外国 wài guó
“foreign (country)”
noun2021 list level 1Traditional 外國Measure word 个
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
外国 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 446: 外国 wàiguó — Level 2; official annotation 2 (名). PDF page 91
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 外国
外国 means "a foreign country" or "foreign countries": countries other than one’s own. Use it as a place expression (去外国、在外国) or before a noun (外国朋友、外国电影). A person from another country is 外国人.
例句Example sentences
- 我有很多外国朋友。wǒ yǒu hěn duō wài guó péng you.I have a lot of foreign friends.
- 大学毕业以后，他去外国工作了。dà xué bì yè yǐ hòu, tā qù wài guó gōng zuò le.After graduating from university, he went to work abroad.
- 我喜欢看外国电影。wǒ xǐ huan kàn wài guó diàn yǐng.I like watching foreign films.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗他是外国。
✓他是外国人。
外国 is a place (a country), not a person; add 人 to refer to a foreigner.
易混词Easily confused
外国vs外地
外地 means other parts of the same country, i.e. places outside the local area one is in; it contrasts with 本地/当地, while 外国 means a different country: 我去外地出差 is domestic, 我去外国出差 is abroad.