外出
Meaning in Englishgoing out, outing
Animated kanji stroke order
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