1.
early on; right away; promptly
Doing something soon after a certain point in time, without delay or lingering. Often implies leaving or finishing sooner than might be expected.
早々に帰った。
I left early.
Often follows a time expression or event to mean "right at the beginning of" or "soon after": 新年早々 (right at the start of the new year), 到着早々 (right after arriving). In this suffix-like usage, に is often omitted.
Common collocations
- 新年早々: right at the start of the new year
- 到着早々: right after arriving
- 開店早々: right after opening
- 早々に引き上げる: to withdraw early
- 早々に切り上げる: to wrap up early
Usage
As a standalone adverb (早々に), it means "promptly, without lingering." As a suffix attached to nouns (X早々), it means "right at the start of X" or "soon after X." Note the different reading: 早々と means "early, well ahead of time" (早々と席を取る, to grab seats well in advance).