(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。
To peel the skin of a banana.
この果物(くだもの)外皮(がいひ)(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.
(たま)ねぎの外皮(がいひ)()(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)外皮(がいひ)断熱性(だんねつせい)重要(じゅうよう)だ。
The insulation of a building's exterior envelope is important.
餃子(ぎょうざ)外皮(がいひ)がパリッとしている。
The dumpling wrapper is crispy.
住宅(じゅうたく)外皮(がいひ)性能(せいのう)(たか)めることで、冷暖房(れいだんぼう)効率(こうりつ)大幅(おおはば)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 (がい) (outer; outside) + () (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:

  • 外皮(がいひ)をむく: to peel the outer skin
  • 外皮(がいひ)()(のぞ)く: to remove the outer covering
  • 建物(たてもの)外皮(がいひ): building envelope
  • 外皮(がいひ)性能(せいのう): envelope performance (thermal efficiency)

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • (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)
  • (から): shell; husk — for hard outer coverings like eggs, nuts, shellfish