Journal vs. Jornal: A Personal Diary, Academic Journal, or Newspaper?
Jornal often means newspaper in Portuguese. Learn the words for a private diary and a scholarly journal too.
Real Life Portuguese · 4 min read · Updated October 15, 2026
The short answer
A personal journal or diary is a diário. The word can also refer to a daily newspaper in certain contexts, but for private writing the surrounding phrase makes the meaning clear.
Use diário for a personal journal
Escrevo no meu diário antes de dormir.
I write in my journal before going to sleep.
Ela mantém um diário de viagem.
She keeps a travel journal.
Use jornal for a newspaper
Jornal commonly means a newspaper or news program. For a printed paper, say jornal impresso. A TV news program is often telejornal.
Meu pai lê o jornal no café da manhã.
My father reads the newspaper at breakfast.
Vi essa notícia no telejornal ontem.
I saw that news story on the TV news last night.
Name an academic journal precisely
For an academic journal, use revista científica or periódico acadêmico. If you are talking about an article rather than the publication, artigo científico is clearer.
O estudo saiu em uma revista científica brasileira.
The study appeared in a Brazilian academic journal.
Vou citar esse artigo científico no meu trabalho.
I’m going to cite that journal article in my paper.
Put it into practice
Use diário for a personal journal, jornal for a newspaper, and revista científica for a scholarly journal.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I’m going to cite that journal article in my paper”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.