How do you say "I arrived a little early." in Japanese?

"I arrived a little early." in Japanese is "少し早く着きました。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

What does "少し早く着きました。" mean in English?

"少し早く着きました。" means "I arrived a little early." in English. Usage tip: [少し早く着きました] is a very natural way to say you got there a bit early. Polite and easy to use.

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How to Say ‘I arrived a little early.’ in Japanese

少し早く着きました。

sukoshi hayaku tsuki mashi ta

[sukoshi hayaku tsuki mashi ta]

💬 Usage Tip: [少し早く着きました] is a very natural way to say you got there a bit early. Polite and easy to use.

🇯🇵 In Japan: In Japan, arriving a little early is usually seen positively, especially for reservations like golf tee times.

Phrase Breakdown

少し

sukoshi

[sukoshi]

a little; a bit

An adverb meaning a small amount or slightly.

Example

今日は少し早く着きました。

Today I arrived a little early.

早く

hayaku

[hayaku]

early; quickly

An adverb meaning early or quickly. Here it means early.

Example

少し早く着きました。

I arrived a little early.

着きました

tsuki mashi ta

Words in this phrase

着き

tsuki

[tsuki]

arrived

Verb stem from 着く, used here in the polite past form.

Example

少し早く着きました。

I arrived a little early.

まし

mashi

[mashi]

polite verb marker

Part of the polite form used in formal conversation.

Example

少し早く着きました。

I arrived a little early.

た

[ta]

past tense marker

Shows that the action happened in the past.

Example

少し早く着きました。

I arrived a little early.

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