Japanese word

外側

Pronunciation

Romajisotogawa

Meaning

  • nounoutside

Example

箱の外側をきれいにしてください。bako no soto gawa o ki re i ni shi te ku da sa i

Please clean the outside of the box.

Illustration for 外側 (outside)

More examples

汚れが外側に付いています。yogo re ga soto gawa ni tsu i te i ma su

There is dirt on the outside.

Core concept

Marks the outer surface or boundary of something in contrast with its interior.

Common phrases

  • 建物の外側tate mono no soto gawa

    outside of the building

  • 外側に出るsoto gawa ni de ru

    go outside

Similar words

外面gaimen: The surface on the outside of an object or structure.
外部gaibu: The outside part of something that has an inner area.
表面hyōmen: The exposed layer that covers an object.

Definition in Japanese

内に含まれる部分に対して、外に面している物の表面や側面。uchi ni fuku ma re ru bu bun ni tai shi te soto ni men shi te i ru mono no hyō men ya soku men

Word origin

外側 (sotogawa) is a native compound of 外 (soto, "outside") and 側 (kawa, "side"), with the k sound of 側 becoming g in the compound.

Usage tips

  • When Japanese speakers contrast an object's inner and outer parts, 外側 (sotogawa) names the outer part rather than the space beyond the object.

Opposites

Word lists with this word