1.
somewhere else; another place
A place other than here; elsewhere. Often implies somewhere unfamiliar or outside one's group.
余所で食事しよう。
Let's eat somewhere else.
余所見をしないで運転してください。
Please don't look away while driving.
ここがだめなら、余所を探すしかない。
If this place doesn't work out, we have no choice but to look somewhere else.
2.
other people; outsiders
People who are not part of one's own group or family.
余所の子と比べてはいけない。
You shouldn't compare with other people's children.
余所の家のことに口を出さないほうがいい。
You shouldn't meddle in other families' affairs.
この町では余所者はなかなか受け入れてもらえない。
In this town, outsiders are not easily accepted.
余所行きの服に着替えてから出かけた。
I changed into my going-out clothes before heading out.
余所 means 'somewhere else' or 'other people,' carrying a sense of separation — not part of one's own group, place, or concern.
WRITING:
Often written in hiragana as よそ. Also written as 他所. The kanji spelling 余所 is common in dictionaries but hiragana is more frequent in everyday use.
COMMON COMPOUNDS:
- 余所見: looking away, getting distracted (especially while driving)
- 余所者: outsider, stranger
- 余所行き: going-out clothes; putting on a formal front
- 余所の人: other people, strangers
- 余所の家: other people's homes
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 他: 'other' (more neutral, no connotation of exclusion)
- 別の場所: another place (neutral)
- 余所 specifically implies 'outside one's own sphere' — unfamiliar, unrelated, or not one's concern
Related Words
Related:
他 (other)