外
外 (wài) means “outside”. It is made of 夕 + 卜 and has 5 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 外 into its parts
What 外 is made of
- 夕 xī — evening
- 勹 bāo — wrap shape
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 丶 — dot
- 勹 bāo — wrap shape
- 卜 bo — divination
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 丶 — dot
Origin hint: Night-time 夕 divinations 卜; the supernatural, the foreign (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
外 stroke order
Example sentences
门外有一个人。Mén wài yǒu yī gè rén.There is someone outside the door.
学校外有很多饭馆。Xuéxiào wài yǒu hěn duō fànguǎn.There are many restaurants outside the school.
Words with 外
- 国外guówàiabroad
- 外边wàibianoutside
- 外国wàiguóforeign country
- 外语wàiyǔforeign language
- 外地wàidìanother part of the country
- 外卖wàimàitakeout
- 以外yǐwàibesides
- 另外lìngwàiin addition
- 外交wàijiāodiplomacy
- 外面wàimiànoutside
- 外文wàiwénforeign language
- 意外yìwàiunexpected
- 此外cǐwàibesides
- 格外géwàiespecially
- 外汇wàihuìforeign currency
- 外交官wàijiāoguāndiplomat
- 外套wàitàocoat
- 外公wàigōnggrandpa (mother's father)
- 额外éwàiextra
- 例外lìwàiexception
- 外表wàibiǎooutward appearance
- 外行wàihánglayman
- 外界wàijièthe outside world
- 外向wàixiàngoutgoing
- 外出wàichūto go out
Also built with 夕
Quick facts
| Pinyin | wài |
|---|---|
| Meaning | outside |
| Strokes | 5 |
| Radical | 夕 (evening, #36) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 1 (exam 2025) · HSK 1 (2021) · Old HSK 2 |
Questions about 外
What does 外 mean?
外 (wài) means “outside”.
How many strokes does 外 have?
外 has 5 strokes.
What is the radical of 外?
The radical of 外 is 夕 (xī, “evening”), Kangxi radical number 36.
What parts make up 外?
外 is made of 夕 (evening) and 卜 (divination).
Which HSK level is 外?
外 is in HSK 1 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021) and Old HSK 2.
Learn 外 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 23: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.