The Meaning of techō [手帳] In Japanese

手帳
てちょう
Romaji: techō N5

What does 手帳 mean?

Translation and Meaning

handbook, notebook, planner

Definition

手帳 means a personal notebook or planner used to organize schedules and notes. In everyday usage it refers to a small portable book carried to record appointments, tasks, and reminders, serving as a daily organizational tool.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • personal planner or diary for organizing appointments, tasks, and reminders
  • compact notebook for quick notes or journaling
  • historical or business context as a ledger or logbook

Etymology

手帳 is read てちょう (techō). The kun-reading for 手 combines with the on-reading for 帳 in compounds to yield the pronunciation techō, illustrating a typical mixed-reading pattern in kanji compounds.

Composition

  • 手 = hand
  • 帳 = ledger, book, or record

Usage

手帳 is used to denote a personal planner or diary; in formal writing it can refer to a scheduled-planner book, while in casual speech it can mean any small notebook. Common usages include 手帳を開く, 手帳にメモする, and 手帳を携帯する.
💡 Tips
Imagine a small hand writing on a curtain of pages to manage your day; hand + ledger equals a portable planner.

Variations

  • 手帖 (てちょう) techō — traditional spelling for the same meaning
  • ダイアリー (だいありー) dairī — Western-style diary or planner
  • ノート (ノート) nōto — notebook
  • 手帳型 (てちょうがた) techō-gata — design/style of devices or cases featuring a notebook layout

Example Phrases

  • 手帳 に 今日 の 予定 を まとめた。
    techou ni kyou no yotei o matometa.
    I put today’s schedule in my planner.
    Lista:
    • 手帳 (techou) – planner
    • に (ni) – into
    • 今日 (kyou) – today
    • の (no) – of
    • 予定 (yotei) – schedule
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • まとめた (matometa) – compiled
    Shows the location of the action with the phrase 「手帳に」; 「手帳」 means planner.
手帳