noun
quick-pickled vegetables
Refers to vegetables that are pickled for a short time, often just a few hours or overnight, resulting in a fresh, lightly salted taste. Common in home cooking.
きゅうりの早漬けは簡単に作れる。
Quick-pickled cucumbers are easy to make.
夕飯に大根の早漬けを添えた。
I served quick-pickled daikon with dinner.
浅漬け is a more common term for lightly pickled vegetables, often synonymous with 早漬け, but 早漬け emphasizes the short pickling time.
漬物 is the general term for pickles, including long-fermented varieties, while 早漬け specifically refers to quick pickles.
Compound of 早 (haya, 'quick, early') and 漬け (zuke, 'pickling'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word transparently describes the short pickling process.