外皮(がいひ)

がいひ
noun
outer skin; rind; husk; outer covering
1. outer skin; rind; peel; husk
the outermost layer or covering of a fruit, vegetable, seed, or other natural object
バナナの外皮(がいひ)をむく。
Peel the skin off a banana.
この果物(くだもの)は外皮(がいひ)が硬(かた)いので、ナイフが必要(ひつよう)だ。
This fruit has a hard outer skin, so you need a knife.
玉(たま)ねぎの外皮(がいひ)を取(と)り除(のぞ)いてから調理(ちょうり)する。
Remove the outer skin of the onion before cooking.
2. outer covering; exterior casing; shell
the outer protective layer of a structure, building, or manufactured product
建物(たてもの)の外皮(がいひ)の断熱性(だんねつせい)が重要(じゅうよう)だ。
The insulation of a building's exterior envelope is important.
餃子(ぎょうざ)の外皮(がいひ)がパリッとしている。
The gyoza skin is crispy.
住宅(じゅうたく)の外皮(がいひ)性能(せいのう)を高(たか)めることで、冷暖房(れいだんぼう)の効率(こうりつ)が大幅(おおはば)に改善(かいぜん)される。
By improving the building envelope performance of a house, heating and cooling efficiency improves significantly.

Composed of 外(がい) (outer; outside) + 皮(ひ) (skin; rind). Covers both natural coverings (fruit peels, seed husks) and man-made ones (building exteriors, food wrappers). In architecture and energy efficiency, 外皮(がいひ) is a technical term for a building's thermal envelope.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 皮(かわ): skin; peel — the everyday word for skin or peel
  • 表皮(ひょうひ): epidermis; surface skin — specifically the outermost layer of skin (medical/botanical)
  • 殻(から): shell; husk — for hard outer coverings like eggs, nuts, shellfish

Related Words

Compare: 表皮(ひょうひ) (epidermis)
Compare: 殻(から) (shell)
Related: 果皮(かひ) (fruit peel)
Antonym: 内皮(ないひ) (endothelium)
Compare: 薄皮(うすかわ) (thin skin)
general
Added 2026.5.1 0:27 · Revised 2026.9.15 10:12
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