外 wài — outside; in addition; foreign; external
外面正在下雪。Wài mian zhèng zài xià xuě.It is snowing outside.
Common words: 国外 (guó wài)、外国 (wài guó)、外语 (wài yǔ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "foreign"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "foreign", including 外 (wài), 洋 (yáng), 番 (fān / pān). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "foreign" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 外 (wài), 洋 (yáng), 番 (fān / pān) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wài, yáng, fān, pān — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 外 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 外 wàioutside; in addition; foreign; externalUseful words: 国外, 外国
- 洋 yángforeign; oceanUseful words: 海洋, 出洋相
- 番 fān / pān(measure word for acts); deeds; foreign; (surname); place nameUseful words: 番茄, 翻番
Common words for these 3 "foreign" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 外 (wài) — so "foreign" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
国外guó wàiabroad; external (affairs); overseas; foreign外国wài guóforeign country外语wài yǔforeign language海洋hǎi yángocean出洋相chū yáng xiàngto make a fool of oneself洋溢yáng yìbrimming with; steeped in番茄fān qiétomato翻番fān fānto double; to increase by a certain number of times三番五次sān fān wǔ cìover and over again (idiom)
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "foreign".
洋 yáng — foreign; ocean
太平洋是世界上最大的海洋。Tài píng yáng shì shì jiè shàng zuì dà de hǎi yáng.The Pacific is the largest ocean in the world.
Common words: 海洋 (hǎi yáng)、出洋相 (chū yáng xiàng)、洋溢 (yáng yì)
番 fān / pān — (measure word for acts); deeds; foreign; (surname); place name
经过一番努力，他终于成功了。Jīng guò yì fān nǔ lì, tā zhōng yú chéng gōng le.After much effort, he finally succeeded.
Common words: 番茄 (fān qié)、翻番 (fān fān)、三番五次 (sān fān wǔ cì)
All 3 characters
Open 外、洋、番 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.