以外
igai
With the exception of; excepting
Expresses exclusion, meaning 'with the exception of' or 'excepting'.
How to form it
Attaches to the plain form of verbs, nouns, or な-adjective stems directly, e.g., 行く以外, 学生以外, 静か以外. For い-adjectives, attach to the plain form, e.g., 高い以外.
What it means
以外 is used to single out something that is excluded from a group or action. It is often followed by particles like は, に, を, or の depending on the sentence structure. For example, 学生以外は立ってください means 'Please stand if you are not a student.' The pattern is neutral and can be used in both spoken and written Japanese, though it may sound slightly formal in casual conversation.
Example sentences
彼以外は誰も知らない。
Kare igai wa dare mo shiranai.
No one knows except him.
日曜日以外は働いています。
Nichiyoubi igai wa hataraite imasu.
I work every day except Sunday.
この問題は先生以外に聞かないでください。
Kono mondai wa sensei igai ni kikanaide kudasai.
Please don't ask anyone other than the teacher about this problem.
Don’t confuse it with
を除いて（をのぞいて）
以外 is a noun meaning 'outside of', while を除いて is a phrase meaning 'excluding'. They are often interchangeable, but を除いて is slightly more formal and emphasizes the act of removal, whereas 以外 simply states the exception.
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Neutral; used in both spoken and written Japanese, but in casual speech it may be replaced by 以外は or 以外に with a slight formality.
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What does 以外 mean?
With the exception of; excepting. Expresses exclusion, meaning 'with the exception of' or 'excepting'.
How do you form 以外?
Attaches to the plain form of verbs, nouns, or な-adjective stems directly, e.g., 行く以外, 学生以外, 静か以外. For い-adjectives, attach to the plain form, e.g., 高い以外.
Example of 以外 in a sentence
彼以外は誰も知らない。 — No one knows except him.
を除いて（をのぞいて） — what is the difference?
以外 is a noun meaning 'outside of', while を除いて is a phrase meaning 'excluding'. They are often interchangeable, but を除いて is slightly more formal and emphasizes the act of removal, whereas 以外 simply states the exception.
What JLPT level is 以外?
JLPT N2 (upper intermediate), number 59 of 195 in Nihoner's learning order for N2.
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