外国
HSK 2 (exam 2025)HSK 1 (2021)
外国 (wàiguó) · foreign country
外国 (wàiguó) means “foreign country”. It is written with 2 characters: 外 (outside) + 国 (country). It is an HSK 2 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 外国 is built
The characters
外 wài · outside
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)
国 guó · country
What 国 is made of
- 囗wéi — enclosure
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 玉yù — jade
- 王wáng — king
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 土tǔ — earth
- 丶 — dot
- 王wáng — king
Origin hint: Treasure 玉 within a country's borders 囗 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
我想去外国看看。Wǒ xiǎng qù wàiguó kànkan.I want to go abroad and see the world.
你有外国朋友吗？Nǐ yǒu wàiguó péngyou ma?Do you have any foreign friends?
Questions about 外国
What does 外国 mean?
外国 (wàiguó) means “foreign country”.
How do you pronounce 外国?
外国 is pronounced wàiguó.
Which HSK level is 外国?
外国 is in HSK 2 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021).
Related words
- 国外guówàiabroad
- 外边wàibianoutside
- 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
Learn 外国 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 25: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.