外見 (gaiken) Japanese meaning: outward appearance | Kotomoraない
。
You shouldn't judge people by their appearance alone.
This building looks old from the outside, but the inside is very clean.
Usage patterns
外見で〈人〉を判断するto judge someone by their appearance
You shouldn't judge people by their appearance.
外見を気にするto be concerned about one's appearance
He is very concerned about his appearance.
外見にこだわるto be particular about one's appearance
Young people these days tend to be particular about their appearance.
外見が変わるfor one's appearance to change
His appearance changed a lot after he changed his hairstyle.
外見 is a formal, analytical term for external appearance, whereas ルックス is casual slang focused on how attractive someone looks.
外見 focuses on the visible appearance of a person or thing, while 表面 in this sense stresses the superficial layer that may hide a different reality.
外見 is a neutral word for how someone looks overall, while 身だしなみ specifically implies effort to look neat and socially acceptable.
外見 stresses surface impression or outward looks, while 姿 can also describe posture, silhouette, or a whole scene of appearance.
