外 観 的(がいかんてき)

がいかんてき

na-adjective

external; outward; superficial (in appearance)

formal

1. external; outward; pertaining to outward appearance

Relating to the outward appearance or external look of something, as opposed to its internal substance, function, or character. Used when discussing how something appears on the surface.

外観的(がいかんてき)には問題(もんだい)なさそうだ。

It seems to have no problems in terms of outward appearance.

外観的(がいかんてき)な美(うつく)しさだけでなく、機能性(きのうせい)も大切(たいせつ)だ。

Not just external beauty, but functionality is also important.

この二(ふた)つの製品(せいひん)は外観的(がいかんてき)にはほとんど同(おな)じだが、内部(ないぶ)の構造(こうぞう)は大(おお)きく異(こと)なる。

These two products look almost the same on the outside, but their internal structures differ greatly.

Composed of 外観(がいかん) (outward appearance, exterior) and the suffix ～的(てき) (pertaining to, -like). Used in both everyday and technical contexts to distinguish surface-level characteristics from deeper qualities.

Common collocations

外観的(がいかんてき)な特徴(とくちょう): outward characteristics
外観的(がいかんてき)な変化(へんか): change in outward appearance
外観的(がいかんてき)に判断(はんだん)する: to judge by outward appearance

Similar words

表面的(ひょうめんてき): superficial — emphasizes surface-level quality, often with a negative nuance of being shallow
見(み)た目(め): appearance, looks — a more colloquial way to refer to how something looks
内面的(ないめんてき): internal, inner — the opposite, referring to inner qualities or character

Related Words

Compare: 表面的(ひょうめんてき) (superficial)

Compare: 見(み)た目(め) (appearance, looks)

Antonym: 内面的(ないめんてき) (internal, inner)

general

Added 2026.5.4 1:14 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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