早はやめ

は

や

め

JLPTN3›Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', na-adjective, noun

early; a little earlier than usual

Describes doing something ahead of the usual or expected time; often used with に as an adverb. The 早め spelling is typical.

明日あしたは早はやめに家いえを出でよう

。

Let's leave home a little early tomorrow.

早はやめのご連れん絡らくをお願ねがいします。

Please contact us at your earliest convenience.

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', na-adjective, noun

a little faster than usual; slightly quicker

Used when increasing speed or pace slightly; 速め is the preferred kanji. Often appears as 速めに or 速めの.

もう少すこし速はやめに歩あるいてください。
Please walk a little faster.
曲きょくのテンポを速はやめに設せっ定ていした。
I set the tempo of the song a bit faster.

Usage patterns

早はやめに〈動どう詞し〉to do something a little earlier than usual
明日あしたは早はやめに家いえを出でるつもりです。
I plan to leave home a little earlier than usual tomorrow.
早はやめの〈事こと〉an earlier-than-usual (action/measure)
早はやめの対たい策さくが大たい切せつです。
Taking early measures is important.
速はやめに〈動どう詞し〉to do something a bit faster than usual
遅おくれそうなので速はやめに歩あるいた。
I walked a bit faster since I thought I might be late.

Kanji

早early, fast
目eye, class, look
速quick, fast

Opposites

遅おそめN3
早め describes doing something a little earlier than usual, while 遅め describes doing something a little later or slower than usual.

Don't confuse with

早はやいN5sense 1
早い is the plain adjective meaning 'early', while 早め is a noun/adjectival noun meaning 'a bit earlier than usual', often used as 早めに.

Word family

早はやめるN2
bring forward; advance; hasten; expedite · speed up; quicken; accelerate
早はやめに
a little early; earlier than usual; ahead of time · rather quickly; a little faster than usual
早はやめ薬ぐすり
drugs to induce or speed up childbirth

Written forms

早はやめUsage90%
Standard kanji for 'early' sense; also used broadly as the default spelling.
早はや目めUsage10%
Variant spelling using 目; less common but seen in informal writing.
速はやめUsage1%
Used specifically for 'a little faster' sense, emphasizing speed.
速はや目め
Rare variant for speed sense; 速め is preferred.

Etymology

Derived from the adjective 早い/速い (はやい) by replacing the い with the suffix め, which indicates a moderate degree or tendency. The kanji choice reflects the nuance of time (早) vs. speed (速).

お早はやめに

sooner rather than later; as soon as possible; quickly