1.
miss, failure, losing ticket
The result of not hitting the target or not winning. The opposite of 当たり (hit, winner).
くじは外れだった。
The lottery ticket was a miss.
予想が外れだった。
My prediction was wrong.
あのレストランは当たり外れが激しい。
That restaurant is very hit or miss.
2.
outskirts, outer edge, end
The edge or outskirts of a place, beyond the main area.
町外れに住んでいる。
I live on the outskirts of town.
道の外れまで歩いた。
I walked to the end of the road.
駅から少し外れた場所に、静かなカフェがある。
There's a quiet cafe in a spot slightly off from the station.
外れ is the noun form of the verb 外れる (to miss, to come off). It has two distinct meanings depending on context.
SENSE 1 — MISS/FAILURE:
Used for lotteries, predictions, and expectations that didn't come true. Opposite of 当たり (hit, winner).
- くじ外れ: losing lottery ticket
- 予想外れ: wrong prediction
- 当たり外れ: hit or miss (idiom for inconsistent quality)
SENSE 2 — OUTSKIRTS/EDGE:
Used as a suffix with place words to mean the outer edge or outskirts.
- 町外れ: outskirts of town
- 道の外れ: end of the road
- 季節外れ: off-season, unseasonal
ANTONYM:
- 当たり: hit, winner, correct guess (for sense 1)
Related Words
Antonym:
当たり (hit, winner)