外公 (wài gōng)

Character breakdown

• 外 (wài) · 5 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 卜 represents the meaning and 月 represents the sound.

• 公 (gōng) · 4 strokes

  Pictograph of a earthen jar for holding liquid, now written as 瓮. The current meaning "public" is a phonetic loan.