Saturday, January 7, 2012

What Is the Difference Between a Journal and a Diary?

Diary/journal


According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, a journal is a written record of the things you do, see, etc every day. Diary is a book in which you can write the experiences you have each day, your private thoughts, etc.  Both words come from the same Latin word dies ‘day’.


I have been writing a diary ever since I was young. At the end of each year, I will go to Popular Book Store and buy one. It is written on the cover 我的日记 (wo de ri ji – My Dairy). I write about the happenings of the day plus my personal thoughts and feelings on things that affect me.

I do not see any differences between the two:

1.       A daily record: Both are personal records of events for a single day. You write about things that have happened to you and around you which have created an impact in your life. 

2.       Written in the evening: I write my daily in the evening before I go to bed. It is the best time to recall and review the events for the whole day until bedtime. Even when you are writing a gratitude journal, the evening is still the best time of the day. 

3.       No rule to what you should write: You write freely, nobody ever tells you what you should write. You write from your heart. It is an effective way to offload your grievances in writing. You feel so much better about what you have written.  

4.       Both can be shared or private:  Personal thoughts and secrets are for your own consumption only. Nobody can stop you if you want to share your inner world. It is up to you.

5.        The only difference: Journal is a more popular word. I prefer the diary. Perhaps I get used to it for a long time.

   What are your thoughts about these two words?

1 comment:

  1. I agree, they are one in the same. I think the word "Journal" sounds more professional where "diary" sounds like a book that a teenager would write all their secrets in.

    In either case, it's an excellent tool. I think the quote "If your life is worth living, it's worth recording" fits in well here.

    Great post,

    James

    http://blog.jvf.com

    ReplyDelete

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