Sunday, 1 March 2026

Japanese 'bonsai' in the English language

'Bonsai' is a word borrowed from Japanese 'bonsai'. The word entered the English language some time around 1900.


bonsai [noun] [1900]
  • a potted plant (as a tree) dwarfed (as by pruning) and trained to an artistic shape
  • the art of growing such a plant
See 'bonsai' on the Loan Words Map

See more loan words from Japanese.

note: The word bonsai comes from Japanese combining bon (盆 tray or shallow pot) and sai (栽 planting or plant) literally meaning tray planting or tree planted in a pot. This term originates from the ancient Chinese practice of penjing (or pun-sai)
Etymology: Japanese, literally, tray planting
See more loan words from 1900s.


No comments:

Post a Comment