5 Best Korean Notebooks for Writing and Sketching
From the budget-friendly Monami to premium Paperian, these five Korean notebooks offer outstanding paper quality and design. We tested them all with gel pens, fountain pens, and markers.
Korean Notebooks Deserve More Attention
Japanese notebooks like Kokuyo and Midori dominate the UK stationery conversation, but Korean notebooks have been quietly catching up. The paper quality has improved in the last two or three years, and the design sensibility - clean covers, thoughtful layouts, surprisingly good binding - makes them worth seeking out. Here are five that stood up to our testing.
1. Monami Blanc Notebook - Best Budget Option
At under £6, the Monami Blanc is almost suspiciously cheap for what you get. The 80gsm paper handles gel pens and ballpoints without bleed-through, though fountain pen users will notice some show-through on the reverse side. The cover design is understated and the stitched binding holds up well. If you burn through notebooks quickly, this is the one to stock up on.
2. Livework Life & Pieces - Best for Grid Lovers
Livework's grid notebook uses 100gsm paper that genuinely surprised us. Fountain pen ink sat on the surface without feathering, and the 5mm grid is printed in a pale grey that does not compete with your writing. The B5 size gives you more room than standard A5 notebooks, and the illustrated covers are distinctive without being childish. A solid all-rounder.
3. Paperian Make a Memo - Best Paper Quality
Paperian's 120gsm paper is the star here. It handles everything from brush pens to watercolour pencils without buckling, making it ideal for creative journaling or sketching. The blank pages give you complete freedom, and the thread-sewn binding means it lies flat without complaint. At £8, it competes directly with Leuchtturm on paper quality while costing significantly less.
4. Indigo Prism Notebook - Best for Bullet Journaling
The Indigo Prism brings 120gsm dot grid paper in a linen-textured cover that looks and feels premium. The dots are spaced at 5mm and printed in a subtle grey that photographs well for social media - relevant if you share your spreads online. The numbered pages and index section at the front make this a ready-made bullet journal. The only downside is the higher price point at £11.
5. Dong-A Campus Notebook - Best Value Multi-Pack
For pure value, the Dong-A five-pack is hard to argue with. At roughly £1.30 per notebook, these are perfect for students or anyone who uses separate notebooks for different subjects. The 70gsm paper is thinner than the others on this list, so stick with ballpoints and fine gel pens. The simple cover designs come in five colours, making organisation effortless.
The Verdict
If paper quality is your priority, go Paperian or Indigo. If budget matters most, Monami and Dong-A deliver remarkable value. And if you want the best balance of everything, the Livework sits right in the sweet spot.
