a little early; earlier than usual; ahead of time
Used when doing something slightly before the expected or usual time. Often implies a precautionary or considerate action.
Let's leave home a little early tomorrow.
You'd better make a reservation ahead of time.
rather quickly; a little faster than usual
Used when doing something at a somewhat faster pace than normal. Less common than the temporal sense; typically written with 速.
Please walk a little faster.
仕事を速めに片付けた。
I finished the work rather quickly.
sooner rather than later; as soon as possible; quickly
Standard spelling for the temporal sense 'a little early'. The kanji 早 is used for time-related meanings.
Variant spelling using 目 instead of め; less common but still seen.
Used for the speed-related sense 'rather quickly'. The kanji 速 indicates speed.
Rare variant combining 速 and 目 for the speed sense.
Formed from the adjective 早い (early/fast) by adding the suffix め (indicating a moderate degree) and the adverbial particle に.