日记

• Pinyin: rì jì
• Hanzi breakdown: 日 = a pictograph of the sun — day; 记 = 讠(speech) + 己 (self) — to record or note down

Meaning

Diary; journal. A written record of daily events, thoughts, and experiences.

Refers to a personal written record kept on a daily or regular basis. Common in school contexts where students are often assigned to write diaries. Also used more broadly for travel journals (旅行日记), work logs, and online blogs. The phrase 写日记 (write a diary) is very common.

Examples

1. 她从小就有写日记的习惯。 She has had the habit of writing a diary since she was little.
2. 老师让学生每天写一篇日记。 The teacher asked the students to write a diary entry every day.
3. 我在旅行的时候喜欢用日记记录每天的经历。 When I travel, I like to use a journal to record each day's experiences.

Usage Guide

Context: school, personal life, writing

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我每天睡觉前都会写日记。(I write in my diary every night before bed.)
• 这本日记记录了她整个大学时期的生活。(This diary records her entire university life.)

Don't Say

• 我在日记上写了一封信 meaning I wrote a letter in my diary (Don't confuse a diary entry with a letter — a diary is for personal records; say 我在日记里写了今天的事 instead)

Origin & History

A compound of 日 (day, sun) and 记 (to record, to note down) — literally 'daily record'.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal