also: にんがい
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
uninhabited area; remote place
Only with reading じんがい
Refers to a place far from human habitation, often with a literary or old-fashioned feel. Reading restricted to じんがい.
その山奥は人外の地と呼ばれていた。
That deep mountain area was called an uninhabited land.
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
inhuman act; inhuman person
Describes behavior or a person that is cruel, heartless, or beyond normal human decency. Can be used for both the act and the person. Both readings possible, but じんがい is more common.
彼のしたことは人外の所業だ。
What he did is an inhuman act.
あんな人外にはなりたくない。
I don't want to become such an inhuman person.
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
nonhuman being; sentient nonhuman
Only with reading じんがい
Slang term, often used in fantasy or otaku contexts for sentient nonhuman creatures like monsters, demons, or anthropomorphic animals. Reading restricted to じんがい.
このゲームには人外のキャラクターがたくさん登場する。
Many nonhuman characters appear in this game.
無人 means 'unmanned' or 'uninhabited' and is more common for describing places without people, while 人外 (じんがい) has a more literary or old-fashioned nuance for uninhabited areas.
非人道的 means 'inhumane' and is the standard term for cruel or unethical treatment, whereas 人外 as 'inhuman' is less common and can sound more dramatic or archaic.
Compound of 人 (person) and 外 (outside). The literal meaning 'outside of people' gives rise to the senses of uninhabited places, inhuman behavior, and nonhuman beings. The reading じんがい is the standard Sino-Japanese reading; にんがい is a less common variant.