外観|がいかんgaikan[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounoutward appearance; exterior appearance; outward show; looks
   Windows Media Playerの新あたらしいスキンを入手にゅうしゅし、プレーヤーの外観がいかんを変かえてみましょう。↗

   Why don't you try out getting a new Windows Media Player skin and changing the player's look?

• Synonym外見がいけんNeutralMostly for a person's looks, as in 「外見で判断する」, though it can cover things too; 「外観」 leans toward the overall exterior of buildings, products and the like.
• Synonym見かけみかけCasualColloquial and about how something strikes the eye, as in 「見かけによらず」, often hinting reality differs; 「外観」 just states the outside objectively.
• SynonymうわべNeutralSurface or outward show, as in 「上辺だけの付き合い」, with a pejorative sense of mere appearances; 「外観」 is neutral and mostly for buildings and objects.
• Synonym外面がいめんWrittenWritten prose. Read 「がいめん」 it is the outer surface of an object, the skin side; read 「げめん」 it is one's outward expression. 「外観」 is the whole look.
• Synonym外形がいけいWrittenWritten style; stresses the outer shape or outline, as of a car body or machine. 「外観」 covers the overall look and is not limited to shape.
• Synonym見た目みためCasualEveryday colloquial word for people and things alike, as in 「見た目が大事」, stressing the immediate visual impression; 「外観」 is more formal, for buildings and products.
• Synonym姿すがたNeutralA person's figure or silhouette, also how a thing presents itself, as in 「山の姿」, often with emotional color; 「外観」 is a detached description.
• Synonym容姿ようしWrittenWritten; a person's face and figure, as in 「容姿端麗」, often judging beauty; used only of people, while 「外観」 is mostly for buildings and objects.
• Related格好かっこうCasualColloquially a person's dress or posture, as in 「変な格好」, and presentability too; 「外観」 is the objective outside and rarely refers to clothing.
• Related装いよそおいWrittenAn elegant written word for attire or a fresh new look, as in 「春の装い」 and 「装いを新たに」; 「外観」 only describes the outside objectively.
• Related見せ掛けみせかけNeutralA deliberately put-on look, a false front with a pejorative tinge, as in 「見せ掛けの優しさ」; 「外観」 implies nothing false, so the two rarely swap.
• Related見栄えみばえNeutralHow well or badly something looks, as in 「見栄えがする」 and 「見栄えが悪い」, carrying a judgment; 「外観」 describes the outside without evaluating it.
• Related形かたちNeutralShape or form, also format; extremely common in daily speech and broad in range. For the overall exterior of a building or object, 「外観」 fits better.
• Related表面ひょうめんNeutralThe outermost face of an object, and surface appearances, as in 「表面上は」; 「外観」 is the whole as seen from outside, not that one layer.
• Related見栄みえNeutralVanity and show, as in 「見栄を張る」 — the mindset and behavior of wanting to look good, not an external look; it cannot replace 「外観」.
• Related体裁ていさいNeutralFace before others and keeping up appearances, also proper format, as in 「体裁を気にする」 and 「体裁を整える」; 「外観」 involves neither face nor format.
• Related身なりみなりNeutralSpecifically a person's dress and grooming, as in 「身なりを整える」; 「外観」 covers anything visible outside, so turn to 「身なり」 for how one is dressed.
• Related風貌ふうぼうWrittenWritten; a person's looks and bearing, as in 「学者らしい風貌」, also the character of a city or street, with a tinge of aura; 「外観」 stays objective.
• RelatedルックスCasualA loanword mostly for a person's looks, as in 「ルックスがいい」, also the styling of cars and goods; 「外観」 is more objective and formal.
• Related体ていWrittenWritten; a state or air, mostly in 「〜の体で」 and 「ほうほうの体」, stressing bearing and plight; 「外観」 is only the outside look.
• Related表構えおもてがまえWrittenSpecifically the front or facade of a building, such as a shop's street-facing side; 「外観」 takes in the whole building, not just the front.
• Antonym内観ないかんWrittenAntonym only in the architectural sense of interior views, as when the two are paired in property listings; as introspection it has nothing to do with 「外観」.

Default to 「外観」 for the overall exterior of buildings and products. For people's looks say 「外見」 or 「見た目」, for facial looks 「ルックス」, for dress 「身なり」, for shape alone 「外形」, and for a building's front 「表構え」. Words like 「見せ掛け」, 「上辺」, 「見栄え」 and 「体裁」 add judgment — falseness, mere show, good or bad looks, face — which 「外観」 never carries.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 外そとから見みた様子ようす。