미리 vs 일찍이
Korean word comparison
Listen to 미리
Listen to 일찍이
| 미리 | 일찍이 |
|---|---|
MEE-ree adverb | il-jjigi adverb |
| in advance; beforehand | early on; long before; beforehand |
How they differ
일찍이 emphasizes that something happened much earlier than expected or earlier than others, often with a sense of “already long ago.” 미리 simply means before the required time and does not carry that stronger “earlier than expected” nuance.
When to use each
When to use 미리: Use 미리 for neutral “in advance” without implying that the action was unusually early.
When to use 일찍이: Use 일찍이 when you want to stress that something was done very early or long before a certain point.
Side-by-side examples
- 미리 알려 주시면 도움이 됩니다.
(It helps if you let me know in advance.) - 그 문제는 일찍이 예상됐다.
(That problem was anticipated long before.)
Register & nuance: 일찍이 is more literary or formal and is less common in everyday conversation than 미리.