What is the Kanji for "Early" and "Fast"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Early" and "Fast", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Early" and "Fast" is "早".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Haya".

Its onyomi readings are "Sou" and "Sa".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "日" means "Day" and "Sun" and can be read as "Jitsu", "Nichi", "Hi", and "Ka". And The kanji "十" means "Ten" and can be read as "Juu" and "Too".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "早" mean in japanese?

"早" means "Early" and "Fast".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in First Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

早い: "Fast". The Japanese adjective '早い (はやい)' means 'fast'. This word is used to describe something that moves, occurs, or happens at a rapid pace. It can be applied to physical objects, actions, or time-related concepts. For example: The bullet train is fast - (新幹線は早い). She finished her work quickly - (彼女は仕事を早く終えた).

早く: "Quickly". The Japanese adverb '早く (はやく)' means 'quickly'. This adverb is used to describe how fast or rapidly an action is performed. It can be used to convey a sense of urgency or speed. For example: Run quickly - (早く走る). Please finish your work quickly - (早く仕事を終えてください).

早口: "Rapid speech". The Japanese noun '早口 (はやくち)' refers to rapid or fast speech. It describes the quality of speaking quickly, often without pausing. This word can be used to comment on someone's speaking pace, for example: She talks with rapid speech - (彼女は早口で話す). The rapid speech made it hard to understand - (早口だったので理解するのが難しかった).

早起き: "Early rise". The verbal noun '早起き (はやおき)' means 'early rise' or 'getting up early'. This refers to the action of waking up and getting out of bed at an early time, usually before most other people. It is considered a desirable habit and is associated with productivity and discipline. For example: I always try to do an early rise - (私は毎日早起きしようと心がけています). Early rising is good for your health - (早起きは健康にいい)

最早: "Already". The adverb '最早(もはや)' means 'already'. This adverb is used to indicate that something has occurred or been completed at an earlier time than expected. It can also convey a sense of finality or the end of a situation. For example: It's already too late - (もはや遅すぎる). The sun has already set - (もはや太陽は沈んでいる).

早速: "Immediately". The adverb '早速 (さっそく)' means 'immediately'. It is used to indicate that something will be done without delay or hesitation. It can be used to express a sense of urgency or eagerness. For example: I will start working on it immediately - (私はそれに早速取り組みます). Let's get started right away - (さっそく始めましょう).

素早い: "Fast" or "Quick". The Japanese adjective '素早い (すばやい)' means 'fast' or 'quick'. It describes something that moves or acts with great speed and agility. This word can be used to describe the movement of people, animals, or objects. For example: She ran fast - (彼女は素早く走った). The cheetah is a fast animal - (チーターは素早い動物です).

早期: "Early". The noun '早期 (そうき)' means 'early'. It refers to something happening or occurring sooner than normal or expected. '早期' can be used to describe events, stages, detection, or development that happen before the usual or typical time. For example: Early retirement - (早期退職), Early cancer detection - (早期がん発見).

早朝: "Early morning". The noun '早朝 (そうちょう)' refers to the early hours of the morning, typically before 9 AM. It is used to describe a time period when the day is just beginning and the sun has recently risen. For example: I wake up early in the early morning - (私は早朝に起きる). He goes for a walk in the early morning - (彼は早朝に散歩に行く).

早める: "Hasten". The Japanese verb '早める (はやめる)' means 'to hasten'. This verb is used to indicate that an action or process is being carried out faster or sooner than originally planned or expected. It can be used in both physical and non-physical contexts. For example: The company hastened the release of the new product - (その会社は新製品の発売を早めた). We should hasten the preparations for the event - (イベントの準備を早めるべきだ).

早まる: "Rush" or "Be hasty". The Japanese verb '早まる (はやまる)' means 'to rush' or 'to be hasty'. This verb expresses the action of doing something too quickly or without proper consideration. It can describe an impulsive or premature decision or action. For example: I shouldn't have rushed into that decision - (私はあの決断を早まってはいけませんでした). Let's not be hasty, let's think this through carefully - (早まらずにしっかりと考えましょう).

早め: "Early". The Japanese adjectival noun '早め (はやめ)' means 'early'. It is used to describe something that happens or is done before the usual or expected time. This word emphasizes the earliness of an action or event. For example: Arriving early - (早めに着く). I'll get there early - (早めに行きます).

早寝: "Early sleep". The verbal noun '早寝 (はやね)' means 'early sleep'. This phrase refers to the act of going to bed early, usually before a typical bedtime. It suggests a desire or habit of prioritizing sleep and rest, which can have benefits for health and productivity. For example: I always try to practice early sleep - (私はいつも早寝をするように気をつけている). Early sleep is important for waking up refreshed - (早寝は朝すっきり起きるために大切だ).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "は" is read as "ha". The hiragana "や" is read as "ya". The hiragana "そ" is read as "so". The hiragana "う" is read as "u". And The hiragana "さ" is read as "sa".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.