The word journal has been derived from the French word “Jour” Jour means day. So, journal means daily. Transactions are recorded daily in journal and hence it has named so. As soon as a transaction takes place its debit and credit aspects are analyze and first of all recorded chronologically (in the order of their occurrence) in a book together with its short description. This book is known as journal. Thus we see that the most important function of journal is to show the relationship between the two accounts connected with a transaction. This facilitates writing of ledger. Since transactions are first of all recorded in journal, so it is called book of original entry or prime entry or primary entry or preliminary entry, or first entry.