notebook · curtain

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 帳 is also used for notebooks and ledgers; its on-reading is ちょう.
• Basic usage: 手帳(てちょう) means a notebook or planner, while 帳簿(ちょうぼ) means a ledger.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Recording appointments and recording sales
  • 手帳 is a notebook used for important appointments and carried inside one's coat.
  • 帳簿 is a ledger in which daily sales are entered and which a tax accountant examines. Both words name books for records, but the purpose of those records differs in the examples.