How to Say ‘It was early / It was fast.’ in Japanese
早かった
hayakatsu ta
[hah-yah-kah tah]
💬 Usage Tip: [早かった] is past tense of [早い]. It can mean “early” (timing) or “fast” (speed), so context matters. For “fast” only, [速かった] is clearer.
🇯🇵 In Japan: In lessons and meetings, people often say [早かったです] meaning “That was too fast (for me).” It’s a normal, helpful comment.
Phrase Breakdown
早かっ
hayakatsu
[hah-yah-kah]
was early; was fast
The stem of the past form of 早い (early/fast): 早かった. Used to say something was too quick/early.
説明が早かっ たので、分かりませんでした。
The explanation was too fast, so I didn’t understand.
た
ta
[tah]
(past tense ending) -ta
Past tense ending for i-adjectives (and some verb forms). Here it completes 早かった (was early/fast).
先生の話は早かっ たです。
The teacher’s speaking was fast.
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