Japanese symbol for “outside”
外
そと
Romaji: soto
outside; exterior
In Japanese, outside is 外, read そと (soto).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n outside; exterior
- n the open (air)
- n other place; somewhere else; outside one's group (family, company, etc.)
Written forms: 外. Readings: そと、と.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “outside”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 外部 | がいぶ gaibu | outside (e.g. of a building); exterior |
| 外側 | そとがわ sotogawa | exterior; outside; outer |
| 圏外 | けんがい kengai | outside (a region, area, etc.); out of range (of a mobile network, radar, etc.); outside the sphere (of influence, etc.) |
| 野外 | やがい yagai | outdoors; outside; open air |
| 屋外 | おくがい okugai | outdoors; outside |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海外 | かいがい kaigai | foreign; abroad; overseas |
| 外国 | がいこく gaikoku | foreign country |
| 以外 | いがい igai | excluding; except (for); apart from |
| 外交 | がいこう gaikou | diplomacy |
| 意外 | いがい igai | unexpected; surprising; unanticipated |
| 外部 | がいぶ gaibu | outside (e.g. of a building); exterior |
See also: Chinese symbol for “outside”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.