Chinese learning

Daily learning flow

Guest access

Guests can browse all words. Sign in or create an account to save progress and unlock more practice.

Back to word library

wài

outside; external

How common it is

外 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.

Pronunciation focus

Say wài slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.

Usage note

“外”用来表示位置,比如在房子外面。

wài lái bǎo zhi rèn wèi , rú kě zài fáng zi wàimian 。

Use “外” to indicate a position, such as outside the house.

Context note

“外”常用于描述物体的位置关系,比如教室外面。

wài cháng yòng lái miáo shì wùtǐ de zhìdì guānxi , rú kě jiàoshì wàimian 。

"外" is often used to describe the positional relationship of objects, such as outside the classroom.

5 examples

公园外面有很多人。
gōng yuán wài miàn yǒu hěn duō rén。
There are many people outside the park.
妈妈在门外等我。
mā ma zài mén wài děng wǒ。
Mom is waiting for me at the door.
窗户外面是花园。
chuāng hù wài miàn shì huā yuán。
Outside the window is a garden.
教室外面很安静。
jiào shì wài miàn hěn ān jìng。
It's very quiet outside the classroom.
外面下雨了,我们不能出去玩。
wài miàn xià yǔ le, wǒ men bù néng chū qù wán。
It's raining outside, so we can't go out to play.

5 mini stories

小明的妈妈让他去门外拿快递。
xiǎo míng de mā ma ràng tā qù mén wài ná kuài dì。
Xiaoming's mom asked him to go get the package outside.
爸爸在门外修理自行车。
bà ba zài mén wài xiū lǐ zì xíng chē。
Dad is fixing his bicycle outside.
外面的天气很好,我们决定去公园散步。
wài miàn de tiān qì hěn hǎo, wǒ men jué dìng qù gōng yuán sàn bù。
The weather outside is very nice, so we decided to go for a walk in the park.
妈妈让我把书包放在门外。
mā ma ràng wǒ bǎ shū bāo fàng zài mén wài。
Mom asked me to put my backpack outside.
外面的噪音很大,我们关上了窗户。
wài miàn de zào yīn hěn dà, wǒ men guān shàng le chuāng hù。
The noise outside is very loud, so we closed the windows.

Related words