What does “hayai” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “hayai” to mean ‘fast’ or ‘early’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “hayai” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “hayai”
- Hayakunai: the nai form of “hayai”
- Hayakatta: the ta form of “hayai”
- Hayakute: the te form of “hayai”
- Hayakereba: the ba form of “hayai”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “hayai”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “hayai”.
- hayai – 速い/早い (はやい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘fast’ or ‘early’ in Japanese.
“Hayai” has two different kanji expressions. The first one means ‘fast’ and the second means ‘early’ in Japanese. Both have the same conjugations, so I will explain them together in this blog post.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “fast” in Japanese
kono kuruma wa totemo hayai – この車はとても速い (このくるまはとてもはやい)
This car is very fast.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “kuruma” to say “this car” in Japanese.
- kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kono kuruma” to make the subject in the sentence.
- totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works before “hayai” to emphasize its meaning.
This is a typical usage of “hayai”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “totemo hayai kuruma” to mean a ‘very fast car’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing, I think. Anyway, when we want to say “fast” in Japanese, this i-adjective is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “hayai” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “hayakunai”.
Hayakunai: the nai form of “hayai”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hayakunai”.
- hayakunai – 速くない/早くない (はやくない) : the nai form of “hayai”, which means ‘not fast’ or ‘not early’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hayakunai” consists of the following two parts:
- hayaku – 速く/早く (はやく) : one conjugation of “hayai”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “hayakunai” is literally the nai form of “hayai” and means ‘not fast’ or ‘not early’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not fast” in Japanese
watashi no kuruma wa hayakunai – 私の車は速くない (わたしのくるまははやくない)
My car is not fast.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “hayakunai”. When we want to mean ‘not fast’ in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.
Hayakatta: the ta form of “hayai”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hayakatta”.
- hayakatta – 速かった/早かった (はやかった) : the ta form of “hayai”, which means ‘was fast’, ‘was early’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hayakatta” consists of the following two parts:
- hayakat – 速かっ/早かっ (はやかっ) : one conjugation of “hayai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “hayakatta” is literally the ta form of “hayai” and means ‘was fast’, ‘was early’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “was fast” in Japanese
kanojo no aoi kuruma wa hayakatta – 彼女の青い車は速かった (かのじょのあおいくるまははやかった)
Her blue car was fast.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to say “her” in Japanese.
- aoi – 青い (あおい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘blue’ in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of “kuruma” to say “blue car” in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “hayakatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “hayai”, this ta form is the best option.
Hayakute: the te form of “hayai”
Below are the definition and meanings of “hayakute”.
- hayakute – 速くて/早くて (はやくて) : the te form of “hayai”, which means ‘fast’ or ‘early’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hayakute” consists of the following two parts:
- hayaku – 速く/早く (はやく) : one conjugation of “hayai”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “hayakute” is literally the te form of “hayai”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “hayakute” is very useful when we want to use “hayai” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “early and” in Japanese
asa hayakute samui – 朝早くて寒い (あさはやくてさむい)
It’s early in the morning and cold.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- asa – 朝 (あさ) : a noun meaning ‘morning’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb at the beginning of the sentence to say “in the morning” in Japanese.
- samui – 寒い (さむい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘cold’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “hayakute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “samui”. When we want to use “hayai” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is useful to make a smooth connection.
Hayakereba: the ba form of “hayai”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “hayakereba”.
- hayakereba – 速ければ/早ければ (はやければ) : the ba form of “hayai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘fast’ or ‘early’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “hayakereba” consists of the following two parts:
- hayakere – 速けれ/早けれ (はやけれ) : one conjugation of “hayai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “hayakereba” is literally the ba form of “hayai”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “hayakereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘fast’ or ‘early’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “if early” in Japanese
mada hayakereba, boku wa mata neru yo – まだ早ければ、僕はまた寝るよ (まだはやければ、ぼくはまたねるよ)
If it’s still early, I go back to sleep.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- mada – まだ : an adverb meaning ‘still’ or such in Japanese.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- mata – また : an adverb meaning ‘again’ or such in Japanese.
- neru – 寝る (ねる) : a verb meaning ‘to go to bed’, ‘to sleep’, or such in Japanese.
- yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the second clause to state the speaker’s idea softly.
This is a typical usage of “hayakereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “mada hayakereba”, which means “if it’s still early” in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘early’ or ‘fast’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “hayai” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- hayai – 速い/早い (はやい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘fast’ or ‘early’ in Japanese. The first kanji expression means ‘fast’ and the second means ‘early’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
- hayakunai – 速くない/早くない (はやくない) : the nai form of “hayai”, which means ‘not fast’ or ‘not early’ in Japanese.
- hayakatta – 速かった/早かった (はやかった) : the ta form of “hayai”, which means ‘was fast’, ‘was early’, or such in Japanese. This is the past tense form of “hayai”.
- hayakute – 速くて/早くて (はやくて) : the te form of “hayai”, which means ‘fast’ or ‘early’ in Japanese. When we want to use “hayai” in front of another adjective, this te form is useful to make a smooth connection.
- hayakereba – 速ければ/早ければ (はやければ) : the ba form of “hayai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘fast’ or ‘early’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.