台帳

• Reading: だいちょう
• Romaji: daichō
• Kanji breakdown: 台 (dai) — stand, base, platform; 帳 (chō) — notebook, register, account book
• Pronunciation: /da.i.tɕoː/

Meaning

Ledger; register; record book. An official book or system in which accounts, ownership, or transactions are recorded.

A formal term for various types of official registers: 固定資産台帳 (fixed asset register), 顧客台帳 (customer register), 土地台帳 (land register). In modern usage it may also refer to digital database systems that serve the same function. Historically, 台帳 were the primary tools of commercial record-keeping in Japanese merchant culture, and the term retains its formal, authoritative connotation.

Examples

1. 古い台帳を調べたところ、その土地の所有権の変遷を追うことができた。 By examining the old ledger, it was possible to trace the history of ownership changes for that plot of land.
2. 固定資産台帳の記録と実際の資産の照合作業に二週間を要した。 It took two weeks to reconcile the records in the fixed asset register with the actual assets on hand.
3. 顧客台帳を適切に管理することが、継続的な取引関係の基礎となる。 Properly maintaining a customer register forms the foundation of ongoing business relationships.

Usage Guide

Context: accounting, administration, real estate, commerce

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 台 here functions as a base or platform, and 帳 means a book of records or an account book. Together they denote a foundational register — the primary book of record from which other records derive.

Cultural Context

Era: Edo Period

Generation: Adults

Social background: Business/Administrative