How to say “early” in Japanese

早い

はやいhayai

い-adjectiveJLPT N5Adjectives

The short answer

“Early” in Japanese is 早い (はやい), pronounced hayai.

Pronunciation

The word has 3 beats (morae), each about the same length. Tap a syllable to hear it, or play the whole word:

How to use it

Early in time. Fast in speed is 速い.

Example sentences

朝早く起きました。あさはやくおきました。
I got up early in the morning.
まだ早いです。まだはやいです。
It’s still early.

Conjugation

The most useful forms of 早い. The rules are explained in い- vs. な-adjectives.

Form	Japanese	Meaning
Plain	早いはやい	early
Polite present	早いですはやいです	is early
Negative	早くないですはやくないです	isn’t early
Past	早かったですはやかったです	was early
Past negative	早くなかったですはやくなかったです	wasn’t early
て-form	早くてはやくて	early and…
Adverb (く)	早くはやく	adverb form (+ verb)

Quick practice

Test yourself0/3

What does {{早い}} mean?
How do you read {{早い}}?
Which word means “near”?

遅いslow 重いheavy 軽いlight (weight)明るいbright 暗いdark 多いmany 少ないfew 近いnear

FAQ

How do you say early in Japanese?

Early in Japanese is 早い (はやい), pronounced “hayai”.

How do you write early in Japanese?

It's written 早い with kanji, or はやい in hiragana. Both are read hayai.

Is 早い on the JLPT?

Yes. 早い (hayai) is a common word at JLPT N5 level, so it's worth learning early.