kyou wa hayaku shukkinshimashita.

I reported for work early today.

Breakdown of kyou wa hayaku shukkinshimashita.

• は: topic particle
• 今きょ日う: today
• 早はやく: early
• 出勤しゅっきん: going to work; reporting for work

Questions & Answers about kyou wa hayaku shukkinshimashita.

What is the reading of 今日 in this sentence?

Here, 今日 is read きょう.

This is the most common reading when it means today in everyday speech.
Other readings of the same kanji exist in other words, such as こんにち, but not in this sentence.

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Why is there a は after 今日?

は marks 今日 as the topic of the sentence.

So 今日は means something like:

• as for today
• today, ...

It sets the time frame for what follows. In Japanese, time expressions are often followed by は when the speaker wants to make them the topic or give them a little emphasis.

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Can は be omitted here?

Yes, it can.

You can say:

• 今日は早く出勤しました。
• 今日早く出勤しました。

Both are natural. The version with は sounds a bit more like speaking about today in particular. Without は, it is a little more neutral and straightforward.

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Why is it 早く and not 早い?