懂中文 Dong Chinese

外

wài

outside

Phonosemantic compound. 卜 represents the meaning and 月 represents the sound.

Components
卜 iconic component

卜  Iconic component

bo, bǔ

  

fortune telling

Depicts the cracks on the outside of a turtle shell.

月 sound component

月  Sound component

yuè

  

moon

Looks like 夕, which is also a pictograph of a moon.

Evolution

外 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
外 Bronze script Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze script

Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
外 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
外 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
外 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

外  

wài

out, outside, external; foreign; outside; in addition; external

Most common words with 外
Freq.
Word
Meaning

外

outside

另外

additional

外面

outside

意外

unexpected

之外

outside