How to Say ‘Early’ in Japanese
早めに
hayame ni
[hah-yah-meh nee]
💬 Usage Tip: [早めに] means "a bit early" or "with some margin," not just "early" in a strict clock-time sense. You can reuse this pattern with other nouns too: [多めに] means "a bit extra," [少なめに] means "a bit less."
Phrase Breakdown
早め
hayame
[hah-yah-meh]
early; ahead of time
Used to say something should be done sooner than usual, such as contacting a restaurant before a cancellation deadline.
キャンセルするなら早めにお店へ連絡してください。
If you need to cancel, please contact the restaurant early.
に
ni
[nee]
to; in; adverb marker
Particle that turns 早め into an adverb, meaning 'early' or 'ahead of time' in the sentence.
変更の場合は早めに知らせると安心です。
If there is a change, it is reassuring to inform them early.
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