Translation guide
How to express 'speeding up' in Japanese, covering physical acceleration, increasing pace, and making processes faster.
The economic recovery is speeding up.
Literally 'raise the speed', a common phrase for increasing speed.
もう少しスピードを上げてください。
Please speed up a little more.
More formal or literary way to say 'increase speed'.
列車は徐々に速度を増した。
The train gradually picked up speed.
To hurry up a task, make something proceed more quickly.
Transitive verb meaning to hasten or advance something. Often used for schedules, processes, or actions.
出発の時間を早めましょう。
Let's move up the departure time.
作業のペースを早めてください。
Please speed up the work pace.
To hurry, rush. Intransitive, but can be used with a task as the object marked by を.
Literally 'raise the tempo', used for work pace, music, or rhythm.
もう少しテンポを上げて作業しよう。
Let's work a bit faster.
To promote, accelerate (often used in formal contexts like business or policy).
政府は改革を促進している。
The government is speeding up reforms.
To walk or run faster.
To increase walking speed.
遅れそうなので、歩く速度を上げた。
I was going to be late, so I sped up my walking.
Literally 'quicken one's feet', a natural way to say walk faster.
彼は足を速めて駅に向かった。
He quickened his pace toward the station.
Double-time, trot; often used in commands or descriptions of moving quickly.
To increase playback speed.
Standard phrase for increasing playback speed.
動画の再生速度を1.5倍に上げた。
I sped up the video playback to 1.5x.
To fast-forward.
つまらない部分は早送りした。
I fast-forwarded through the boring parts.
早める (はやめる) means to make something happen earlier (time), while 速める (はやめる) means to increase speed. However, in many contexts, 早める is used for both, especially in casual writing.
スピードアップ is a loanword often used in business or technical contexts, but it can sound unnatural in daily conversation. Use native Japanese expressions like 早める or 加速する instead.
Please hurry up with the work.
駆け足で集合！
Gather at a run!