早く
hayaku
The Japanese word for "quickly" is 早く (hayaku).
早く is used to describe actions being performed with speed or rapidity. Depending on the context of the sentence, it can also mean "early" in relation to time.
Meaning: rapidly, fast (adv)
Which one should you use?
While 早く means "quickly" regarding speed, it also carries the meaning of "early" regarding time. The specific meaning is determined by the surrounding context.
How does it change in a sentence?
早く is the adverbial form of the i-adjective 早い. It is created by changing the final -i of the adjective to -ku.
How do you pronounce it?
hayaku
Did you know?
- The nuance of 'impatience' is often baked into 早く, making it a word that signals the speaker's frustration rather than just the speed of the action.
- If you want to say 'quickly' to a superior, using 早く can sound impolite or demanding, as it often carries the nuance of an impatient command.
- If you want to say 'quickly' in a way that sounds more like 'soon' or 'in a short time', you might switch to a completely different word like すぐ, as 早く focuses more on the velocity of the action itself.
Examples in context
- 早く入って。Enter quickly.This sentence demonstrates how to use 早く to give a command to enter.Tatoeba #10906697 by small_snow, translation #10906698 by CK
- 早く書いて！Write it quickly!This sentence shows how to use 早く to urge someone to write.Tatoeba #12135548 by small_snow, translation #12135544 by yujiang
- 早く用意して。Get ready quickly.This sentence illustrates using 早く to request someone to prepare.Tatoeba #140537 by small_snow, translation #274036 by CK
- 44 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are about to leave for the station.
- 蓮 Renもう時間だよ。早く行こう！Mō jikan dayo. Hayaku ikō!It's already time. Let's go quickly!
- 陽葵 Himariあとちょっと待ってね。Ato chotto matte ne.Wait just a little bit more.
- 蓮 Ren遅れるよ。早くして！Okureru yo. Hayaku shite!We'll be late. Hurry up!
- 陽葵 Himariわかった、今行くよ。Wakatta, ima iku yo.I get it, I'm coming now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 早く, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
