〜が早いか
N1〜がはやいか ga hayai ka
the moment; no sooner ... than
Formation
Verb-dict + が早いか
Chinese meanings
刚一……就
Chinese formation
动词辞书形+が早いか
Chinese usage
前一动作发生后,后一动作几乎立即发生。
Chinese notes
常用于叙述过去事实,后项不接请求或意志。
Examples
- 子どもたちは玄関を開けるが早いか、ランドセルを放り出して遊びに行ってしまった。No sooner had the children opened the front door than they tossed their school bags aside and ran off to play.孩子们刚打开家门就扔下书包跑去玩了。
- 開店のベルが鳴るが早いか、客たちは目当ての売り場へ駆け出した。The moment the opening bell rang, the customers dashed toward the counters they were after.开店铃声刚响,顾客们就冲向心仪的柜台。
- 彼は給料をもらうが早いか、全部競馬につぎ込んでしまった。The minute he got his pay, he blew all of it on horse racing.他刚领到工资,就把钱全投到赛马上了。
Notes
The second action follows almost instantly; it states a past fact, never a request or intention. Near-synonyms: 〜や否や (most formal), 〜なり (same subject, often surprising), 〜そばから (repeated).
#time#sequence#written
Related N1 grammar
Use this entry in code
import { getGrammarById } from 'kotowa';
getGrammarById('ga-hayai-ka');
{
"id": "ga-hayai-ka",
"pattern": "〜が早いか",
"reading": "〜がはやいか",
"romaji": "ga hayai ka",
"level": "N1",
"meaning": "the moment; no sooner ... than",
"formation": "Verb-dict + が早いか",
"examples": [
{
"ja": "子どもたちは玄関を開けるが早いか、ランドセルを放り出して遊びに行ってしまった。",
"furigana": "{子|こ}どもたちは{玄関|げんかん}を{開|あ}けるが{早|はや}いか、ランドセルを{放|ほう}り{出|だ}して{遊|あそ}びに{行|い}ってしまった。",
"en": "No sooner had the children opened the front door than they tossed their school bags aside and ran off to play."
},
{
"ja": "開店のベルが鳴るが早いか、客たちは目当ての売り場へ駆け出した。",
"furigana": "{開店|かいてん}のベルが{鳴|な}るが{早|はや}いか、{客|きゃく}たちは{目当|めあ}ての{売|う}り{場|ば}へ{駆|か}け{出|だ}した。",
"en": "The moment the opening bell rang, the customers dashed toward the counters they were after."
},
{
"ja": "彼は給料をもらうが早いか、全部競馬につぎ込んでしまった。",
"furigana": "{彼|かれ}は{給料|きゅうりょう}をもらうが{早|はや}いか、{全部|ぜんぶ}{競馬|けいば}につぎ{込|こ}んでしまった。",
"en": "The minute he got his pay, he blew all of it on horse racing."
}
],
"tags": [
"time",
"sequence",
"written"
],
"notes": "The second action follows almost instantly; it states a past fact, never a request or intention. Near-synonyms: 〜や否や (most formal), 〜なり (same subject, often surprising), 〜そばから (repeated).",
"zh": {
"source_hash": "25c666fd3bd743f9f623496fd0ba9beee25bdb5de762ac1dba82068fe5404f56",
"meanings": [
"刚一……就"
],
"formation": "动词辞书形+が早いか",
"explanation": "前一动作发生后,后一动作几乎立即发生。",
"notes": "常用于叙述过去事实,后项不接请求或意志。",
"examples": [
{
"ja": "子どもたちは玄関を開けるが早いか、ランドセルを放り出して遊びに行ってしまった。",
"zh": "孩子们刚打开家门就扔下书包跑去玩了。"
},
{
"ja": "開店のベルが鳴るが早いか、客たちは目当ての売り場へ駆け出した。",
"zh": "开店铃声刚响,顾客们就冲向心仪的柜台。"
},
{
"ja": "彼は給料をもらうが早いか、全部競馬につぎ込んでしまった。",
"zh": "他刚领到工资,就把钱全投到赛马上了。"
}
],
"references": [
"sources/grammar/n1.json#ga-hayai-ka",
"Original Chinese authored and reviewed by Codex; no independent human review"
],
"review_hash": "bc1711f9dac3f724a1a6cef6085ad7b519fc39806df7a7ae0064f6351bb362e8",
"status": "reviewed",
"reviewer": "Codex",
"review_method": "ai",
"reviewed_at": "2026-10-28"
}
}