Japanese symbol for “swift”
早い
はやい
Romaji: hayai
fast; quick; rapid; swift
In Japanese, swift is 早い, read はやい (hayai).
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
- adj-i fast; quick; rapid; swift; speedy; brisk
- adj-i early; soon; earlier than usual
- adj-i premature; too soon; too early
- adj-i easy; simple; quick; fast
- adj-i as soon as ...; the moment ...; the instant ...
Written forms: 早い、速い、疾い、捷い. Readings: はやい、はえー、はっやい、はっやーい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “swift”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 速やか | すみやか sumiyaka | quick; speedy; prompt |
| 素早い | すばやい subayai | quick; swift; nimble |
| 迅速 | じんそく jinsoku | (very) quick; rapid; swift |
| 急 | きゅう kyuu | rapid; swift; fast |
| 足早 | あしばや ashibaya | quick (passing of time); rapid; swift |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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 “swift”.
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.