出 — To Go Out, To Come Out, To Put Out

Meaning

The kanji 出しゅつ is a fundamental character in Japanese. It primarily conveys the idea of 'going out,' 'coming out,' 'exiting,' or 'putting something out.' Its visual form clearly reflects this meaning.

The character looks like a foot (or two feet, historically) stepping out from an enclosure. Imagine two mountains or structures, with something moving out from between them. This imagery effectively illustrates the action of moving from an inside space to an outside one, or causing something to move outward.

Historically, the character 出で evolved from pictographs showing footsteps leaving an opening. The two 'mountains' or 'walls' on either side symbolize a boundary. The lines in the middle suggest movement or emergence. This etymological origin strongly reinforces its core meaning of 'exit' or 'coming forth.'

As a 5-stroke kanji, it's taught in the first grade of Japanese elementary school. This makes it a crucial building block for early learners. It also belongs to the JLPT N5 level, highlighting its frequent use and importance in basic Japanese vocabulary.

Readings

On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings

On'yomi readings for 出しゅつ come from its historical pronunciation in Chinese. The primary On'yomi is シュツ (shutsu).

シュツ (shutsu): This reading is widely used in compound words. It often refers to concepts like 'appearance,' 'production,' 'submission,' or 'attendance.'

出席しゅっせき (shusseki) — attendance, presence

出発しゅっぱつ (shuppatsu) — departure

提出ていしゅつ (teishutsu) — submission (e.g., homework)

スイ (sui): This is an extremely rare On'yomi reading for 出しゅつ. It appears in only a very limited number of historical or specialized terms and is practically non-existent in modern common vocabulary. For N5 learners, focusing solely on シュツ is sufficient. You can generally disregard this reading.

Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings

Kun'yomi readings are native Japanese pronunciations associated with the kanji's meaning. For 出で, the main Kun'yomi are で.る (de.ru) and だ.す (da.su).

で.る (de.ru): This is an intransitive verb. It means 'to go out,' 'to come out,' 'to leave,' or 'to appear.' It describes something or someone moving from an inside space to an outside one.

部屋へやを出るでる (heya o deru) — to leave the room

太陽たいようが出るでる (taiyō ga deru) — the sun comes out

本ほんが出るでる (hon ga deru) — a book is published

だ.す (da.su): This is a transitive verb. It means 'to put out,' 'to take out,' 'to send out,' or 'to hand in.' It describes the action of causing something to move from inside to outside.

手紙てがみを出すだす (tegami o dasu) — to send a letter

ゴミごみを出すだす (gomi o dasu) — to take out the trash

声こえを出すだす (koe o dasu) — to make a sound, to speak up

い.でる (i.deru): This is an older or more literary form of でる. It means 'to go out' or 'to appear.' While not common in modern everyday speech, you might find it in classical texts or certain fixed expressions.

月つきが出いでる (tsuki ga ideru) — the moon appears (poetic)

い出いでの小道こみち (ide no komichi) — a path for going out (literary)

い.だす (i.dasu): This is an older or more literary form of だす. It means 'to send out' or 'to bring out.' Similar to いでる, it has a more archaic feel.

言葉ことばを出いだす (kotoba o idasu) — to utter words (literary)

外そとへ出いだす (soto e idasu) — to send outside (literary)

Common Words & Compounds

The kanji 出しゅつ combines with many other kanji to form a wide range of useful vocabulary. Here are some common examples, grouped by theme:

Movement and Location

出口でぐち (deguchi) — exit
外出がいしゅつ (gaishutsu) — going out, outing
出発しゅっぱつ (shuppatsu) — departure
出入口でいりぐち (deiriguchi) — entrance and exit

Appearance and Occurrence

出現しゅつげん (shutsugen) — appearance, manifestation
出版しゅっぱん (shuppan) — publication
提出ていしゅつ (teishutsu) — submission (e.g., homework, documents)
出席しゅっせき (shusseki) — attendance, presence
出来事できごと (dekigoto) — incident, event

Production and Origin

生産せいさん (seisan) — production (though not directly using 出, the concept of 'putting out' is related to origin)
出身しゅっしん (shusshin) — person's origin, hometown
出費しゅっぴ (shuppi) — expenses, disbursements

Time and Events

日の出ひので (hinode) — sunrise
思い出おもいで (omoide) — memory, recollection

Actions and Expressions

引き出すひきだす (hikidasu) — to pull out, to draw out (e.g., money from bank, potential)
差し出すさしだす (sashidasu) — to present, to submit
持ち出すもちだす (mochidasu) — to take out, to bring out
言い出すいいだす (iidasu) — to start talking, to bring up (a topic)
探し出すさがしだす (sagashidasu) — to find out, to discover

Example Sentences

毎日まいにち家いえから出でます。

Mainichi ie kara demasu.

I go out from my house every day.

窓まどから顔かおを出だします。

Mado kara kao o dashimasu.

I stick my face out of the window.

彼かれは早朝そうちょうに家いえを出でて、仕事しごとに行いきます。

Kare wa sōchō ni ie o dete, shigoto ni ikimasu.

He leaves home early in the morning and goes to work.

郵便局ゆうびんきょくで手紙てがみを出だすのを忘わすれました。

Yūbinkyoku de tegami o dasu no o wasuremashita.

I forgot to mail the letter at the post office.

急いそいでいるので、駅えきの出口でぐちを探さがしています。

Isoide iru node, eki no deguchi o sagashite imasu.

Because I'm in a hurry, I'm looking for the station exit.

週末しゅうまつにはよく家族かぞくで外出がいしゅつします。

Shūmatsu ni wa yoku kazoku de gaishutsu shimasu.

On weekends, I often go out with my family.

会議かいぎに出席しゅっせきするため、早はやめに家いえを出でました。

Kaigi ni shusseki suru tame, hayame ni ie o demashita.

I left home early to attend the meeting.

新あたらしいアイデアあいであを出だすのはとても難むずかしいことです。

Atarashī aidia o dasu no wa totemo muzukashii koto desu.

It's very difficult to come up with new ideas.

彼かれはいつも勇気ゆうきを出だして困難こんなんに立たち向むかいます。

Kare wa itsumo yūki o dashite konnan ni tachimukaimasu.

He always summons courage to face difficulties.

Related Kanji

Memory Tip

To remember the kanji 出で, visualize it as a clear depiction of 'going out.' The character visually represents movement from inside to outside. Imagine two distinct structures or boundaries, perhaps like two mountains or walls. A figure or object is emerging from between them. The top part (山) suggests the upper boundary, and the bottom part (凵) the lower, while the central strokes depict the action of coming out. This simple, visual story helps cement its meaning. The kanji has just 5 strokes, making it easy to remember and write. Focus on the core idea of 'emergence' or 'exit,' much like the sun rising above mountains or someone leaving their home.