早い
はやい · hayai · JLPT N5 · i-adj
early
🌅🐓 hayai sounds like hi-yah: up early, first kick before sunrise
早 is sun (日) over a sprouting mark (十): the sun just clearing the horizon, so early. Same reading はやい also writes 速い (fast); 早い is early in time, 速い is fast in speed.
早 — sun 日 + ten 十 (originally 甲, a helmet/sprout)
Originally depicted the sun 日 rising above a sprouting plant or a person's head, suggesting the early morning when the sun first appears. The lower component was simplified over time into 十. The core meaning 'morning, early' has remained stable since oracle bone script.