or soto (そと) or hoka (ほか) depending on the word.

Words with 外

外国がいこく
海外かいがい
外国人がいこくじん
例外
郊外
欄外

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Kanji read the same way as 外

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28