bonsai

Where does the word "bonsai" come from? It comes from Chinese penzai, passing through Japanese before entering English (1900s).

Bonsai’s story begins in Chinese: penzai meant “tray planting.” Literally "tray planting", the origin of the miniature tree art. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Japanese as bonsai. Adopted and refined the art of miniature potted trees. It reached English by 1900s as bonsai. Japanese 'tray planting'; bonsai was shown at the 1878 Paris Exposition. Today, bonsai means the art of growing miniature, artistically shaped trees in containers.

1. Stage 1 · Chinese · ancient penzai "tray planting", literally "tray planting", the origin of the miniature tree art.
2. Stage 2 · Japanese · medieval bonsai "tray-planted miniature tree", adopted and refined the art of miniature potted trees.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s bonsai "a miniature, artistically shaped potted tree", Japanese 'tray planting'; bonsai was shown at the 1878 Paris Exposition.