早(はや)め

はやめ
noun
a bit early, on the early side
1. a bit early, somewhat early, on the early side
Indicates something done earlier than usual or expected, but not extremely early. Often used with に to function adverbially.
早(はや)めに出(で)かける。
To head out a bit early.
明日(あした)は早(はや)めに寝(ね)よう。
Let's go to bed a bit early tomorrow.
道(みち)が混(こ)むかもしれないから、早(はや)めに家(いえ)を出(で)た方(ほう)がいい。
The roads might be congested, so it's better to leave home a bit early.

早(はや)め means "a bit early" or "on the early side." It is formed from the adjective 早(はや)い with the suffix め, which softens the meaning to "somewhat" or "a bit."

Common patterns

早(はや)めに + verb: to do something a bit early

Similar words

The め suffix can attach to many adjectives to create this "somewhat ~" meaning.

Related Words

Compare: 遅(おそ)め (a bit late)
Compare: 多(おお)め (a bit more than usual)
Compare: 少(すく)なめ (a bit less than usual)
general
Added 2026.2.14 21:48 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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