King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “bonsai”

Romaji: bonsai
bonsai; miniature potted plant

In Japanese, bonsai is , read (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

  1. n bonsai; miniature potted plant

Kanji and stroke order

basin, lantern festival, tray
on: ボン
9 strokes · JLPT 1
plantation, planting
on: サイ
10 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “bonsai”

WordReadingMeaning
はちもの hachimonopotted plant; bonsai

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ぼんおどり bon'odoriBon Festival dance; Lantern Festival dance
ぼんち bonchibasin (e.g. between mountains)
おぼん obonObon; Bon Festival; Buddhist festival for honouring the spirits of one's ancestors, held in mid-August or in some regions, mid-July
きゅうぼん kyuubonBon Festival of the lunar calendar
さんぼん sanbontraditional high-grade white sugar
さいばい saibaicultivation
みずさいばい mizusaibaihydroponics
しょくさい shokusairaising 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.

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