何の言葉01 メモする(memo suru)

Hi readers!

We know that you’re excited to learn together with us, as the language learning journey can often feel like a bumpy road.

Let me tell you a story back when I was first learning Japanese. As we often write notes when studying a language, I wanted to say “make notes” and so I thought… ノートする(nooto suru) sounds about right! However, one day I looked it up in the dictionary and found out that I was wrong! 😨

What does ノート actually mean? And what is the right way to say “make notes”?

If you don’t want to make the same mistake as me, keep reading!

Meaning of メモする :

To take notes physically on a notepad or in your phone.

If you want to say to take note of something ‘in your head’, you have to say 覚える (oboeru = remember) instead.

Similar English phrases:

“take/make notes”
“note down”
“write a memo”

 💡ノート vs メモ

• ノート means “notebook”.
  ノートにメモする。= Taking notes in a notebook

• メモ(noun) is a more plain and casual pile of small paper.
  メモ持ってない？ = Do you have any paper (to write a memo/notes)?

We don’t say メモにメモする but instead 紙にメモする, メモに書く or just メモする。

Please remember :　
✔️ メモする
❌ ノートする

１．予約番号をスマホにメモしよう。

　I should note down the booking number in my phone.

２．しっかりメモして、はやく仕事を覚えてね。

　Please take proper notes so that you can quickly learn the (work) tasks.

３．おもしろい言葉を見つけたら、メモするといいよ。

　When you find an interesting word, it’s good to note it down.

４．紙がなかったから、手にメモしたんだ。

　I didn’t have any paper, so I wrote a note on my palm.

Similar Japanese phrases:

メモを取る (memo wo toru)

If you learnt a new word in today’s newsletter, remember to メモする！🖊

Sincerely,
Amasugi Letter