LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N5Lesson notes · Sep 30, 2026

Fast, early, slow and late in Japanese: 早はやい vs 速はやい, and one 遅おそい for both

"Fast" is 速はやい and "early" is 早はやい, and both are pronounced はやい — while 遅おそい (おそい) means both "slow" and "late," so Japanese has two words where English has four.

That mismatch is the whole lesson. English splits the world into fast / slow (speed) and early / late (time). Japanese splits it differently: two different kanji for the "fast" side, one shared word for the "slow/late" side. Once you see the shape, the confusing bits stop being confusing.

The basics

How do you say "fast" in Japanese?

速はやい (はやい) is "fast" in the speed sense: something covers ground quickly.

新幹線しんかんせんは速はやいですね。 — The bullet train is fast, isn't it? (polite, speed) 彼かれは足あしが速はやい。 — He is a fast runner. (literally "his legs are fast"; casual)

If you are talking about how fast something moves, running, or flies, 速はやい is the one. The related noun 速度そくど (そくど) means "speed," which is a handy way to remember that this kanji is about velocity.

How do you say "early" in Japanese?

早はやい (はやい) is "early": it is about time, not speed.

明日あしたは早はやいので、もう寝ねます。 — I have an early start tomorrow, so I'm going to bed. (polite, explaining why) 今日きょうは早はやく起おきました。 — I got up early today. (polite, adverb form)

Same sound, different kanji, different idea. That is why はやい is a classic homophone: speech cannot tell the two apart, and context or kanji does the work. If that idea is new, Japanese homophones explains why the language lives with so many of these.

Is there a trick for telling 早はやい and 速はやい apart?

A memory aid, not a rule: 速そく has the "road" part on the left, which fits movement along a path, so it goes with speed. 早そう does not, so it goes with time. It is only a mnemonic, but it works well for beginners. And if you are ever unsure, write はやい in hiragana. Nobody will mark you wrong.

What about "slow" and "late"?

Here Japanese gets lazy in a good way: 遅おそい (おそい) is both "slow" and "late."

この電車でんしゃは遅おそい。 — This train is slow. (casual, speed) もう遅おそいから、寝ねなさい。 — It's already late, so go to sleep. (casual, parent-style, time)

This table is the map to keep in your head:

English Japanese Idea
fast 速はやい speed
early 早はやい time
slow 遅おそい speed
late (time) 遅おそい time
be late (for something) 遅おくれる / 遅刻ちこくする verb: missing the schedule

Two English words fall into 遅おそい. Two more sit on the "fast/early" side and get different kanji. The odd one out is not 遅おそい. It is the pair はやい.

Beyond the basics

Does 電車でんしゃが遅おそい mean the train is slow or late?

It depends on context, and this is the spot where learners get caught. 電車でんしゃが遅おそい can mean the train is slow or that it is late in coming, depending on the situation. To say clearly that it is running late, Japanese switches to the verb 遅おくれる:

電車でんしゃが遅おくれています。 — The train is running late. (polite, the typical announcement wording)

So: 遅おそい describes a state (slow, or late in the day), while 遅おくれる describes something that missed its schedule.

What is the difference between 遅おくれる and 遅刻ちこくする?

Both are "be late," but with different jobs.

遅おくれる (おくれる) is the general verb: things, people, or plans fall behind. 遅刻ちこくする (ちこくする) is narrower: a person arrives after the required time, like school or work. 遅おくれる is the flexible one; 遅刻ちこく has a slightly "you got marked late" feel.

すみません、電車でんしゃが遅おくれて、五分ごぶ遅おくれます。 — Sorry, the train is delayed, so I'll be five minutes late. (polite, natural to send before you arrive) 寝坊ねぼうして、学校がっこうに遅刻ちこくした。 — I overslept and was late for school. (casual, past)

Notice the pattern 〜に遅おくれる: 時間じかんに遅おくれる, 会議かいぎに遅おくれる. If you want the fuller etiquette of texting ahead, see how to say you will be late in Japanese.

How do the adverbs 早はやく, 速はやく and 遅おそく work?

Turn い into く and you get the adverb: 早はやく (early / soon), 速はやく (fast, at speed), 遅おそく (late).

もっと速はやく走はしって! — Run faster! (casual, speed) 昨日きのうは夜遅よるおそくまで働はたらいた。 — I worked until late at night yesterday. (casual, time) 早はやく! — Hurry! / Quick! (casual, shouted at someone)

The last one is the "hurry up" word. Note that 早はやく! sits on the time kanji: the idea is "get it done soon," not "move your legs quickly." If you want the full spread of urging phrases, hurry up in Japanese covers 急いそいで and the rest.

What does the め in 早はやめ and 遅おそめ do?

Add め to the stem and you get "a bit more X than usual": 早はやめ (はやめ) is "a bit early," 遅おそめ (おそめ) is "a bit late."

早はやめに来きてください。 — Please come a little early. (polite, a soft request) 遅おそめの昼ひるごはんを食たべた。 — I had a late-ish lunch. (casual, past)

早はやめに is one of the most useful phrases you can learn for daily life. It is friendly, natural, and shows up in emails and notices constantly. A natural partner is a leaving verb, as in 早はやめに家いえを出でる, and leave in Japanese sorts 出でる, which takes を, from 出でかける for heading out and 帰かえる for going home.

What is the difference between ゆっくり and 遅おそい?

ゆっくり is the manner word: "slowly, without rushing." 遅おそい is a label for a thing or a person that is slow, often with a slight negative feel (a slow train, a slow learner).

もう少すこしゆっくり話はなしてください。 — Please speak a bit more slowly. (polite, the classic learner request) どうぞ、ゆっくりしてください。 — Please make yourself at home. / Take your time. (polite, host to guest)

ゆっくりしてください does not really mean "do it slowly." It means "relax and take your time," which is why hosts say it and why it feels warm. If you say 遅おそく話はなしてください instead, you will be understood, but it sounds like a translation.

Where does telling time fit in?

Whenever you say "early" or "late," a clock is usually nearby, so it helps to have the hours down. How to tell time in Japanese covers the time words and the readings that break.

What does 手てが早はやい mean?

手てが早はやい is an idiom, and it is one to be careful with. It is a common idiom for someone who is quick to use their hands, and in everyday talk it is often used for a person who is quick to start fights or quick to make romantic advances. In context it can also mean "fast at doing the work" for a job. Because the meanings vary, you will rarely say it about yourself or a friend. Learners should mainly recognize it and hesitate before applying it to a real person.

あいつは手てが早はやいから、気きをつけて。 — Watch out for that guy, he's quick with his hands. (casual, a warning)

You will hear it in anime whenever a character warns someone about a rough or flirty type. The literal "fast hands" reading is only the starting point.

How does this sound in anime?

Two lines come up constantly. The scolding 遅おそい! is what a character says to someone who arrives late: "You're late!" And an admiring はやっ! — the い chopped off — means "wow, that was fast!" when someone does something quickly. In both cases the sound is what you hear, so the kanji is invisible. Your ears have to use the scene, which is exactly why you learn the two kanji separately.

Common mistakes

  • Writing 速はやい for "early." 速はやい朝あさ is not "early morning." Use 早はやい朝あさ or 朝早あさはやく. Speed and time are separate kanji.
  • Writing 早はやい for "the train is fast." For raw speed, use 速はやい. (For someone quick at a task, like work, you will see both, so this is a spot where the line blurs.)
  • Using 遅おそい when you mean "I will be late." 遅おそいです sounds like a comment on someone's pace. To say you are running late, use 遅おくれます: 五分ごぶ遅おくれます.
  • Translating ゆっくりしてください as "please be slow." In a home or a shop it means "please relax." Only in a context of speech or speed does it mean "slowly."
  • Saying 手てが早はやい about yourself as a compliment. It usually does not come across as one.

FAQ

How do you say "fast" in Japanese? 速はやい (はやい) for speed, as in 足あしが速はやい. For "quick to finish something," you can also hear 早はやい. When unsure, はやい in hiragana is safe.

How do you say "slow" in Japanese? 遅おそい (おそい) is the adjective. For the manner word "slowly," use ゆっくり: ゆっくり話はなしてください.

How do you say "early" in Japanese? 早はやい (はやい), with the adverb 早はやく. A morning-early start is 朝早あさはやく or 早起はやおき.

How do you say "late" in Japanese? For a late hour, 遅おそい or 遅おそく: 夜遅よるおそく. For "be late," use the verb 遅おくれる, or 遅刻ちこくする for arriving late to school or work.

Are 早はやい and 速はやい interchangeable? Not really. 早はやい is about time and 速はやい is about speed. The overlap is small, mostly with phrases like 仕事しごとが早はやい, where the speed-of-doing and the time idea blur.

What is the opposite of はやい? 遅おそい, for both kinds. 早はやい ↔ 遅おそい covers time, and 速はやい ↔ 遅おそい covers speed, which is exactly why 遅おそい can feel overloaded.

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair, and so are 7 and 8.

1. Say "The bullet train is fast."

Show answer

新幹線しんかんせんは速はやいです — this is speed, so it takes 速はやい.

2. Say "I have an early start tomorrow."

Show answer

明日あしたは早はやいです — this is time, so it takes 早はやい. Same sound as question 1, different kanji.

3. Which kanji goes in 足あしが_い for "a fast runner"?

Show answer

速そく — running is speed, so 足あしが速はやい.

4. Which kanji goes in _く起おきる for "get up early"?

Show answer

早そう — waking up early is time, so 早はやく起おきる. This is the pair to question 3.

5. Does 電車でんしゃが遅おそい mean "the train is slow" or "the train is late"?

Show answer

Either, depending on context — standing on a platform, 電車でんしゃ遅おそいね often means "the train is late." To say it clearly, use 電車でんしゃが遅おくれています.

6. You are running late for a meeting. Which do you send: 遅おそいです or 遅おくれます?

Show answer

遅おくれます — you want the verb for missing a schedule. 遅おそいです just describes something as slow or late at night.

7. Ask someone politely to speak more slowly.

Show answer

もう少すこしゆっくり話はなしてください — ゆっくり is the manner word for "slowly." This is the pair to question 8.

8. A host says どうぞ、ゆっくりしてください. What does it mean?

Show answer

Please relax / take your time — the same ゆっくり, but here it means "don't rush and feel at home," not "act slowly."

9. What does 早はやめに来きてください ask you to do?

Show answer

Come a little early — め adds "somewhat" to 早はやい, so it is a soft request, not a strict deadline.

Use a trial lesson to say 速はやい for a speedy train and 早はやい for an early morning, and describe a day you were late using 遅おくれる.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

速い	はやい — fast (speed)
早い	はやい — early
遅い	おそい — slow; late (time)
遅れる	おくれる — to be late, to be delayed
遅刻する	ちこくする — to arrive late (school, work)
早く	はやく — early, soon, quickly (hurry!)
速く	はやく — fast, at speed
遅く	おそく — late
早め	はやめ — a little early
遅め	おそめ — a little late
ゆっくり	ゆっくり — slowly; at ease
速度	そくど — speed
手が早い	てがはやい — quick with one's hands (idiom, use with care)

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, where はやい and おそい trip people up early. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

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