外(wài)

HSK 15 strokes

outside

Print a 外 worksheet PDFPractice writing 外

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
wài
Meaning
outside; in addition; foreign; external
Strokes
5
HSK level
HSK 1
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where 外 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Ideograph⿰夕卜

Night-time 夕 divinations 卜; the supernatural, the foreign

A combination of parts whose meanings add up to the whole.

Made of

夕xī卜bǔ

Parts are arranged left to right.

How to write 外 step by step

5 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Words with 外

Common words using 外 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

yǐ以wài外
HSK 2

apart from

Open 以外 page →
lìng另wài外
HSK 3

additional

Open 另外 page →
zhī之wài外
HSK 5

outside

Open 之外 page →
lì例wài外
HSK 5

exception

Open 例外 page →
zhōng中wài外
HSK 6

Sino-foreign; Chinese-foreign; home and abroad

Open 中外 page →
nèi内wài外
HSK 6

inside and outside

Open 内外 page →
fèn分wài外
HSK 7-9

exceptionally

Open 分外 page →
gǔ古jīn今zhōng中wài外
HSK 7-9

at all times and in all places (idiom)

Open 古今中外 page →

Related characters

More HSK 1 characters

一七三上下不东两

From 外’s common words

以另之例中内分古

Ready to master 外?

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