bonsai

Everyday

1. A bonsai is a tree or shrub kept very small by growing it in a shallow pot and carefully cutting its roots and branches, so it looks like a tiny old tree. tree →
2. Bonsai is the art of growing such trees, which comes from Japan and, before that, China. tree →

In the lessons

In art and culture lessons bonsai is a patient craft: a bonsai can live for hundreds of years and be passed down in families. In science lessons it shows that pruning and a small pot limit a plant's growth. The trees are normal kinds (maple, pine, juniper), not special tiny species. Phrases: bonsai tree, the art of bonsai.

Examples

• Grandpa trims his bonsai with tiny scissors. tree →
• The bonsai looked like a big old pine tree, but it was only 30 cm tall. tree →
• Bonsai is a Japanese art. tree →
• Some bonsai trees are hundreds of years old. tree →
• A bonsai needs a shallow pot and careful watering. tree →
• We saw a bonsai maple with red leaves at the garden show. tree →
• Bonsai teaches you to be patient. tree →

Note

Pronounced BON-sye. Plural usually bonsai. The word means «tray planting» in Japanese. Myth: bonsai are NOT special dwarf trees; they are ordinary trees kept small.