早い

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
早
はや
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Etymology

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Kojiki of 712. Reconstructed as ultimately from Proto-Japonic *paya.

Pronunciation

  • Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of "早い"
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Continuative (連用形) 早く は​やく
はや​く
Terminal (終止形) 早い はや​い
Attributive (連体形) 早い はや​い
Key constructions
Informal negative 早くない は​やくない
はや​くない
Informal past 早かった は​やかった
はや​かった
Informal negative past 早くなかった は​やくなかった
はや​くなかった
Formal 早いです はや​いです
Conjunctive 早くて は​やくて
はや​くて
Conditional 早ければ は​やければ
はや​ければ

Adjective

早(はや)い • (hayai) -i (adverbial 早(はや)く (hayaku))

  1. early
    Antonym: 晩い (osoi, “late”)
    おはよう。相変(あいか)わらず起(お)きるの早(はや)いね。
    Ohayō. Aikawarazu okiru no hayai ne.
    Good morning. You sure get up early, don't you? Just like always.
    人類(じんるい)には早(はや)すぎる動画(どうが)
    jinrui ni wa hayasugiru dōga
    videos that humanity is not ready for (Niconico Video slang phrase)
    (literally, “videos that are too early for humanity”)
  2. quick-witted
    Antonyms: 遅い (osoi, “slow-witted”), 愚か (oroka), 鈍い (nibui)
  3. 速い: quick, fast, speedy
    Antonym: 遅い (osoi, “slow”)

Usage notes

In modern usage, authors often use the 早い spelling for the early sense and the 速い spelling for fast. These are ultimately the same word, identical in speech, with the sense clear from context.

Inflection

Inflection of 早い
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) 早かろ はやかろ hayakaro
Continuative (連用形) 早く はやく hayaku
Terminal (終止形) 早い はやい hayai
Attributive (連体形) 早い はやい hayai
Hypothetical (仮定形) 早けれ はやけれ hayakere
Imperative (命令形) 早かれ はやかれ hayakare
Key constructions
Informal negative 早くない はやくない hayaku nai
Informal past 早かった はやかった hayakatta
Informal negative past 早くなかった はやくなかった hayaku nakatta
Formal 早いです はやいです hayai desu
Formal negative 早くないです はやくないです hayaku nai desu
Formal past 早かったです はやかったです hayakatta desu
Formal negative past 早くなかったです はやくなかったです hayaku nakatta desu
Conjunctive 早くて はやくて hayakute
Conditional 早ければ はやければ hayakereba
Provisional 早かったら はやかったら hayakattara
Volitional 早かろう はやかろう hayakarō
Adverbial 早く はやく hayaku
Degree 早さ はやさ hayasa

References

  1. ^ “早・速・疾・捷”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
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