外出
Meaning in Englishgoing out, outing
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Related sentences
There are no published items in this section yet.
Word context
What it means
外出 means the act of leaving one’s home or a place to go somewhere else; used as a noun and in phrases with suru to indicate the action of going out, applicable in both casual conversation and formal writing.
Main meanings
- 1) The act of leaving one’s home or location to go elsewhere, for errands, work, or social activities.
- 2) A formal noun used in schedules, notices, or forms to indicate absence or departure from a place.
- 3) In phrases it contrasts with staying at home, often appearing in contexts that emphasize movement or absence.
How to use it
Used as a noun and with suru to form a verb, appropriate in formal writing, administrative notices, and casual speech. In workplaces and schools, it denotes that someone is away; in medical or travel contexts it indicates leaving a residence or building; expressions like 外出中 indicate current absence or activity outside the premises.
Variants and close terms
- 外出する (gaishutsu suru) — to go out
- 出かける (dekakeru) — to go out (more general, everyday verb)
- 在宅 (zaitaku) — at home, opposite concept
- 不在 (fuzai) — absence, away from a location
Composition
- 外: outside, exterior
- 出: to exit, to go out
- Combination expresses the action of moving from indoors to the exterior, i.e., the act of going outside.
Etymology
外 (outside) + 出 (to exit) → gaishutsu; the reading comes from Sino-Japanese on'yomi, and the compound evolved to denote the action of moving from inside to outside in modern Japanese.
Origin
The concept is attested in classical Japanese and became a common, everyday term as a Sino-Japanese compound formed from kanji for 'outside' and 'exit'; its usage expanded through periods of standardization and modern administration.
Word class
noun (suru-verb); 外出 is a noun that can take suru to form 外出する