This is the second time we've looked at the real-life differences in notebook usage between junior high and high school students.
We asked our followers what kind of notebook lines they use for each subject.

Or rather, "What kinds of ruled lines are there in the first place?"

Let's start by answering that question first.

How many types of lines are there?

The names of lines that we use every day, such as A-line and B-line, refer to the different widths of the lines that separate each row.

First, we'll start with the familiar 7mm horizontal Ruled and 6mm horizontal Ruled. 7mm horizontal Ruled has a ruled width of 7mm, while 6mm horizontal Ruled has a ruled width of 6mm. While the ruled width is only 1mm, there's quite a difference. Many people probably think of A-ruled paper as being red or pink, and B-ruled paper as being blue.

Here are some other popular options.

Although it's a bit minor, there are also things like this.

From a slightly different perspective, dotted paper is a type of paper with dots on top of the lines.
Also, although it's a bit of a stretch to call it a type of lined paper, plain paper is also very popular.

There are also some more elaborate types of lines.

In addition to these, there are many other lines to suit different purposes, such as English study lines and vocabulary lines.

*Names vary depending on the manufacturer. The names introduced here are only those used by Kokuyo products.

For details on the lineup of notebook lines, click here

Only Japanese language books use A-ruled paper, whilethe vast majority of other books use B-ruled paper!

Now that we know the different types of ruled paper, we will announce the results of this survey. 180 people responded this time.

The results showed that A-ruled paper was slightly more popular than 6mm horizontal Ruled in Japanese, while B-ruled paper was more commonly used in other subjects.

The deciding factor was, of course, the size of the letters.

Looking at the free responses given in the questionnaire, those who think their handwriting is large or feel that writing larger is easier to read tended to favor ruled A, while those who have small handwriting or want to write small tended to favor ruled B. These are natural results.

Here are some opinions from people who wrote specific reasons other than the font size:

7mm horizontal Ruled school

In Japanese, for example, classical Japanese requires you to copy the text and then write the pronunciation and colloquial translation next to it, so the wider 7mm horizontal Ruled is easier to read. It was also easier to take notes on what the teacher said during class if you left a line blank on 7mm horizontal Ruled.

For language and social studies subjects, I use A, which has a lot of blank space, because I can add key points and stick sticky notes later.

For Japanese, I use 7mm horizontal Ruled so that it's easier to write when studying classical Japanese!

In Japanese language classes, especially classical Japanese literature classes, many students have suggested turning 7mm horizontal Ruled notebooks sideways and writing vertically.

There were more 6mm horizontal Ruled in math,

In maths, we sometimes had to write fractions, so 7mm horizontal Ruled was more convenient.

Some people have said this.

6mm horizontal Ruled group

For mathematics (those dealing with numbers), I use B because it becomes difficult to understand if there is too much white space.

Since I wanted to include furigana for the humanities students, I used 6mm horizontal Ruled.

It seems that when there are a lot of numbers and shapes, B line tends to be preferred over A line.

I used to use 7mm horizontal Ruled, but when I accidentally bought 6mm horizontal Ruled, I found it so easy to use that now I use 6mm horizontal Ruled regardless of the subject!

Don't underestimate chance encounters.

5mm horizontal Ruled ruled school

5mm horizontal Ruled is popular among people who have small handwriting or who want to write a lot. There were also comments about the 5mm width.

Since I discovered 5mm horizontal Ruled, I've 5mm horizontal Ruled my standard. It fits the size of my letters, I can write a lot even with one line space, and because it's 5mm, it's easy to draw diagrams even with the ruled lines.

If you use 5mm horizontal Ruled for vocabulary practice, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment when you fill it all up!!!

Humanities line/Science line

Kokuyo's unique Dot Ruled for literature and Dot Ruled for science series are surprisingly popular.

When drawing shapes, I often use the ones for science subjects!

For English, I use a liberal arts notebook with lines that divide about one-third of the way through!

I often draw diagrams and graphs, so I use the science ruled paper. It's also convenient for aligning the font size. I hope it becomes more popular.

In high school, I liked Dot Ruled for science and didn't use anything else! Dot Ruled for science are especially easy to use for English! It's great that you can draw lots of small details!

Should you change the lines for each subject? Or not?

Many people buy study notebooks in packs of five or so.

In that case, some people may not choose to use lines for each subject.

We looked into the percentage of people who change the lines for each subject and those who don't.

Those who don't change the lines or don't care

I can write Smooth on Campus notebooks, so I can buy five of them every month and still use them all! That's why I hardly ever use any other notebooks.

When I buy a notebook, I buy the one that's selling the best at the store.

Those who change the ruled lines and are particular about them

I like the plain ones because I can write freely! I also like the grid lines because you can change the font size and they're easy to use! I use them for my English vocabulary notebook. I also like the lines because I can write neatly! In the end, I love them all ♡ (plain ones for Japanese and math, grid ones for social studies, 6mm horizontal Ruled for science, and 7mm horizontal Ruled for English)

I prefer small 7mm grids rather than regular grids (1cm, commonly written as 5mm grids), but I can't find any loose-leaf paper of that type. So I usually buy a lot of thread-bound 7mm grids, cut the thread with a cutter to separate them, and then make my own holes with a loose-leaf hole punch. If I had loose-leaf paper with 7mm grids, I wouldn't have to go through all that trouble. I'd appreciate it if you could consider it. (I use grid lines for Japanese and science subjects.)

For classical Japanese and Chinese, I used lines for the humanities because I had to write down the readings and furigana (return marks). I used grid notebooks for math classes, but when solving past exam questions or practice problems, I used plain notebooks! (Since test answer sheets are often blank...)

Are Dot Ruled acceptable or not?

Campus Notebook (Dot Ruled), which was developed based on the note-taking style of students accepted into the University of Tokyo, received many passionate comments in the survey.

Dots make it easier to create layers and make it look neater!

For math, I use 7mm horizontal Ruled with Dot Ruled for science!!

It's very useful when drawing diagrams!

When you are transferring the notes from the board directly to your notebook instead of using printed materials, use dots!

I've decided not to use notebooks that don't have dots on the lines. This is because there is something called a notebook score in the school evaluation, and if you write clearly and neatly you can get a score closer to perfect, so I can't let go of notebooks with dots on the lines so that the beginning of the letters line up!

I like the dotted pens because they make it easier to line up letters neatly and draw diagrams!

Only dotted characters are allowed!!!!

Dot Ruled for science are especially useful for English! It's great that you can draw lots of small lines!

I was surprised at the number of exclamation marks in the comments!!!

It can be said that it has now gained an unshakable foothold in society.

My own unique pride

We also received many other questions about the lines.

Try to use notes that match the format of the answer sheets used in mock tests and entrance exams as much as possible.

Plain paper can be used all over, so it also saves money (all subjects are plain)

The best thing about grid paper is that it doesn't have set lines, so you can write in any size you like! It's also easy to align the beginning of sentences, so it's very easy to use! It's also easy to draw graphs! (Grid paper for all subjects)

I often draw straight lines, so I buy ones with marks at the top and bottom (ruled lines for all English subjects).

The survey results clearly show that even when it comes to something as simple as ruled lines, there are many different ways of choosing them.

Use this as a reference when choosing your notebooks in the future!

Whether you're particular about lines or not, try using a different line from the wide range of options available and you might make some unexpected discoveries!

How to Use Notebooks for Junior and Senior High School Students: Real Series

Part 1: How do you color-code your notebooks?

Part 3: Do you use different types of notebooks depending on the subject?

Part 4: Is there a perfect way to take notes?