手 早(てばや)い

てばやい

i-adjective

quick (with one's hands); deft

descriptive action

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	手早(てばや)い	手早(てばや)くない
Past	手早(てばや)かった	手早(てばや)くなかった
て form	手早(てばや)くて	手早(てばや)くなくて
Adverbial	手早(てばや)く	—
Conditional ば	手早(てばや)ければ	手早(てばや)くなければ
Conditional たら	手早(てばや)かったら	手早(てばや)くなかったら

1. quick; deft; nimble (at a task)

Doing a job with the hands quickly and efficiently. Most often used in the adverb form 手早(てばや)く.

手早(てばや)く片付(かたづ)ける。

To tidy up quickly.

彼女(かのじょ)は手早(てばや)く料理(りょうり)を作(つく)った。

She made the meal quickly.

看護師(かんごし)は手早(てばや)い動作(どうさ)で包帯(ほうたい)を巻(ま)き、次(つぎ)の患者(かんじゃ)に向(む)かった。

The nurse deftly wrapped the bandage and moved on to the next patient.

Literally "quick of hand": it praises speed and skill at a practical task such as cooking, packing or first aid.

Common collocations

手早(てばや)く済(す)ませる: to finish quickly
手早(てばや)く準備(じゅんび)する: to prepare quickly
手早(てばや)い作業(さぎょう): quick work

Similar words

素早(すばや)い: quick, agile; any fast movement or reaction, not only with the hands
手際(てぎわ)がいい: skillful and efficient (at handling a job)

Related Words

Compare: 素早(すばや)い (quick, agile)

general

Added 2026.10.8 4:20 · Revised 2026.10.8 4:23

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