particle N4 common casualpolitewritten
〜以外 — other than ~
〜以外 ・ いがい
Meaning
- other than ~ / except ~ / besides ~ — excludes one thing and refers to everything else
Key sentence
これ以外に方法はない。
There's no method other than this.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + 以外（に・の・は） | 日本語以外 / 私以外 |
| Verb (plain) | V(plain) + 以外 | 謝る以外にない |
Examples
日本語以外の言語も学びたい。
I want to learn languages other than Japanese too.
緊急時以外は使用しないでください。
Please do not use this except in an emergency.
やる以外に選択肢はなかった。
There was no choice other than to do it.
Easily confused with
意外と Same reading いがい, different word. 以外 ('other than') excludes things; 意外 means 'unexpected,' and 意外と is the adverb 'surprisingly.' Watch the kanji: 以 vs 意. 〜ほか Both mean 'other than / besides.' 以外 is crisper and more written ('excluding ~'); ほか (especially 〜のほか) leans toward 'in addition to ~' and feels softer.
Notes
- Usually followed by a particle: 以外に ('in addition to / other than'), 以外の (modifying a noun), 以外は ('as for the rest, …').
See 〜以外 in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜以外 the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.