ahead of others; slightly earlier; before someone else
Used when someone does something a little before others, often implying a head start or leaving earlier. Common in contexts of departure, action, or progress.
He went home a little earlier than the others.
I arrived at the venue ahead of everyone else and started preparing.
Standard kanji spelling for this adverbial phrase.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling, often used for readability.
Compound of 一足 (ひとあし, 'one step') + 先に (さきに, 'ahead'). Literally 'one step ahead', used idiomatically to mean doing something slightly before others.