早はやいとこ

also: はやいところ

は

や

い

と

こ

Meanings

expression, adverb

promptly; quickly; without delay

Colloquial adverbial phrase meaning 'as soon as possible' or 'right away'. Often used in casual requests or suggestions. The contracted form 早いとこ is more common in speech.

See also: 早いこと (はやいこと)

早はやいとこ宿しゅく題だいを終おわらせちゃおう。
Let's finish our homework quickly.
早はやいところ帰かえったほうがいいよ。
You'd better go home as soon as possible.

See all 3 example sentences ›

Kanji

早early, fast
所place, extent

Related words

早はやいこと
Similar meaning but slightly more formal and less colloquial than 早いとこ. 早いこと is often used in written instructions or polite speech.
さっさと
Also means 'quickly' but carries a stronger nuance of doing something briskly, sometimes with impatience or brusqueness. 早いとこ is softer and more about timeliness.

Written forms

早はやいとこ
Most common colloquial spelling; the contracted form とこ is standard in casual speech.
早はやいところ
Full form, slightly more formal or emphatic than 早いとこ.
早い所
- はやいとこ
  Kanji spelling for とこ; less common and may be confused with literal 所.
- はやいところ
はやいところ

Etymology

Contraction of 早いところ (hayai tokoro), literally 'early place/time', which developed into an adverbial phrase meaning 'promptly'. The contracted form 早いとこ is a common colloquial reduction.