外観

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 外観 is read as がいかん and means the exterior or visible appearance of a building or object.
• Basic usage: Use 建物の外観 for a building’s outside and 箱の外観だけでは for judging from a box’s visible form alone.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Exterior and interior
  • A building can retain an old exterior while its interior has been renovated, so the two areas can differ in condition.
• Appearance does not reveal contents
  • A box’s exterior supplies only visible information and cannot by itself establish what is inside.