The lexicon of Bonsai explained
Air Layering: a technique to create roots on an existing tree to create a new one
Akadama: clay granules used for potting
Atama: the head of a bonsai tree or the crown of a tree
Backbudding: creating buds on the inner side of the tree
Bankan: winding style
Bokashi: making organic fertiliser by fermenting green waste into a Bokashi container
Bonsai: tree in a pot (bowl)
Chokan: upright style (trunk of the tree is left upright)
Dobuki: adventitious budding by appropriate nutrition
Grafting: the joining together of plant parts by means of tissue regeneration, often done by an incision in which the other part is joined
Hokidachi: Japanese for broom style
Jin: a dead branch that has been made artificially, often using jin liquid to remove pigment and to dry it out
Kabudachi: trees with multiple trunks
Kanuma: Japanese volcanic clay granules used for potting
Kiryu: volcanic substrate for extra drainage and mineral addition
Kokufu-ten: a prestigious and leading Bonsai show held every year in Tokio
Kengai: cascade style
Leader: a leading branch that is or becomes the continuation of the trunk
Neagari: exposed roots style (exposed nebari)
Nebari: the thicker base roots of the tree
N.P.K: the balance indicated for fertiliser N= nitrogen (stikstof), P=phosphorous (fosfor) and K=potassium (kalium) e.g. NPK: 5 – 3 – 5 represents the ratio
Netsuranari: a style where a tree is set onto its side in the pot and forms multiple trees
Sacrificial branch: a branch that is temporary left solely for pulling sap to thicken the trunk
Sabamiki: part or most of a trunk that has been damaged or split by nature
Shakan: inclined style
Shari: a part of the trunk where the bark has been removed
Shinsho: new growth of branches in the current year
Shitakusa: is a potted (collection of plants) plant designed as accompaniment with a bonsai, often used at an exhibition or in a Tokonoma. Its main purpose is to reflect the season of that moment.
Soju: double trunk style
Starterplant: a young tree that has been cultivated (e.g. from a garden center) and needs to be shaped to a Bonsai
Takaue: planting the tree at a soil level that is higher than the rim of the pot
Tamahi: organic fertiliser shaped in balls and squares
Tokonoma: a niche or alcove in the wall of a Japanese house for the display of a decorative object
Yamadori: plants obtained from the wild in mountains and woods
Yose-Eu: grouped trees in one pot (forest)