早急
そうきゅう · soukyuu · JLPT N1 · na-adj
urgent
🚨 早急 = 早 (early) + 急 (hurry): something that must be handled early and fast is urgent
早 means early and 急 means hurry or urgency. Together they describe a matter that needs quick action right away, which is why it means urgent.
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.
急 — heart radical 心 + 及 (reach)
A semantic-phonetic compound: the heart radical 心 supplies the meaning (an emotional state) while 及 ('to reach, catch up') gives the sound. Originally it depicted a racing, anxious heart — hence the modern senses 'urgent,' 'hurried,' and 'impatient.'
さっきゅう · sakkyuu · JLPT N1 · na-adj
urgent
🚨 早 (early, fast) + 急 (hurry): something that needs fast, hurried action is urgent
Say sakkyuu, close to 'sack you' said in a rush. 早 means early or fast and 急 means hurry, so 早急 is what needs doing right away.
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.
急 — heart radical 心 + 及 (reach)
A semantic-phonetic compound: the heart radical 心 supplies the meaning (an emotional state) while 及 ('to reach, catch up') gives the sound. Originally it depicted a racing, anxious heart — hence the modern senses 'urgent,' 'hurried,' and 'impatient.'