Japanese symbol for “bonsai”
盆栽
ぼんさい
Romaji: bonsai
bonsai; miniature potted plant
In Japanese, bonsai is 盆栽, read ぼんさい (bonsai).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n bonsai; miniature potted plant
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “bonsai”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鉢物 | はちもの hachimono | potted plant; bonsai |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 盆踊り | ぼんおどり bon'odori | Bon Festival dance; Lantern Festival dance |
| 盆地 | ぼんち bonchi | basin (e.g. between mountains) |
| お盆 | おぼん obon | Obon; Bon Festival; Buddhist festival for honouring the spirits of one's ancestors, held in mid-August or in some regions, mid-July |
| 旧盆 | きゅうぼん kyuubon | Bon Festival of the lunar calendar |
| 三盆 | さんぼん sanbon | traditional high-grade white sugar |
| 栽培 | さいばい saibai | cultivation |
| 水栽培 | みずさいばい mizusaibai | hydroponics |
| 植栽 | しょくさい shokusai | raising plants; cultivating (vegetation); planting |
See also: Chinese symbol for “bonsai”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.