内ない外がい

also: うちそと

な

い

が

い

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

inside and outside; interior and exterior

Refers to the physical or conceptual inside and outside of something. Can be used as a noun or with の to modify another noun.

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

Only with reading ないがい

Used in political, economic, or news contexts to refer to matters within and outside a country. Restricted to the reading ないがい.

Attached to numbers or quantities to indicate approximation. Used as a suffix.

〈数かず〉内ない外がいapproximately (a given number/amount)
会かい場じょうには100人にん内ない外がいの観かん客きゃくが集あつまった。
About 100 spectators gathered at the venue.
〈場ば所しょ〉の内ない外がいthe inside and outside of a place
警けい備び員いんが建たて物ものの内ない外がいを巡じゅん回かいした。
The security guard patrolled the inside and outside of the building.
内ない外がいに〈動どう詞し〉to do something both domestically and abroad
政せい府ふはその決けっ定ていを内ない外がいに発はっ表ぴょうした。
The government announced the decision both at home and abroad.
内ない外がいに開ひらく(of a door) to open both inward and outward
このドアは内ない外がいに開ひらく構こう造ぞうになっている。
This door is designed to swing both inward and outward.

前ぜん後ごN3sense 3
前後 also means 'approximately' but usually implies a range straddling a point in time or number, while 内外 is used more strictly for numerical approximation.
国こく内ない外がい sense 2
国内外 explicitly spells out 'domestic and overseas' with 国, while 内外 alone can carry the same meaning of domestic and foreign in political or news contexts.
約やくN3sense 3
約 is a prefix placed before a number to mean 'approximately', whereas 内外 is a suffix placed after the number with the same meaning.

以い内ないN4
以内 means 'within (a limit)' and is used with a range like 一時間以内, while 内外 means 'inside and outside' or 'approximately', so despite sharing 内 they point in different directions.
対たい外がい
内外 uses the same two kanji as 対外 but reversed, and means 'domestic and foreign' or 'approximately', not 'external/foreign' like 対外.

内ない外がい人じん
nationals and foreigners; Japanese and non-Japanese people
内ない外がい野や
infield and outfield
室しつ内ない外がい
indoor and outdoor; inside and outside
内ない外がい多た事じ
eventful at home and abroad; many things happening both inside and outside the country
内ない外がい価か格かく差さ
domestic-foreign price gap; price difference between domestic and overseas markets

内外Usage100%
- ないがい
  Standard kanji spelling for both readings. The reading ないがい is the most common.
- うちそと
  Rare reading for the 'inside and outside' sense; ないがい is preferred in modern Japanese.
うちそと

Compound of 内 (inside) and 外 (outside). The reading ないがい is the on'yomi combination, while うちそと is the kun'yomi combination, now rare.