<p><strong>便条</strong> (note; scrip)  mostly refers to a 'short informal handwritten note' that is written in very short time to deliver a simple message- usually contains no more than a sentence or two, sometimes even just one word. </p>

<p>A note on the table that said: "<em>Back at ten, dinner in the fridge. - Mom</em>" is a typical 便条. A stranger handed you a piece of paper that said "<em>RUN!</em>" is also a 便条</p>

<p><strong>笔记</strong> (note; notes) as a noun can be short for '笔记本'(notebook). The most typical one is school notebooks where students write down summaries of lectures, main points of a lesson or any useful information that can help them study later.</p>

<p>Notes written on loose paper can also be called 笔记. For example, copy of written text on blackboard, notes took from a speech are all 笔记 </p>

<p>The act of taking notes is 做笔记</p>

<p><strong>备忘录</strong> (memorandum; memo) mostly refers to a document that serves as a  'reminder'.  It can be personal or official; hand written or printed; in single sheet of paper or a whole book long.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>How can I use them properly? For example, if I create an article that takes note of programming tips in order to refer to sometimes in the future, which word fits the best?</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>That would be your 'personal notebook' (个人笔记)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-25T19:37:54.883Z
Thanks. But then the purpose of me taking note of the tips shall be a "reminder" - is it OK to call it "笔记” or should it be “备忘录"?
Blaszard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-25T19:38:23.677Z
Also, is 写笔记 not correct?
Blaszard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-25T19:55:10.267Z
备忘录 reminds you important things that you have to do or accomplish in the future. The notes of the tips is records of your ideas, thought or   knowledge. It  is not a  reminder.  The act of write down your own thought or idea can described as 写笔记 (write notes), When you write down something the teacher said or copy what he wrote, it  is 做笔记 (take notes) -- which is a task
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-25T19:26:24.990Z
2017-10-25T19:34:11.773Z
2017-10-25T19:34:11.773Z
Tang Ho
<p>In Mandarin, there exist similar words to express "note" - 便条，笔记，备忘录.</p>

<p>At least I understand that 注释 is a different word from them, as it means an annotation, not an entire post.</p>

<p>How can I use them properly? For example, if I create an article that takes note of programming tips in order to refer to sometimes in the future, which word fits the best?</p>

<word-choice><word>
What is the difference between different words of "note" - 便条，笔记，备忘录?
# What is the difference between different words of "note" - 便条，笔记，备忘录?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-10-25)

In Mandarin, there exist similar words to express "note" - 便条，笔记，备忘录.

At least I understand that 注释 is a different word from them, as it means an annotation, not an entire post.

How can I use them properly? For example, if I create an article that takes note of programming tips in order to refer to sometimes in the future, which word fits the best?

**Tags:** word-choice, word


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-10-25. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

**便条** (note; scrip) mostly refers to a 'short informal handwritten note' that is written in very short time to deliver a simple message- usually contains no more than a sentence or two, sometimes even just one word.

A note on the table that said: "*Back at ten, dinner in the fridge. - Mom*" is a typical 便条. A stranger handed you a piece of paper that said "*RUN!*" is also a 便条

**笔记** (note; notes) as a noun can be short for '笔记本'(notebook). The most typical one is school notebooks where students write down summaries of lectures, main points of a lesson or any useful information that can help them study later.

Notes written on loose paper can also be called 笔记. For example, copy of written text on blackboard, notes took from a speech are all 笔记

The act of taking notes is 做笔记

**备忘录** (memorandum; memo) mostly refers to a document that serves as a 'reminder'. It can be personal or official; hand written or printed; in single sheet of paper or a whole book long.

> *How can I use them properly? For example, if I create an article that takes note of programming tips in order to refer to sometimes in the future, which word fits the best?*

That would be your 'personal notebook' (个人笔记)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks. But then the purpose of me taking note of the tips shall be a "reminder" - is it OK to call it "笔记” or should it be “备忘录"?  
> **username_0**: Also, is 写笔记 not correct?  
> **username_1**: 备忘录 reminds you important things that you have to do or accomplish in the future. The notes of the tips is records of your ideas, thought or   knowledge. It  is not a  reminder.  The act of write down your own thought or idea can described as 写笔记 (write notes), When you write down something the teacher said or copy what he wrote, it  is 做笔记 (take notes) -- which is a task  

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