1.
outside the group; outside one's department or organization
A formal noun used in administrative and corporate contexts to refer to people, things, or matters that are outside a particular department, division, or organization. The most common collocation is 部外者 ("outsider, nonmember"). Combines 部 ("section, department, group") with 外 ("outside").
This material is confidential to our department, so please don't show it to anyone else.
Inquiries from outside the department are handled by the public relations division.
部外 is a formal compound used in workplaces, government offices, and other organizations to designate people or information as belonging outside a specific department or in-group. It rarely stands alone; it almost always appears as part of a longer compound — most prominently 部外者 ("outsider") and 部外秘 ("confidential, restricted to department members").
Forms
Common collocations
- 部外者: outsider, nonmember
- 部外秘: confidential to a department, internal-use only
- 部外者立ち入り禁止: "no unauthorized entry" (standard signage)
- 部外者に漏らす: to leak information to an outsider
- 部外からの問い合わせ: inquiries from outside the organization
Similar / related terms
- 部内: inside the department, internal
- 社外: outside the company
- 社内: inside the company (internal)
- 外部: external, outside (more general; can refer to any external entity)
- 内部: internal, inside (the general counterpart of 外部)
- 関係者以外: "non-related parties" (more colloquial signage equivalent)
Usage
- 部外 is fairly formal and appears most often in administrative or corporate writing, including signs, memos, and policy documents. In casual speech, 外の人 or 関係者以外 are more natural.
- 部外秘 is one step less restrictive than 社外秘 ("company confidential") and 社内秘 ("internal company confidential"); the choice signals exactly which group can see the document.
Related Words
Compare:
社外 (outside the company)
Compare:
社内 (inside the company)
Compare:
外部 (external, outside (more general)
Compare:
内部 (internal, inside)