How do you say "It was fast" in Japanese?

"It was fast" in Japanese is "早かったです". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘It was fast’ in Japanese

Q: What does "早かったです" mean in English?

"早かったです" means "It was fast" in English. Usage tip: [早かったです] is polite past. Often implies “too fast for me” in context; you can add [ちょっと] to soften: [ちょっと早かったです].

早かったです

hayakatsu ta desu

[hah-yah-kah tah dehss]

💬 Usage Tip: [早かったです] is polite past. Often implies “too fast for me” in context; you can add [ちょっと] to soften: [ちょっと早かったです].

🇯🇵 In Japan: Saying something was fast is a socially acceptable way to request repetition without blaming the other person.

Phrase Breakdown

早かった

hayakatsu ta

was early / was fast

Past plain form of the i-adjective 早い (early/fast). Used to say something happened earlier than expected or was quicker than expected.

Example

電車が思ったより早かった。

The train was earlier/faster than I expected.

Words in this phrase

早かっ

hayakatsu

[hah-yah-kah]

was early/fast (polite) (part)

This chunk is part of 早かったです, combining the past adjective 早かった with polite です.

Example

説明が早かったです。

The explanation was fast.

た

[tah]

(past ending) -ta

Completes the past form of the i-adjective: 早かった (was early/fast).

Example

思ったより早かったです。

It was faster than I thought.

です

desu

[dehss]

is/are/am (polite)

Adds politeness to the statement. 早かったです is a common polite way to say “It was fast/early.”

Example

さっきの説明は早かったです。

The explanation earlier was fast.

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