Japanese word

早朝

Pronunciation

Romajisōchō

Meaning

  • nounearly morning

Example

私は早朝に起きます。watashi wa sō chō ni o ki ma su

I get up early in the morning.

Illustration for 早朝 (early morning)

More examples

早朝は空気が新鮮で、散歩に向いています。sō chō wa kū ki ga shin sen de san po ni mu i te i ma su

The air is fresh in the early morning, making it a good time for a walk.

Core concept

Marks the first part of the day, before most daily activities begin.

Common phrases

  • 早朝に起きるsō chō ni o ki ru

    get up early in the morning

  • 早朝に出かけるsō chō ni de ka ke ru

    go out early in the morning

  • 早朝の散歩sō chō no san po

    early-morning walk

Similar words

朝方asagata: A general period in the early morning, without a precise starting or ending time.
明け方akegata: The brief period around sunrise when darkness changes to daylight.

Definition in Japanese

朝のうちでも、特に早い時間帯。asa no u chi de mo toku ni haya i ji kan tai

Word origin

早 (sō, "early") + 朝 (chō, "morning") combines two Sino-Japanese elements to form the compound 早朝 (sōchō).

Usage tips

  • Japanese uses 早朝 (sōchō) for the early time period itself, while 朝早く (asa hayaku) often describes when an action happens in casual conversation.

Opposites

Word lists with this word