手早い・手ばやい|てばやいtebayai[3]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
手早い手早い（てばやい） is the most common written form and the recommended choice for beginners; use it as your default spelling.
手ばやい手ばやい（てばやい） is a less common written variant of 手早い（てばやい）. Beginners should generally choose 手早い（てばやい） instead.
Definitions
- i-adjectivenimble; quick; agile
Conjugation
| Plain form | 手早い（てばやい） |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 手早いです（てばやいです） |
| Negative (kunai) | 手早くない（てばやくない） |
| polite (ku arimasen) | 手早くありません（てばやくありません） |
| Past (katta) | 手早かった（てばやかった） |
| Past negative (kunakatta) | 手早くなかった（てばやくなかった） |
| Te form (kute) | 手早くて（てばやくて） |
| Adverbial (ku) | 手早く（てばやく） |
| Conditional (kereba) | 手早ければ（てばやければ） |
| kattara | 手早かったら（てばやかったら） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym素早いすばやいNeutralQuick movement and fast reactions; the most general word. 「手早い」 is narrower, for working briskly and deftly.
- Synonym早いはやいNeutralThe most general word for fast or early; 「手早い」 stresses working briskly, without dawdling.
- Synonym手ばしこいてばしこいCasualDeft, nimble hands; colloquial and not often used — 「手早い」 or 「素早い」 is the usual choice.
- Related速やかすみやかWrittenWritten/formal prose for acting without delay; frequent in official documents, as in 「速やかに対応」.
- Related迅速じんそくWrittenWritten/formal prose for speed, as in 「迅速な対応」; 「手早い」 stresses getting work done briskly.
- Related機敏きびんNeutralQuick to think and act as the situation demands; 「手早い」 is specifically about working briskly.
- Related敏速びんそくWrittenWritten/formal prose for agility; used less often than the more everyday 「手早い」.
- RelatedスピーディーNeutralLoanword for getting things done fast; common in service and advertising copy.
- Antonym遅いおそいNeutralSlow or late; the direct opposite of the brisk efficiency of 「手早い」.
- AntonymのろいNeutralSluggish and slow (the 「鈍い」 sense); like 「遅い」, it is the opposite of the brisk efficiency of 「手早い」.
Use 「手早い」 for working briskly and deftly, as in 「手早く片付ける」 or 「手早く説明する」. For quick movements and reactions pick 「素早い」, the most general word; in official or formal writing 「速やか」 fits. For the opposite, slow, use 「遅い」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
