Meaning of 海外
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- overseas; abroad
How to use 海外
海外 is a formal, slightly written word for overseas or abroad. It often appears before another noun, as in 海外市场 (hǎiwài shìchǎng, overseas market) or 海外华人 (hǎiwài huárén, overseas Chinese). Example: 他在海外工作了五年。(Tā zài hǎiwài gōngzuò le wǔ nián.) He worked overseas for five years.
海 (hǎi) means sea and 外 (wài) means outside, so 海外 is the land outside the sea, across the ocean. Picture China's coast and everything beyond the water.
Common mistake: Learners often swap 海外 and 国外 (guówài) freely. 国外 is the everyday word for going abroad, while 海外 sounds more formal and is common in news, business, and phrases about overseas communities. Also keep the third tone on 海 (hǎi), not a falling fourth tone.
海外 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
海 hǎi · ocean · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
外 wài · outside · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 海外.
| 外国 | wàiguó | foreign country |
| 国外 | guó wài | abroad; external (affairs) |
| 外边 | wàibian | outside; outer surface |
| 外语 | wàiyǔ | foreign language |
| 大海 | dàhǎi | sea; ocean |
| 以外 | yǐwài | apart from; other than |
| 海边 | hǎi biān | coast; seaside; seashore; beach |
| 外卖 | wàimài | (of a restaurant) to provide a takeout or home delivery meal; takeout (business) |
| 外地 | wàidì | parts of the country other than where one is |
| 外面 | wàimiàn | outside (also pr. [wai4 mian5] for this sense); surface |
| 另外 | lìngwài | additional; in addition |
| 意外 | yìwài | unexpected; accident |
Questions about 海外
What does 海外 mean?
海外 (hǎiwài) means "overseas; abroad" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 海外?
海外 is made of 2 characters: 海 (10 strokes), 外 (5 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 海外 an HSK word?
Yes. 海外 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I say 去海外 to mean go abroad?
Yes, 去海外 (qù hǎiwài) is correct, but in casual speech people more often say 出国 (chūguó) or 去国外 (qù guówài). 去海外 fits better in formal or written contexts.
Does 海外 only mean countries across the sea?
No. In modern use it simply means outside one's own country, whether or not there is an ocean in between. The sea image comes from the characters, not a strict geographic limit.