GLOSSARY OF JAPANESE BONSAI TERMS

Though it is not necessary to be conversant in Japanese bonsai terms, it can be useful to know some of the more commonly used words and phrases:  

CHOKKAN formal upright form

MOYOGI informal upright form

SHAKAN slanting form

FUKINAGASHI windswept form

SABAMIKI split-trunk

SHARIMIKI driftwood

TANUKI 'cheats'/form where sapling is attached to deadwood/ also known as a 'Phoenix Graft'.

HOKIDACHI broom form

KENGAI cascade

HAN KENGAI semi-cascade

SHIDARE-ZUKURI weeping

BUNJIN literati form

NEGARI exposed root form

SEKJOJU root over rock

ISHI SEKI planted on rock

SOKAN twin-trunk

SANKAN triple-trunk

KABUDACHI multiple-trunk

NETSUNAGARI root connected

YOSE UE group planting

SAI-KEI landscape planting

PEN-JING landscape planting

SHARI deadwood on trunk

JIN deadwood branch

NEBARI trunkbase/ surface roots

YAMADORI collected material

SUIBAN shallow water tray for display rock plantings
TOKONOMA traditional Japanese display area

BONKEI tray landscape containing rocks and small accent plants as well as trees.

Size classifications: exact sizes for each individual class varies from one authority to another; those below are taken from the 20th Grand View Bonsai Exhibition / Nippon Bonsai Taikan-ten.

MAME bonsai less than 7cm in height

SHOHIN bonsai up to 20cm in height

KIFU bonsai between 20 and 40cm in height

CHU bonsai between 40 and 60 cm in height

DAI bonsai over 60cm in height

(Article written and kindly provided by Harry Harrington. )