Hobonichi Planner Formats and Language Options

Hobonichi is not a single planner translated into several languages. It is a family of formats whose size, page rhythm, language, weekly content, cover construction, and start month can change independently.

The easiest way to choose is to begin with page rhythm—daily, weekly, monthly plus notes, or multi-year—then narrow by size and language. Beginning with a cover design can reverse that logic and leave the buyer trying to fit an unsuitable calendar into an attractive shell.

Current family map

This table summarizes the official 2026 comparison. Special editions and future lineups can change, so use it as a dated map rather than a permanent catalog.

Original: compact daily planning

Original is the standard A6 page-per-day format. The current book is 105 × 148 mm, with monthly and yearly reference pages supporting the daily sequence. The small footprint makes each page focused: one date receives one compact sheet rather than a wide work surface.

The current official chart shows Japanese and English Original configurations. Language affects printed labels, quotations, bonus pages, and calendar options, but the standard A6 cover family remains the same when the official cover lists both books.

Japanese Original offers January and April start configurations in the current range, with Sunday- or Monday-start calendar choices depending on the edition. English Original is shown as a January-start, Monday-start book. Check the exact product row; “Original” alone does not identify all calendar settings.

Planner: English A6 with a distinct layout

Planner is also an English-language, A6, page-per-day book. It is not merely an old name for English Original. Hobonichi describes it as an English Techo with an unobtrusive layout, and its supplemental pages differ from Original.

Both Planner and Original can appear compatible with the same A6 covers, which makes their physical relationship easy. The decision should instead focus on page design and supporting content. This site has not compared the paper or layout in hand, so the distinction here remains the one made by the official type guide.

When a retailer title says “Hobonichi A6 English,” look for the word Original or Planner before purchasing. The cover may fit both; the interior is not the same product.

Avec: divide thickness, keep the year

Avec splits a calendar year into two books: January through June and July through December in the current chart. Original Avec uses A6; Cousin Avec uses A5. Both stay within their corresponding reusable-cover families.

The split reduces the thickness carried at one time and creates two archive volumes. It also introduces a practical requirement: the buyer needs both halves for a complete year. A secondhand or isolated listing should identify Book 1 or Book 2.

The 2026 comparison lists Avec in Japanese. If English printed guidance is essential, do not assume that a split edition exists because the full-year Original or Cousin has an English configuration.

Cousin: A5 daily pages plus weekly structure

Cousin expands the daily format to A5 and adds weekly pages. The current official chart lists 148 × 210 mm and an approximate thickness of 18 mm for the full-year book. That creates substantially more page area and a larger book block than Original.

Current Japanese and English configurations are shown, with January and selected April starts depending on edition. Weekly pages use a vertical format in the current product family. These are functional differences, not merely scaled-up decoration.

Cousin is therefore the branch to examine when both daily detail and a dedicated weekly overview are required. If only weekly planning is needed, Weeks avoids carrying a full daily archive. If daily pages would often remain blank, Day-Free may use the A5 area more efficiently.

HON: the daily book with its cover attached

HON packages the Techo book as a finished hardcover. Current A6 and A5 configurations use the relevant daily layouts, and the A5 version includes weekly pages according to the official guide.

The attached hardcover changes outer dimensions: the current chart lists approximately 110 × 156 mm for A6 HON and 152 × 214 mm for A5 HON. Those numbers are larger than bare A6 and A5 pages.

Choose HON when the self-contained book format is part of the requirement. Do not buy a standard Original or Cousin cover on size language alone; an accessory must identify HON compatibility.

Weeks and Weeks Mega: weekly first

Weeks uses a weekly horizontal spread: the week appears on the left, with memo space on the right, followed by additional note pages. The current book is 95 × 186 mm, a wallet-size footprint rather than A6.

Weeks Mega preserves the weekly format and general dimensions while adding nearly three times the blank graph-paper pages according to the official comparison. The tradeoff visible in the specification is thickness and weight, not a different planning rhythm.

Current Japanese and English versions are shown. Both are Monday-start in the comparison. April-start options may be restricted by edition, so confirm the dated range rather than inferring it from a Weeks cover design.

Day-Free: monthly structure without daily dates

Day-Free combines dated monthly calendars with an undated graph-paper notebook. It comes in A6 and A5 in the current lineup and is listed in Japanese.

This is the clearest option for someone who wants a Hobonichi book and cover system but does not need 365 assigned daily pages. It is not completely undated: the monthly section covers a defined range. The notebook pages are the flexible part.

Current official lineup text explicitly bridges Day-Free into standard Original and Cousin cover families by size. The interior format changes; the cover compatibility remains manufacturer-supported.

5-Year Techo: one date, five entries

The 5-Year Techo places the same calendar date across five consecutive years so entries can be compared over time. It is a distinct archive format with dedicated covers and a much longer service period than an annual planner.

The current lineup presents A6-class and A5-class versions in Japanese. Because the book block serves five years, do not equate its size label with the standard one-year Original or Cousin cover system.

Language decision checklist

Language affects more than month names. Before selecting an edition, verify:

1. printed language on daily and monthly pages;
2. quotations and supplemental reading;
3. January or April start availability;
4. Sunday or Monday weekly convention;
5. bonus and reference pages;
6. whether the chosen format exists in that language.

For users who do not read Japanese, a Japanese edition may still be navigable if the page structure is familiar, but that is an individual usability judgment. This research guide does not claim that language content is negligible.

Choose in the right order

Start with rhythm: daily, weekly, monthly plus notes, or five-year memory. Then choose writing area: A6, A5, or wallet size. Next choose language and date range. Finally select a manufacturer-confirmed cover or the self-contained HON design.

That order prevents a decorative cover from deciding the calendar. It also produces a complete product description: “Cousin, A5, English, January start, daily plus weekly, standard Cousin cover family” is a purchase-ready coordinate. “Large Hobonichi” is not.