Japanese symbol for “early”
早く
はやく
Romaji: hayaku
early; soon
In Japanese, early is 早く, read はやく (hayaku).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adv, n early; soon
- adv quickly; swiftly; rapidly; fast
Written forms: 早く、速く. Readings: はやく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “early”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 早い | はやい hayai | early; soon; earlier than usual |
| 早々 | はやばや hayabaya | early; quickly; promptly |
| 早め | はやめ hayame | early; a little earlier than usual |
| 早 | はや haya | quick; early; fast |
| 早う | はよう hayou | early; right away; at once |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 早い | はやい hayai | fast; quick; rapid |
| 早期 | そうき souki | early stage |
| 早朝 | そうちょう souchou | early morning |
| 早速 | さっそく sassoku | at once; immediately; without delay |
| 素早い | すばやい subayai | quick; swift; nimble |
| 早々 | そうそう sousou | as soon as ...; just after ...; immediately after ... |
See also: Chinese symbol for “early”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.