外
Mnemonic
Every evening, a ballerina slips outside to rehearse under the stars. She refuses to dance indoors — the cool night air and endless open sky make her pirouettes feel infinite. The outside world is the only stage worthy of her art.
Additional thoughts
Picture the ballerina bursting through a door at dusk, moonlight catching her tutu as she leaps into the open. Evening + Ballerina = Outside. The two radicals sit side by side like a dancer stepping beyond a threshold at twilight.Quick recall
A ballerina dances every evening Outside under the open sky.Details
The keyword for 外 is outside. This kanji represents the concept of being external, beyond, or on the outer side of something. It conveys the idea of what lies beyond a boundary or enclosure, as opposed to what is within. By extension, it can also carry the meaning of foreign, other, or removed from what is expected or normal.
- On'yomi
- がい、げ
- Kun'yomi
- そと、ほか、はず.す、はず.れる、と-