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Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Fuuran Fūran Furan	風蘭	ふうらん	Vanda (Neofinetia) falcata. Any V. falcata including standard wild plants and hybrids. Literal translation is "wind orchid". These two photos are wild fuuran found in Tottori City, Japan.
Fuukiran Fūkiran Fukiran	富貴蘭	ふうきらん	Varieties of Vanda (Neofinetia) falcata which are registered in the Japan Fuukiran Society. Sometimes the unregistered V. falcata including wild plants and hybrids are called fuukiran but it is not suitable strictly speaking. Literally "Rich and valuable orchid". Click the above photos to see larger ones.
Amami fuuran Amami fūran Amami furan	奄美風蘭	あまみふうらん	Vanda (Neofinetia) falcata found in Amami Islands are called "Amami fuuran". Those are sometimes simply referred to as "Amami" for short. Generally Amami fuuran are larger than other fuurans found in the other (northern) area of Japan. Sometimes seed propagated fuuran in Korea are called "Amami" as well because many Amami fuuran have been seeded in Korea, but this way of calling might cause confusion. Amami fuuran Amami Click the above photos to see larger ones.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Abareru	暴れる	あばれる	Literally "behave wildly". A verb which describes that the way of the appearance of variegation is unstable: (i) the variegation pattern in one growth is hade on some leaves while jimi on the other leaves, or (ii) some growths have hade variegation while the others jimi in one clump. Also known as Areru (荒れる).
Aburidora	炙り虎	あぶりどら	Literally "burning tiger variegation". The tiger variegation (tora fu) which appears under high light . A type of Aburigara (炙り柄). Figures 1 and 2 are an example of tora fu appearance under high and low light. Figure 1 shows an unnamed tora fu variety grown under high light condition. Clear tora fu can be seen. But, as shown in Fig. 2, after the same specimen was grown under low light for about 14 months, the tora fu disappeared and turned solid green.
Aburigara	炙り柄	あぶりがら	Literally "burning variegation". The variegation which appears under high light.
Aka Beni	赤 紅	あか べに	Red. The on'yomi reading of 赤 is "seki", e.g., 'Sekiryuu (赤龍)', which is rarely used in fuuran terms though. That of 紅 is "kou", e.g., 'Koukakuden (紅赫殿)' and 'Shinryuukou (神龍紅)'. Aka Beni
Akabana Benibana	赤花 紅花	あかばな べにばな	Red flower. Sometimes the petals are pale pink or almost white. Akabana Benibana
Akane	赤根	あかね	Red root tip. Note that this is not ruby root. The red color often includes muddy pigmentation, so this is often classified into Dorone.
Akebono fu	曙斑	あけぼのふ	Literally "Dawn variegation". The color of a top leaf or a few new leaves is yellow or white, sometimes with a few green stripes (konjima), then it turns solid green as the leaf ages. E.g., 'Kinbotan' and 'Hakubotan'. Note that the variety 'Akebono (曙)' does not show Akebono fu.
Amamikei	奄美系	あまみけい	Fuuran of Amami fuuran lineage.
Anko	-	あんこ	Auctioneer.
Ao Sei	青	あお せい	Literally "blue", but actually sometimes means "green" in Japanese. For example, Aojiku (青軸, green stem), Aone (青根, green active root tip), and Aobana (青花, green flower). As a fuuran term, it is also used to non-variegated fuurans or non-variegated divisions from a variegated mother, e.g., 'Higuma no ao (羆の青)'. Cf. Garaochi. Note that the on'yomi reading of 青 is "sei". For example, 'Kiseigyoku (貴青玉)' and 'Kihousei (貴宝青)'. Ao
Aobana Midoribana	青花 緑花	あおばな みどりばな	Green flower. The green flowers of several varieties sometimes turn to the standard white flowers (Shirobana) within a few days, which we call "Mikka midori (三日緑)" (Literally "three-day green"). Aobana Midoribana
Aojiku Seijiku	青軸 清軸	あおじく せいじく	Green stem without anthocyanin pigmentation. Strictly speaking, the leaf sheaths covering the main stem is green. Some people may call the green stem Seijiku, where the kanji character 青 is replaced by 清 which means "clean". So the literal translation of Seijiku (清軸) is "clean stem". Aojiku Seijiku
Aone	青根	あおね	Green root tip without anthocyanin pigmentation. The word "ao" is literally "blue" but often means "green".
Areru	荒れる	あれる	Literally "get coarse". A verb which describes that the way of the appearance of variegation is unstable: (i) the variegation pattern in one growth is hade on some leaves while jimi on the other leaves, or (ii) some growths have hade variegation while the other growths jimi in one clump. Also known as Abareru (暴れる).
Ashi	足	あし	Leg (of a pot). See Fuuran diagram.
Atari	当たり	あたり	Literally "hit". This term describes a sprout on the stem which we can see (sometimes hidden) in a leaf sheath as shown in Fig.1. Usually an atari cannot be distinguished if it is a leaf bud or a flower bud, so the term generally indicates the two meanings. Note that atari is more often written in Katakana characters as "アタリ" than using Kanji and Hiragana characters in these days. In a narrow sense, atari means a leaf bud. In this case, Atari is a short for Meatari (芽当たり, literally "sprout hit"). This may come from a lottery because "atari" means "to win a lottery". In many cases, a leaf bud is much more desirable to many growers than a flower bud because one of the main objectives to grow fuuran is to make an artistic clump (especially regarding variegated varieties), or because the growers may be able to sell divisions (wariko) several years later. So the grower feels "lucky" when an atari is found to be a leaf bud. Be careful because the uncertainty of this term described above is sometimes badly used, especially on the internet auctions. Note that usually only one atari will come out from the inside of one leaf sheath. So other atari(s) will never come out from the position where a flower spike or an offshoot baby already came out. The leaf sheath at which a flower spike or an offshoot baby has not come out yet is referred to as 'Akibeya (空き部屋)' which means a vacant room. Very rarely, two ataris appear in one leaf sheath as shown in Fig. 2. Atari Meatari
Azuki fu	小豆斑	あずきふ	Anthocyanin pigmentation on leaves. The direct translation is "adzuki bean variegation". See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adzuki_bean. Usually this is not essential variegation but temporary one depending on growing conditions such as high light, low temperature and temperature difference.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Baiben Baibenka	梅弁 梅弁花	ばいべん ばいべんか	Literally, Baiben: "petals of an ume (Japanese apricot) blossom", and Baibenka: "flower that has petals of an ume blossom". A flower form where the petals are fairly round like the petals of an ume blossom compared to the ones of standard flowers. Usually the sepals and petals curve not so much backwards. 'Suisen (翠扇)' (registered) and 'Hananichirin (花日輪)' (unregistered) are representative examples. Also known as Enbenka (円弁花). Baiben Baibenka
Beni Aka	紅 赤	べに あか	Red. The on'yomi reading of 紅 is "kou", e.g., "Koukakuden (紅赫殿)" and "Shinryuukou (神龍紅)". That of 赤 is "seki", which is rarely used in fuuran terms. Beni Aka
Benibana Akabana	紅花 赤花	べにばな あかばな	Red flower. Sometimes the petals are pale pink or almost white. Benibana Akabana
Benijiku	紅軸	べにじく	Reddish stem because of anthocyanin pigmentation. One kind of dorojiku (mud stem).
Benikuma	紅隈	べにくま	Literally, "red area". Anthocyanin pigmentation on leaf (often on variegated area) and leaf sheath (stem). The color of benikuma ranges widely; pink, red, purple, and brown. Figure 1 shows 'Beniougi' leaves where the red benikuma appears on the variegated parts. Figure 2 is 'Amami shima (奄美縞)' where the pink benikuma appears on the striped area of the longest leaf. Figure 3 is 'Suishou fukurin (水晶覆輪)'. Pale brownish purple benikuma can be seen on the variegated area, especially on the small baby in lower left and the larger offshoot. Also on the mother growth has the same tone benikuma on the upper right (a bit short) leaf. Click to see larger photo and scale it up if you can't find this subtle color change. Figure 4 is an exmple of the different type of benikuma. This is a close-up of the stem of 'Zuishou (瑞晶)'. The dark-brown anthocyanin pigmentations around tsukes (leaf joints) can be seen. This is also referred to as benikuma.
Beni wo sasu	紅を挿す	べにをさす	Literally "insert red". A verb which means that red or pink pigmentation appears on plant parts, i.e., flower, leaf, stem, and active root tip. For example, 'Beniougi (紅扇)' shows red pigmentation on their variegated area, which is called beni wo sasu. The differences from the term Benikuma are: the brown color is not included, and flower and active root tip are included. Because the red, pink and purplish pigmentation on leaves are shown in Figs. 1 - 3 of Benikuma (see the notation of Benikuma), examples of flowers are shown here. Figures 1 and 2 show the flowers where the pale pink pigmentation on the tips of petals and/or sepals can be seen. On the other hand, Tengyokuhou flower shows the pale pink pigmentation on the base of petals/sepals as shown in Fig. 3. Note that this term (and also benikuma) indicates the partial pigmentation of the plant parts.
Boujima Bōjima	棒縞	ぼうじま	Literally "stick stripe". The appearance way of stripe where a few (usually one or two) wide stripes appear on a leaf. Usually, a boujima goes through a leaf from the leaf joint to the leaf tip. See Figs. 1 - 4. In many cases, collectors will not like boujima specimens, so the price of boujima specimens is generally much lower than that of ones with fine stripes. Cf. Kushimejima. Note that usually the wide stripe on the leaf margin is not called boujima. For example, the wide stripes shown in Fig. 5 are not boujima.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Chiba	稚葉	ちば	Infant (baby) short leaves which come out at the beginning of the growth of a new baby. See Fuuran diagram.
Chirifu Kasurifu	散り斑 絣斑	ちりふ かすりふ	Literally scattered variegation. Minute (short) lines or flecks are longitudinally scattered, sometimes minute green scatterings on variegated area, but sometimes minute variegation on green background. E.g., 'Fugaku' and 'Daishougun' Chirifu Kasurifu
Chirifu jima	散り斑縞	ちりふじま	Literally "scattered variegation stripe". The chirifu-like stripe or stripe of chirifu.
Chokutouba Chokutōba	直刀葉	ちょくとうば	Literally "straight sword leaf". A leaf shape characteristic where the leaf seen from the side of a plant looks almost straight or sometimes inversely curved (often called Kenba (剣葉) in this case, though). Sometimes the leaf width hardly changes from around the leaf base to around the leaf tip. In many cases, the plant will have standing leaves, but not always.
Chouzaki Chōzaki	蝶咲き	ちょうざき	Literally "Butterfly bloom". A flower with mutated sepals reminds us of a butterfly. The representatives are 'Benihichou (紅飛蝶)' and 'Kochou no mai (胡蝶の舞)'. This is called "Kochouzaki (胡蝶咲き)" in Shunran (春蘭) world.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Dai fukurin Fuka fukurin	大覆輪 深覆輪	だいふくりん ふかふくりん	Wide marginal variegation. The direct translation for Daifukurin is "big marginal variegation" and "deep marginal variegation" for Fukafukurin. Dai fukurin Fuka fukurin
Daigoke	台苔	だいごけ	Core of moss mound or the moss which is used to make the core. Fuuran on daigoke This is the same video as "Repotting method" in Videos FYI section.
Danzaki	段咲き	だんざき	A kind of Yaezaki. The flower stem part to which the flower parts attach is longer than that of Yaezaki flowers, resulting in more floral parts and gorgeous appearance.
Doro	泥	どろ	Literally "mud". Describing the muddy color, often used to the color of the leaf sheath surface around the stem (dorojiku) and the active root tip (dorone).
Dorojiku	泥軸	どろじく	Mud-colored stem because of anthocyanin pigmentation. The standard fuuran has this stem color. The color has wide range between pale and dark. Sometimes brown spots like particles of mud appear.
Dorone	泥根	どろね	Mud-colored root tip because of a combination of green and anthocyanin pigmentation. The standard fuuran has this root tip color. The color can range from greenish to dark brownish or dark reddish. The mud color is not always even along the actively growing part of the roots. For example, in case of Fig. 1, the graduation from greenish mud to brownish mud along the actively growing root tip part can be seen. Figure 3 shows an example of the pale mud roots which look like Aone (green root tip) at a glance. This pale mud is referred to as Doro wo kamu (泥を噛む).
Doro wo kamu	泥を噛む	どろをかむ	Literally "chew mud". A verb which indicates the pale or small muddy pigmentation on the stem area or active root tip. For example, when the stem area or the active root tips are almost green but colored muddy very palely or in very small area, we say "doro wo kamu, looking closely".

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Enbenka	円弁花	えんべんか	Flower with round petals. See Baibenka (梅弁花) for more details.
Enbiba	燕尾葉	えんびば	Literally "swallow tail leaf". A leaf which is split into two, which looks like a swallow tail.
Eri	襟	えり	Literally "collar". The area around a stem where leaf sheaths or leaf bases overlap. See Erigumi (襟組み).
Eriawase Erigumi	襟合わせ 襟組み	えりあわせ えりぐみ	Literally, "collar setting" for Eriawase and "collar arrangement" for Erigumi. The layers of leaf sheaths and leaf bases around a stem. This term comes from the overlapping collars of Kimono which is very neat. These two terms have the same meaning. Usually we say "Eriawase ga yoi" or "Erigumi ga yoi" (Literally "Eriawase or Erigumi is good") when the leaf sheaths and leaf bases are layered with regularity. See also Eri (襟). Eriawase Eriawase ga yoi Erigumi Erigumi ga yoi See Google image search results of 'Kimono Eri' (着物　襟). The collar of Kimono is found to be similar to the overlap of the leaf sheaths.
Etsuke Etsukeshi	絵付け 絵付師	えつけ えつけし	Etsuke (literally "attach a picture") is to draw a picture on a pot by using enamel and paint brushes, and Etsukeshi (literally "a master of ataching a picture") is a painter. Mr. Satoru Fuse (布施覚氏) and Mr. Shinji Sugiura of Airakuen (愛楽園 杉浦慎治氏) are famous etsukeshi of nishikibachi (see also nishikibachi). Etsuke Etsukeshi

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Fu	斑	ふ	Variegation.
Fuchikin	縁金	ふちきん	Gold color at the edge of the flange of a pot or a pot that has gold edge of the flange, which are the same meanings as Kinbuchi (金縁) (see Kinbuchi).
Fuchinawa	縁縄	ふちなわ	Straw-rope pattern at the edge of the flange of a pot or a pot that has straw-rope patterned edge of the flange, which are the same meanings as Nawabuchi (縄縁) (see Nawabuchi).
Fugire	斑切れ	ふぎれ	Literally "variegation cut". This term describes the appearance way of variegation that the boundary between the variegated area and green background is clear or not. When the boundary is clear, we say fugire ga ii (斑切れが良い, fugire is good), while fugire ga warui (斑切れが悪い, fugire is bad) if unclear. This term is often used for the description of tora fu, i.e., indicates the longitudinal clearness of the lateral variegation boundary to the leaf. Kiri tora fu (切り虎斑) is fugire ga ii tora fu. Fugire Fugire ga ii Fugire ga warui
Fuiri	斑入り	ふいり	Being variegated.
Fuka fukurin Dai fukurin	深覆輪 大覆輪	ふかふくりん だいふくりん	Wide marginal variegation. The direct translation for Fukafukurin is "deep marginal variegation" and "big marginal variegation" for Daifukurin. Fuka fukurin Dai fukurin
Fukurin	覆輪	ふくりん	Marginal variegation with green center. If inversely colored, i.e., green margins and variegated center, we call it Konpuku (紺覆) which is an abbreviated term of "Kon fukurin (紺覆輪)". "Kon" is "dark blue" literally but means "green" in this case.
Fukurin jima	覆輪縞	ふくりんじま	Marginal variegation with stripe called Kirikomi jima. The variegated margins are striped into the green center. Also known as Kirikomi fukurin.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Gakuhen	萼片	がくへん	Sepal. Usually fuuran has three sepals. See Fuuran diagram.
Gara	柄	がら	Variegation pattern. Refer to Jougara (上柄) and Saijougara (最上柄).
Garamono	柄もの	がらもの	Literally "variegated thing". A variety of which variegation we mainly admire and enjoy. For example, 'Fuukiden', 'Ooemaru no shima', and 'Karanishiki'.
Garaochi	柄落ち	がらおち	Literally "pattern loss". That the variegation disappears, or a growth of which variegation disappeared. Strictly, the variegations were on old leaves but not on new leaves and then the growth itself turned to a solid green one (all leaves have turned solid green), which is distinguished from Ao (青) that have no variegations since its sprout time. But sometimes Garaochi and Ao are used in the same meaning.
Gashi	雅糸	がし	Literally "elegant thread". Thread-like rises of leaf surface which look like keloid. The height of gashi is lower than kouryuu.
Gei	芸	げい	Literal translation is "art", or figuratively "performance". Specific and unique characteristics of a variety, such as variegation, stem color, root tip color, flower etc. or their combination. Generally this term indicates the characteristics which differ from the standard ones.
Genpei Genpei gara	源平 源平柄	げんぺい げんぺいがら	Literal translation of Genpei is "Genji and Heike" (see Genpei War). A variegation state where one longitudinal half of a leaf is entirely variegated with no chlorophyll and the other half is solid green with no variegation. Genpei gara = Genpei + Gara (see Gara). This state is an extreme case of hangara (半柄). The word genpei may come from that this unmixable state of green and white (or yellow) is similar to the relation beween Genji and Heike. Generally, the ghost baby growths (yuurei) often come out from the variegated side, while solid green growths (ao) often do from the solid green side. So genpei specimens are not desirable from the viewpoint of growth stability, and many Japanese collectors tend to avoid getting genpei specimens, which leads to lower price of genpei specimens. Genpei Genpei gara

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Ha -ba	葉	は -ば	Leaf. See Fuuran diagram. Ha: kun'yomi (訓読み), -ba: kun'yomi with rendaku (連濁を伴う訓読み). For example, Haguri (葉繰り) and Himeba (姫葉). The on'yomi reading is "yō" just FYI.
Hachi	鉢	はち	Pot. See Fuuran diagram.
Hachioki	鉢置き	はちおき	(i) A coaster. See Fuuran diagram. (ii) A rankake (蘭掛け).
Hade Hadegara	派手 派手柄	はで はでがら	Literally "showy". To be showily variegated. Often the variegated area is wider than the green area. "Hadegara" is a showy variegation pattern or a plant which is variegated showily. This term is (i) usually used to describe the more variegated plants or leaves than standard ones of the cultivar, but (ii) sometimes refers to originally showy varieties comparered to other less variegated or humble-colored cultivars. In case of (i), usually hadegara plants are not prefered because those are often weak and slow growers, often put out offshoot babies without chlorophyll (yuurei), or furthermore, often themselves turn to yuurei growths. For several varieties such as 'Fugaku', 'Keiga' and 'Hakubotan', however, hadegara plants are desirable. Cf. Jimi. Hade Hadegara Figures 1 and 2 show the examples of more hade offshoot babies than the mother growth. Figure 3 is an example that a (mother) plant is gradually turning to a hadegara plant. Comparison between hade and jimi specimens of Nishidemiyako is shown in Figs. 4 - 6.
Hadesaijou Hadesaijō	派手最上	はでさいじょう	Hade + Saijou. The finest variegation pattern (Saijou) but a bit shifted to hade side. Sometimes used to describe a hade plant favorably at auctions or in case that we have to speak well of a hade plant. Cf. Jimisaijou (地味最上).
Hagasane	葉重ね	はがさね	Literally "overlap of leaves". This term indicates the number of leaves which a growth retains. Usually we say "Hagasane ga yoi" (literally "Hagasane is good") when a plant has many leaves, which means the leaves can be retained for a long time. This term reminds us of "layer" of leaves, so it is often used for bean leaf plants which have many leaves. Hagasane often depends on growing conditions, so hobbyists usually want to find Hagasane ga yoi growing conditions. Hagasane Hagasane ga yoi
Hagawari	葉変わり	はがわり	Literally "leaf mutation". Fuuran which has mutated shape or form of leaves such as mameba, hariba, kouryuuba, and kuruiba.
Haguri	葉繰り	はぐり	Literally "to put out leaves". This term indicates (i)the number of leaves which a growth puts out per one year or (ii)the number of leaves which a growth retains. Usually we say "Haguri ga yoi" (literally "Haguri is good") --- for the case (i), when a growth puts out more leaves per a year than other fuuran plants. An example of this case is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Figure 2 is the same plant as Fig. 1 and was taken one year later. The red and orange arrows show the same leaves. Three leaves came out in one year, which is more than the standard case (about 2 leaves in one year). Usually this case includes the case (ii), i.e., we hardly use the term haguri ga yoi for plants which has standard number of leaves as a result that the number of emerging and falling leaves per a year are almost the same (occasionally there are varieties or specimens which haguri ga yoi but hamochi ga warui (see the note of Hamochi)), and for the case (ii), when a plant has many leaves, which means the leaves can be retained for a long time (see Fig. 3). Haguri often depends on growing conditions, so hobbyists usually want to find Haguri ga yoi growing conditions. Haguri Haguri ga yoi
Hamochi	葉持ち	はもち	Literally "retention of leaves". This term indicates the number of leaves which a growth retains. Usually we say "Hamochi ga yoi" (literally "Hamochi is good") when a plant has many leaves, which means the leaves can be retained for a long time; and "Hamochi ga warui" (literally "Hamochi is bad") for the opposite case. Hamochi often depends on growing conditions, so hobbyists usually want to find Hamochi ga yoi growing conditions. Hamochi Hamochi ga yoi Hamochi ga warui
Hana -bana -ka	花	はな -ばな -か	Flower. See Fuuran diagram. Hana: kun'yomi (訓読み), -bana: kun'yomi with rendaku (連濁を伴う訓読み), -ka: on'yomi (音読み). The reading depends on the word prefixed to 花, for example, Akabana (赤花) and Tairinka (大輪花).
Hanagawari	花変わり	はながわり	Literally "flower mutation". Fuuran which has mutated shape or form of flower such as 'Shunkyuuden', 'Hanamatsuri', 'Manjushage', and 'Soubiryuu'.
Hanamono	花もの	はなもの	Literally "flower thing". A variety of which flower we mainly admire and enjoy. For example, 'Shutennou', 'Hisui', and 'Shunkyuuden'.
Hangara	半柄	はんがら	Literally "half pattern". A variegation state where one longitudinal half of a leaf is variegated and the other half is solid green with no variegation. An extreme case of hangara is genpei.
Hariba	針葉	はりば	Literally "needle leaf". A leaf form which has narrow width and sharp tip like a needle. Or varieties of which leaves have this form. Usually its side-view shape is standing leaf.
Hasugata	葉姿	はすがた	Shape of whole leaves. Same as "Kisugata".
Hazeru	晴ぜる	はぜる	Literally "become clear". A verb which describes the process of the change of the variegation brightness from dark to bright. For example, see Nochihaze (後晴ぜ) and Imahaze (今晴ぜ). Also known as Saeru (冴える). Cf. Kuramu (暗む).
Himeba	姫葉	ひめば	Gradually curved (arced) leaf in the side view of the plant. The direct translation is "princess leaf". That leaves becomes arced is referred to as "Himeru". Himeba Himeru
Hinshu Hinshumei	品種 品種名	ひんしゅ ひんしゅめい	Hinshu is a "variety" or "cultivar". Hinshumei is "variety name". For example, 'Fuukiden', 'Ooemaru no shima', 'Akausagi', and so on are hinshu and hinshumei, regardless of registration. Hinshu Hinshumei
Hiroba	広葉	ひろば	Wide leaf. For example, 'Hiroba-Kinroukaku (広葉金鏤閣)' is a wide leaf type of 'Kinroukaku'. Cf. Hosoba.
Hokku	発句	ほっく	Literally "starting verse". A starting price at an auction. Maybe this term comes from Japanese poem. Pronunciation 1: Pronunciation 2:
Honba	本葉	ほんば	Mature leaf. See Fuuran diagram.
Hongei	本芸	ほんげい	Literally "original art". The true cahracteristics (i.e., true gei) of a variety. Some specimens may not show the true characteristics of the variety but others do even if they are the specimens of the same variety. The specimens that show the true characteristics (i.e., hongei) are called "Hongeihin (本芸品)". Hongei Hongeihin
Honshou Honshō Honshouhin Honshōhin	本性 本性品	ほんしょう ほんしょうひん	Original plants (species) found in the wild or divisions from the original plants. Cf. Mishou. Honshou Honshouhin
Hoshizaki	星咲き	ほしざき	Literally "star blooming". A characteristic where flowers, typically rokubenka, bloom upwards facing. E.g., 'Hoshiguruma (星車)', 'Kinboshi (金星)' and 'Aoboshi (青星)'.
Hosoba	細葉	ほそば	Narrow leaf. For example, 'Hosoba-Kinroukaku (細葉金鏤閣)' is a narrow leaf type of 'Kinroukaku'. Cf. Hiroba.
Hoya	火屋	ほや	Literally "fire house". Generally this word means a chimney of a (gas) lump or a lid of an incense burner. But as a word used in fuuran world, it indicates a netted metal wire cover which was used in old days to prevent damages caused by small animals such as mice or human carelessness. Now this is used as just an ornament of a display at a Show.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Ichimonjigata	一文字型	いちもんじがた	One of the leaf joint shapes. Straight line. It looks like the shape of a Kanji character "一" which means one. Often abbreviated to Ichimonji. Figure 3 shows an example of exsistence of two tsuke types (Ichimonji and Tsuki) in one growth.
Imahaze	今晴ぜ	いまはぜ	Literally "to become clear now". A characteristic where a new (top) leaf comes out with clear variegation. Also known as Tenzae (天冴え). Typically the variegation remains clear on the old leaves. But there are some varieties of which variegation gets dark as the leaf matures. Usually we call this type of variegation Nochikurami but sometimes call it Imahaze Nochikurami to describe the variegated way more clearly.
Ippin	逸品	いっぴん	A supremely excellent variety.
Ippinmono	一品物	いっぴんもの	Literally "only one thing". A growth which is only one in the world regardless of its origin (found in the wild, mutated from a mother plant, or found from among millions of seedlings).
Ito fukurin	糸覆輪	いとふくりん	Marginal variegation which is very narrow. The direct translation is "thread-like marginal variegation".

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Jiai	地合い	じあい	Surface texture of leaves. E.g., Kinuji (絹地).
Jiku	軸	じく	Stem but usually covered with leaf sheaths. So, strictly speaking, we cannot see the true jiku. The term jiku actually means the leaf sheath surface around the stem. See Fuuran diagram.
Jimi Jimigara	地味 地味柄	じみ じみがら	Literally "humble" or "quiet". To be subtly variegated. Often the variegated area is very small compared to the green area. "Jimigara" is a subtle variegation pattern or a plant which is variegated subtly. This term is (i) usually used to describe the less variegated plants or leaves than standard ones of the cultivar, but (ii) sometimes refers to originally modest varieties comparered to other more variegated or showy-colored cultivars. In case of (i), usually jimigara plants are more prefered than hadegara plants because jimigara plants can put out more hade babies than the mother fan in many cases. Note that the criterion for jimi or hade sometimes depends on the variety. Cf. Hade. Jimi Jimigara Figure 1 shows the example of more jimi mother growth than the lower left offshoot baby. Figures 2 and 3 are the examples of cultivars with originally quiet-colored (jimi) variegation. Comparison between jimi and hade specimens of Nishidemiyako is shown in Figs. 4 - 6.
Jimisaijou Jimisaijō	地味最上	じみさいじょう	Jimi + Saijou. The finest variegation pattern (Saijou) but a bit shifted to jimi side. Sometimes used to describe a jimi plant favorably at auctions or in case that we have to speak well of a jimi plant. Cf. Hadesaijou (派手最上).
Jougara Jōgara	上柄	じょうがら	Fine variegation pattern or a plant which has a fine variegation pattern among other specimens of the cultivar. In most cases, jougara is between jimigara and hadegara. Cf. Saijougara.
Jougei Jōgei	上芸	じょうげい	Literally "high art". That the gei (specific and unique characteristics) of a variety appears with high quality. The specimens that show jougei are called "Jougeihin (上芸品)". Jougei Jougeihin

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Kaben	花弁	かべん	Flower petal. Usually fuuran has two petals. The term Kaben often means both the two petals and three sepals in daily conversations. See Fuuran diagram.
Kabu Kabudachi	株 株立ち	かぶ かぶだち	Specimens that have plural growths. A clump (though occasionally Kabu indicates one growth). Kabudachi reminds us of a larger clump than Kabu. Usually these terms indicate one plant that have plural growths, i.e., basically all the stems of the growths need to be connected in order to call a clump Kabu, though it is probable that we cannot check the stem connection in case of a very big clump. When a clump is group-planted or is divided under the planting material, we say not Kabu but Yoseue (寄せ植え), even if the group-planted specimens are the same variety. Cf. Ookabu and Kokabu. Kabu Kabudachi
Kabutozaki	兜咲き	かぶとざき	Literally "helmet bloom". A lip and two petals are normal but three sepals are difficult to open, so the flowers tend to be in half bloom with closed tips of the sepals or only the lip and petals may come out from between the petals. But eventually they often fully open. This type of flower looks like old Japanese war helmet which millitary commanders used in Sengoku Period. The representative veriety is 'Yatsufusa (八房)'.
Kabuwake	株分け	かぶわけ	To divide growths. This is the same video as "Dividing method" in Videos FYI section.
Kai	会	かい	(i) Society, Association, Club. (ii) Meeting, Gathering, Party. (iii) Event such as Show, Sale, Auction.
Kakei	花茎	かけい	Flower stem or peduncle. See Fuuran diagram.
Kamaba	鎌葉	かまば	Literally "sickle leaf". A leaf shaped like a sickle when seen from the side of a plant. A type of Wankyokuba (湾曲葉), but only some (not all) leaves in a growth show the kamaba shape and the leaf width is narrow compared to other non-kamabas in the same growth. These photos are the same sample ('Masamune (政宗)') taken from different angles. The leaf indicated by a red arrow in each photo is the same leaf which shows the kamaba characteristic. Click the images to see larger ones.
Kanreisha	寒冷紗	かんれいしゃ	Literally "cold and cool cloth". Shading cloth or cheesecloth.
Kasurifu Chirifu	絣斑 散り斑	かすりふ ちりふ	Literally scattered variegation. Minute (short) lines or flecks are longitudinally scattered, sometimes minute green scatterings on variegated area, but sometimes minute variegation on green background. E.g., 'Fugaku' and 'Daishougun' Kasurifu Chirifu
Katafukurin	片覆輪	かたふくりん	Literally "one side marginal variegation". The only half side of a leaf has the marginal variegation.
Kawarimono	変わりもの	かわりもの	Literally "strange thing". A fuuran different from the standard type of fuuran, regardless of its difference level.
Kazaribachi Keshoubachi	飾り鉢 化粧鉢	かざりばち けしょうばち	Literally "decorative pot" and "make-up pot", respectively. Pots used to display such as Nishikibachi and Sukashibachi. Kazaribachi Keshoubachi The following two with Kiribako are made by Ms. Carol Helen Beule of First House Furnishings in USA.
Kazaridai	飾り台	かざりだい	A decorative stand. Used to display.
Kekomi Kekomi jima	蹴込み 蹴込み縞	けこみ けこみじま	Literally "kick-in" and "kick-in stripe". Stripes which are cutting into the green center from the leaf edge around leaf tip. Usually the stripe is much shorter than Kirikomi jima, so it does not reach the leaf joint. Kekomi Kekomi jima
Kenba	剣葉	けんば	Literally "sword leaf". One of the leaf shapes seen from the side of a plant. The leaf which curves inversely, i.e., upwards. (Note that the leaves of standard fuuran curve downwards.)
Kenjousen Kenjōsen	堅条線	けんじょうせん	Indented line or thin groove on the surface of leaf. Sometimes roots also can have Kenjousen (see 2.2.6-A4 Roots with Kenjousen (堅条線, indented lines)).
Keshougoke Keshōgoke	化粧苔	けしょうごけ	Long fiber moss which wraps the root system. Also known as Uwagoke (上苔). See the repotting video in Videos FYI section.
Ki	木	き	Literally "tree". As a fuuran term, this indicates figuratively a growth. We say "ii ki" (a good tree) for a specimen which have good variegation pattern or grown well.
Ki	黄	き	Yellow. The on'yomi reading of 黄 is "ou" or "kou", e.g., 'Ougyokuden (黄玉殿)' and 'Kouunkaku (黄雲閣)'.
Kibana	黄花	きばな	Yellow flower. The yellow color of the original speces is pale though hybrids are dark. Sometimes pale green at the beginning of the bloom, then turns dark yellow. Note that this term is not a variety name.
Kiine	黄根	きいね	Yellow root tip which can range from pale greenish yellow to pale muddy yellow. Sometimes this is considered as a subcategory of Aone (green root tip) or Dorone (mud).
Kinbuchi	金縁	きんぶち	Gold edge of the flange of a pot or a pot that has gold edge of the flange. See Fuuran diagram. Sometimes we use another word "Fuchikin (縁金)" for the same meanings.
Kinuji	絹地	きぬじ	Smooth and fine texture on leaf surface like silk. The direct translation is "silk texture".
Kiribako	桐箱	きりばこ	Paulownia box to put a decorative pot in. Usually the name of the pot, artist's sign, and artist's stamp can be seen on one side of the box. Often the box is fastened with a flat tie (see "How to knot a flat tie of kiribako" in Videos FYI section).
Kirikomi fukurin	切り込み覆輪	きりこみふくりん	Marginal variegation with stripe called Kirikomi jima. The variegated margins are striped into the green center. The direct translation is "cut-in marginal variegation". Also known as Fukurin jima.
Kirikomi jima	切り込み縞	きりこみじま	Stripes which are cutting into the green center from the leaf edge. The direct translation is "cut-in stripe".
Kiri tora fu	切り虎斑	きりとらふ	Tiger variegation of which boundary between the variegated area and green background is clear.
Kisugata	木姿	きすがた	Shape of a plant. Same as "Hasugata".
Ko	子	こ	Child, (offshoot) baby, or young growth. See Fuuran diagram.
Kobachi	古鉢	こばち	Old pots. Often water scales, stains, or cracks are on the pot surface, or sometimes broken pieces are pasted by using gold. But those are tasty and admirable as antique pots, which we say "Jidai ga noru (時代が乗る)" (literally "times ride on"). Note that this term is different from the term "小鉢" which is often used in the Bonsai field, has the same pronunciation, and means "small pot". Kobachi Jidai ga noru
Kodakarazaki	子宝咲き	こだからざき	Literally "child treasure bloom". Many flowers bloom side by side densely.
Kokabu	小株	こかぶ	A small clump (not group-planted) in which some growths are. See Kabu. Cf. Ookabu.
Kon	紺	こん	Literally "deep blue", but actually sometimes means "green" in Japanese. In fuuran world, it means "green" which is the same as the case of "Ao (青, blue)". For example, Konjima (紺縞, green stripe), Konpuku (紺覆, green margin), and Konsei (紺性, depth of green color).
Kon ga noru Kon no nori Kon nori	紺が乗る 紺の乗り 紺乗り	こんがのる こんののり こんのり	Kon ga noru: Literally "deep blue rides". Means that green area appears on leaves. For example, offshoot babies of "Fuukiden (富貴殿)" often come out without chlorophyll (yuurei), but several years later green center may appear, which we call Kon ga noru. Kon no nori and Kon nori: Conditions of appearance of green area on leaves. Both words have the same meaning. Literally "ride of deep blue" and "deep blue ride", respectively. When the green area is enough, we say Kon no nori ga ii (紺の乗りが良い, appearance of the green area is good) or Kon nori ga ii (紺乗りが良い). But if poor, Kon no nori ga warui (紺の乗りが悪い, appearance of the green area is bad) or Kon nori ga warui (紺乗りが悪い). Kon ga noru Kon no nori Kon nori Kon no nori ga ii Kon nori ga ii Kon no nori ga warui Kon nori ga warui
Konji Konsei	紺地 紺性	こんじ こんせい	Depth of green color. Usually we use as "Konji ga tsuyoi" or "Konsei ga tsuyoi" for deep green (Green is strong if directly translated) and "Konji ga yowai" or "Konsei ga yowai" for light green (Green is weak). See Kon (紺). Konji Konsei Konji ga tsuyoi Konsei ga tsuyoi Konji ga yowai Konsei ga yowai
Konjima	紺縞	こんじま	Green stripe. The word "Kon" is literally "dark blue" but often means "green".
Konohagata	木の葉型	このはがた	Wide leaf which looks like a leaf of a broad-leaved tree. Lanceolate shape. E.g., 'Ooemaru no shima'.
Konpe	-	こんぺ	Protrusions like "Konpeitou candy". As for Fuukiran, different tissues are included on a leaf, which looks like Konpeitou protuberances.
Konpuku	紺覆	こんぷく	Green marginal variegation. This is an abbreviated term of "Kon fukurin (紺覆輪)". This word is often used by combining with "Nakasuke", i.e., "Nakasuke konpuku" or "Konpuku nakasuke".
Konsei Konji	紺性 紺地	こんせい こんじ	Depth of green color. Usually we use as "Konsei ga tsuyoi" or "Konji ga tsuyoi" for deep green (Green is strong if directly translated) and "Konsei ga yowai" or "Konji ga yowai" for light green (Green is weak). See Kon (紺). Konsei Konji Konsei ga tsuyoi Konji ga tsuyoi Konsei ga yowai Konji ga yowai
Kootome Kōtome Kootome saijou Kōtome saijō	コート目 コート目最上	こーとめ こーとめさいじょう	The origin of this term is unknown. The same meaning as Kushime jima (櫛目縞). Kootome saijou = Kootome + Saijou. These two terms, Kootome and Kootome saijou, have the same meaning. See Kushime jima (櫛目縞). Sometimes spelled as Koutome. Kootome Kootome saijou
Koru Korime	凝る 凝り芽	こる こりめ	Koru: Literally "get stiff". A verb. To put out stunted short leaves. This phenomena is often caused by undesirable growing conditions such as a mismatch of the water hardness, a side-effect of over-fertilizing, a side-effect of an insecticide, a side-effect of a fungicide, and so on. Especially 'Seikai (青海)' is easy to koru. Korime: A stunted growth of which leaves are abnormally shorter than those of a normal growth. Sometimes the leaves get shorter suddenly or gradually though the plant was growing healthily till that time. And sometimes an offshoot baby comes out as a korime. Koru Korime
Koshi	腰	こし	Literally "hip". The area of the leaf base shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Usually the leaf sheath is not included, but sometimes this term, in a broad sense, indicates the base of the plant, and the area of the leaf sheaths and around the leaf joints.
Koshi fu	腰斑	こしふ	Literally "hip variegation". Variegation which appears on Koshi area (see the notation of the term Koshi). Koshi fu is classified into tora fu. Sometimes leaf sheaths are consistently variegated across the leaf joint (tsuke).
Koshi ga hikui Koshi ga takai	腰が低い 腰が高い	こしがひくい こしがたかい	When the angle of leaf sheath and of leaf around the leaf joint is small to the horizontal, we call it Koshi ga hikui. Literally "hip is low". This small angle brings the low position of koshi (see the notation of the term Koshi) especially of the lower leaves. On the other hand, if the angle is large, it's referred to as Koshi ga takai (literally "hip is high") because this large angle brings the high position of koshi. In many cases, Koshi ga takai varieties are tachi himeba (立ち姫葉). Note that these terms are rarely used for the standing straight leaf varieties. Koshi ga hikui Koshi ga takai An example of "Koshi ga hikui" variety: 'Unryuu no taki 雲龍滝'. An example of "Koshi ga takai" variety: 'Ten'yuu 天優'.
Kouhai Kōhai Kouhaishu Kōhaishu	交配 交配種	こうはい こうはいしゅ	Kouhai is "crossing". The varieties obtained by crossing are called "Kouhaishu". But in the fuuran world, the word Kouhaishu is often used for hybridized varieties (i.e., hybrids) which include non-fuuran genes. Note that the hybrids are now being considered to be not suitable for registration. Kouhai Kouhaishu
Koukankai Kōkankai	交換会	こうかんかい	Literally "exhange meeting". An auction. This is the same video as "An example of fuukiran auction" in Videos FYI section.
Kouryuuba Kōryūba	甲龍葉	こうりゅうば	Leaf on which raised longitudinal pleats are. The direct translation is "shell dragon leaf". Note that the raised longitudinal pleat is called Kouryuu (Kōryū) 甲龍.
Kudaba	管葉	くだば	Leaf which is folded or closed. The direct translation is "tube leaf".
Kumo	雲	くも	Literally "cloud". Unclear green (cloud-like) parts which appear on variegated areas. Usually we say "Kumo wo ukaberu" which means "float clouds". Several varieties, such as 'Unryuu no taki' and 'Renjoumaru', show this type of variegation in the transient process to mature. Kumo Kumo wo ukaberu
Kuramu	暗む	くらむ	Literally "become dark". A verb which describes the process of the change of the variegation brightness from bright to dark (to solid green in many cases). For example, see Nochikurami (後暗み) and Akebonofu (曙斑). Cf. Saeru (冴える) and Hazeru (晴ぜる).
Kuruiba	狂い葉	くるいば	Leaf which irregularly curves and twists. The direct translation is "crazy leaf". Also known as Shishiba (獅子葉).
Kushi	串	くし	Skewers. Used to train the leaves neatly. Plastic skewers are mainly used recently instead of bamboo ones. See also Kyousei (矯正). Upper: Plastic, Lower: Bamboo
Kushimejima Kushimegara	櫛目縞 櫛目柄	くしめじま くしめがら	Kushimejima is literally "comb pattern stripe". The appearance way of stripe where the many fine stripes are on all over the leaf surface, which looks like a pattern traced by a comb. Note that we don't call just a few narrow stripes Kushimejima. The word kushime (comb pattern) intrinsically includes the meaning of "many" lines. And also we don't say Kushimejima in case that the stripes are shifted to one side of leaves even if the stripes are fine. Kushimejima is also known as Kushimegara, where the word gara indicates stripe, i.e., shima in this case. Cf. Boujima. Kushimejima Kushimegara
Kyo	距	きょ	Spur of a flower. See Fuuran diagram.
Kyonashi	距無し	きょなし	A flower without spurs.
Kyousei Kyōsei	矯正	きょうせい	Literally "correction". To train the leaves using skewers or wires. See also Kushi (串). Note that the plastic skewers are used for the support of the small growth with a few roots rather than training of the leaves in case of the second photo.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Mameba	豆葉	まめば	Leaf which becomes short and wide. The direct translation is "bean leaf".
Marudome	丸止め	まるどめ	Outline of leaf is roundly tapered towards the leaf tip (hasaki, 葉先). The literal translation is "round stop". Usually we say "hasaki marudome (葉先丸止め)". Marudome Hasaki marudome
Matsuba	松葉	まつば	The direct translation is "pine needle". Green chirifu on variegated area. These scattered minute green flecks look like pine needles on white or yellow variegation. Usually we say "Matsuba wo chirasu (松葉を散らす)" which means "scatter pine needles". Matsuba Matsuba wo chirasu
Meatari	芽当たり	めあたり	Literally "sprout hit". Same meaning as Atari (当たり). See Atari.
Megawari	芽変わり	めがわり	Literally "sprout change" or "growth change". (i) An offshoot mutation from its mother growth, or a mutated offshoot. (ii) A growth mutation from original to other. Figure 1 shows an example of case (i). An offshoot growth on the left side has the Manazuru characteristic (Gintsuru). The offshoot growth of Fig. 2 is Houken, while the mother is Kansetsu (case (i)). But the mother growth seems to be turning to Houken, which is an example of case (ii).
Meihin	銘品 名品	めいひん	There are two Kanji writing with the same reading, and these have the almost same literal meaning "named thing". The following descriptions are applicable only to the fuuran world. 銘品: The registered varieties in the Japan Fūkiran Society which are written in the Fūkiran Meikan (富貴蘭銘鑑). So this term is a synonym of Fūkiran (the registered fuuran varieties). Note that the same Kanji 銘 (mei) is used in both meihin 銘品 and meikan 銘鑑. 名品: Excellent and famous varieties. Basically regardless of the registration, but sometimes used as the term which indicates the registered varieties, i.e., as the same term as 銘品.
Midori Ryoku	緑	みどり りょく	Green. Kun'yomi: Midori. For example, Midoribana (緑花) and 'Tosa midori (土佐緑)'. On'yomi: Ryoku. For example, 'Rokuhou (緑宝)' and 'Kishuu ryokufuu (紀州緑風)'. Midori
Midoribana Aobana	緑花 青花	みどりばな あおばな	Green flower. The green flowers of several varieties sometimes turn to the standard white flowers (Shirobana) within a few days, which we call "Mikka midori (三日緑)" (Literally "three-day green"). Midoribana Aobana
Mimizuri fu	耳摺り斑	みみずりふ	Variegation which appears irregularly on the periphery of a leaf. Sometimes called "Mimizuri shima (耳摺り縞)". The direct translation is "ear-rubbing variegation".
Mishou Mishō Mishouhin Mishōhin	実生 実生品	みしょう みしょうひん	Seed-propagation or seed-propagated plants (seedlings) including hybrids or divisions from the seed-propagated plants. Natural seed-propagation on a tree in mountain is referred to as Yama mishou (山実生) which is literally "seed-propagation in mountain". Cf. Honshou and Honshouhin. Mishou Mishouhin
Mizugoke	水苔	みずごけ	Sphagnum moss. Usually this is used to plant fuuran. Often abbreviated as Koke (苔) in daily conversations. See Fuuran diagram and the repotting video in Videos FYI section.
Mizuyari	水やり	みずやり	Watering.
Mujiba	無地葉	むじば	Literally "plain leaf". Non-variegated leaf. The term muji means solid green without any variegation patterns. See also Namiba and Ha. Mujiba Muji
Mureru	蒸れる	むれる	Literally "get steamed". A verb which means that the roots in the wet moss get steamed and damaged because of high temperature (which depends on season or high light) with poor ventilation. Rarely steamed if unglazed clay pots are used, but sometimes steamed when plastic pots or rakubachi are used, especially in summer, in room, or in car.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Nakadooshi Nakadōshi	中通し	なかどおし	Literally "center passing". Stripe along the leaf center (Fig. 1) which is narrower than Nakafu. Also known as "Nakadooshi jima (中通し縞)". When a plant has a narrow green stripe with very wide variegated margins (i.e., a hade plant of fukurin varieties), we call it "Kon no nakadooshi (紺の中通し)" (Fig. 2).
Nakafu	中斑	なかふ	Center variegation longitudinally along a leaf. Medio-picta. Usually the width of Nakafu is between Nakadooshi and Nakasuke, and a bit unclear compared to Nakasuke.
Nakasuke	中透け	なかすけ	Middle penetrating variegation. The center of a leaf is veriegated longitudinally, which penetrates the leaf to the back side. The variegation is generally clearer and wider than that of Nakafu. The literal translation is "center transparent". Usually the leaves of Nakasuke variegation have clearly contrasted (narrow) green margins. So this word is often used by combining with "Konpuku", i.e., "Nakasuke konpuku" or "Konpuku nakasuke".
Namiba	並葉	なみば	Standard leaf. All traits of the leaves, i.e., length, shape, color, texture, etc. are standard. Often used for describing the leaves of wild fuurans. Typical examples of Namiba are shown in the following photos. Note that this term sometimes indicates the standard leaf form characteristics except the variegation in a narrow sense, and the term mujiba is used to describe the standard solid green leaf in this case.
Namibana	並花	なみばな	Standard flower which has standard size, standard shape and white color. Sometimes the tips of the petal or sepal can blush very lightly when the plant has anthocyanin pigment. Namibana of Amami are often pale pink.
Namigata	波型	なみがた	One of the leaf joint shapes. Wavy shape. Often abbreviated to Nami.
Nawabuchi	縄縁	なわぶち	Straw-rope patterned edge of the flange of a pot or a pot that has straw-rope patterned edge of the flange. Sometimes we use another word "Fuchinawa (縁縄)" for the same meanings.
Ne	根	ね	Root. Usually describes a whole root from the root joint to the root tip. But when we describe the active root tip colors, this term indicates the active root tip. See Fuuran diagram.
Nesaki	根先	ねさき	Root tip. Especially active root tip. See the notation of the term Ne (根) and Fuuran diagram.
Ni Nimotsu	荷 荷物	に にもつ	Literally "baggage". Fuurans which will be sold at an auction. They are put on tables in order of being sold and the participants (buyer) can see closely (but never touch) them before the auction starts. Note that this term usually indicates a set of fuurans which a person (ninushi) brings to the auction, rarely the individual fuuran (e.g., one fuuran is called nimotsu when a ninushi brings only one fuuran). Ni Nimotsu
Ninushi	荷主	にぬし	The owners of the fuurans which are being sold now at an auction, i.e., the owners of nimotsu. Sometimes the number of fuurans per one ninushi is limited, e.g., up to 12 or 15, which depends on auctions.
Nishikibachi	錦鉢	にしきばち	Literally "brocade pot". A highly decorated rakubachi. Usually, a painter called "Etsukeshi (絵付師)" draws an enamel picture on a black-only rakubachi (kuroraku) by using paint brushes ("Etsuke (絵付け)", see also Etsuke). Mr. Satoru Fuse (布施覚氏) and Mr. Shinji Sugiura of Airakuen (愛楽園 杉浦慎治氏) are famous etsukeshi. Nishikibachi Etsuke Etsukeshi
Nochihaze	後晴ぜ	のちはぜ	The variegation is unclear on top leaf but then it becomes bright as the leaf matures. The speed of the development of the variegation contrast depends on varieties. Also known as Nochizae (後冴え). The literal translation is "to become clear later". Cf. Nochikurami (後暗み) and Imahaze (今晴ぜ). Typical nochihaze variegation change is shown in Fig. 1. The variegation of the top leaf gradually gets bright. The variegation shown in Fig. 2 is an example of the nochihaze change with kumo (see the term description of kumo). Figure 3 shows an example of very slow nochihaze change. It will take about two years for the variegation to get bright.
Nochikurami	後暗み	のちくらみ	The variegation is bright on top leaf but then it becomes unclear or disappears to be almost solid green as the leaf matures. The literal translation is "to become dark later". Cf. Nochizae.
Nochizae	後冴え	のちざえ	The variegation is unclear on top leaf but then it becomes bright as the leaf matures. The speed of the development of the variegation contrast depends on varieties. Also known as Nochihaze (後晴ぜ). The literal translation is "to become vivid later". Cf. Nochikurami (後暗み) and Tenzae (天冴え). Typical nochizae variegation change is shown in Fig. 1. The variegation of the top leaf gradually gets bright. The variegation shown in Fig. 2 is an example of the nochizae change with kumo (see the term description of kumo). Figure 3 shows an example of very slow nochizae change. It will take about two years for the variegation to get bright.
Norifu	乗り斑	のりふ	Variegation appearing only on the upper side of leaves. Usually indicates a kind of tora fu. The variegation often cannot be seen from the back side of the leaves, or sometimes looks like fukurin in case of tora fu when seen from the back side of the leaf.
Nori wo hiku	糊を引く	のりをひく	Leaf surface looks like it has a translucent film like thin paste film and the boundary between variegated area and green area is unclear. See the surface of 'Fuukiden' leaves. The direct translation is "spread paste thinly".
Noshiba	熨斗葉	のしば	Leaf which is pinched and closed at the middle part but open at the leaf tip. This leaf looks like "Noshi" which is a decoration of folded red and white paper for gifts to express the respect of the sender. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noshi. The direct translation is "noshi leaf".

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Onshitsu	温室	おんしつ	A greenhouse. Usually heated in winter.
Oodana Ōdana	大棚	おおだな	Literally "big rack". A person who has many fuurans or that person's growing place. See Tana (棚).
Ookabu Ōkabu	大株	おおかぶ	A big clump (not group-planted) in which many growths are. See Kabu. Cf. Kokabu.
Osa	筬	おさ	Spaces between the leaves around the stem. We say "Osa ga tsumaru" for tight spaces, and "Osa ga yurui" for loose spaces. Osa Osa ga tsumaru Osa ga yurui
Oteuchi	お手打ち	おてうち	Literally "hand clap". Claps at an auction; usually three claps, repeat two times. The participants of an auction do this clapping (i) when the auction starts, (ii) when someone won an item at a high price, and (iii) when the auction is over. See the following video for Oteuchi of the above case (i) ("An example of fuukiran auction" in Videos FYI section).
Oyagi	親木	おやぎ	Parent or Mother plant of a division or the oldest growth in a clump. See Fuuran diagram.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Purabachi	プラ鉢	ぷらばち	A pot made of plastic. "Pura" is a short for "plastic" in Japanese way to read "purasuchikku". Usually purabachi has slits on the bowl part and are used for daily cultivation.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Raberu	ラベル	らべる	Literally "label". A plant tag. This is a Japanese reading of the English word "label". See Fuuran diagram.
Rakubachi	楽鉢	らくばち	For fuuran pots, this term generally indicates black-glazed pots made by using the "Rakuyaki (楽焼)" technique. The black-only rakubachi is referred to as Kurorakubachi (黒楽鉢) or simply Kuroraku (黒楽). The rakubachis with a gold edge of flange and gold legs are called Kinbuchi (金縁) or Fuchikin (縁金) (see Kinbuchi or Fuchikin). Usually, the rakubachi with kinbuchi or higher grade decorative pots should be used to display fuukiran at Shows in Japan. So the black-only rakubachis are generally used only for daily cultivation.
Rankake	蘭掛け	らんかけ	Literally "orchid stand". A stand to put the plant pots. Usually this term indicates the metal wire stands used being placed on a rack, shelf or table. Cf. Tsuriwaku (吊り枠).
Rappabachi Rappagata	ラッパ鉢 ラッパ型	らっぱばち らっぱがた	Rappabachi is literally "trumpet pot". A pot of which side view shape is like a trumpet. The shape is refferred to as Rappagata (ラッパ型). Rappabachi Rappagata
Rashaba	羅紗葉	らしゃば	Leaf which has rough surface texture like a woolen cloth, or the varieties that have such leaves. The direct translation is "woolen cloth leaf". Note that Rashaba is a bit longitudinal pattern, while Yasuriba is rather lateral to the leaf.
Rikiba	力葉	りきば	Leaf which is bended downwards a bit steeply at around one thirds (or middle) of the whole leaf length from the leaf tip. This leaf shape looks like a Hiragana character "へ" and looks powerful. The direct translation is "power leaf". That a leaf becomes bended around the leaf tip is referred to as "Rikimu". Rikiba Rikimu
Ritsujousen	立条線	りつじょうせん	Raised longitudinal lines on a leaf surface. Cf. Kenjousen (堅条線).
Rokubenka	六弁花	ろくべんか	A flower of which lip mutated to a sixth standard petal. Literally "six petal flower".
Rubiine Rubīne	ルビー根	るびーね	Ruby root tip caused by anthocyanin pigmentation without green and yellow pigmentation.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Saeru	冴える	さえる	Literally "become vivid". A verb which describes the process of the change of the variegation brightness from dark to bright. For example, see Nochizae (後冴え) and Tenzae (天冴え). Also known as Hazeru (晴ぜる). Cf. Kuramu (暗む).
Saijou Saijō	最上	さいじょう	This is a general Japanese word which means "the finest" or "the best".
Saijougara Saijōgara	最上柄	さいじょうがら	Saijou + Gara. The finest variegation pattern or a plant which has the finest variegation pattern compared to other specimens of the cultivar. Sometimes we say Gara saijou (柄最上), changing the order of Saijou and Gara. Cf. Saijougei. Saijougara Gara saijou
Saijougei Saijōgei	最上芸	さいじょうげい	Saijou + Gei. The best quality of the characteristics of a cultivar or a plant which shows the best quality of the characteristics compared to other specimens of the cultivar. Note that Saijougara indicates only the quality of the variegation pattern, while Saijougei includes not only the variegation pagttern but also other characteristics such as leaf shape, plant shape, and root tip color. So this term can be used for the varieties with no variegations such as solid green bean leaf varieties.
Saku	作	さく	Literally "make". Appearance of fuuran as a result that a hobbyist made efforts to grow the fuuran well. It is considered that the appearance of the fuuran can reflect the hobbyist's efforts and way to grow. Also known as Tsukuri (作り). If the fuuran is good-looking, we say Saku ga ii (saku is good), but Saku ga warui (saku is bad) if not. Of course the saku ga ii fuurans will be more expensive than saku ga warui ones. Saku Saku ga ii Saku ga warui
Sakuba	作場	さくば	Literally "making place". A place where a hobbyist grows fuuran, regardless of the type of the space (greenhouse, outdoor place, veranda, with/without pot stands or pot hangers, etc.). Also known as Tana (棚).
Sanchouzaki Sanchōzaki	三蝶咲き	さんちょうざき	Literally "Three butterfly bloom". Flower with three spurs. One of the spurs always grows from the base of the lip, which is the same as the normal flowers, but the other two will come out (i)from two petals (e.g., Manjushage) or (ii)from lower two sepals (e.g., Hanakanzashi).
Sanken	三剣	さんけん	'Houken (宝剣)', 'Kenryuu (剣龍)', and 'Mitsurugi (御剣)'. The direct translation of "sanken" is "three swords". The leaves of these three varieties look like sword. See "Lineages and Genealogies" section.
Sankounakafu Sankōnakafu	三光中斑	さんこうなかふ	Variegation that appears between green margins and green center. Figure 1 shows the typical sankounakafu on a Ginsekai leaf. 'Surugasansai' shown in Fig. 2 is a mutation from 'Surugafukurin', i.e., sankounakafu type of 'Surugafukurin'. Figure 3 is 'Kinbotan no shima' which shows sankounakafu. I guess this is only one growth of sankounakafu type Kinbotan at this time (2020). Figure 4 also shows a rare example of sankounakafu. The top leaf (tenba) of 'Higuma' shows thin sankounakafu. Sometimes the green center is covered with thin variegated layer, which looks like translucent film like 'Koto no yuki (古都の雪)'. Literally "three light center variegation".
Seijiku Aojiku	清軸 青軸	せいじく あおじく	Same as Aojiku (青軸). Green stem without anthocyanin pigmentation. Strictly speaking, the leaf sheaths covering the main stem is green. The literal translation of Seijiku (清軸) is "clean stem". Seijiku Aojiku
Seri	競り	せり	An auction. Often referred to as Koukankai (交換会) in case of the fuuran world. This is the same video as "An example of fuukiran auction" in Videos FYI section.
Seridai	競り台	せりだい	A platform from which an auctioneer sells.
Shima -jima	縞	しま -じま	Stripe. Shima: kun'yomi (訓読み), and -jima: kun'yomi with rendaku (連濁を伴う訓読み). For example, 'Ooemaru no shima (大江丸縞)' and fukurin-jima (覆輪縞).
Shinben	唇弁	しんべん	Lip. Sometimes called "Shita (舌)" which literally means "tongue". See Fuuran diagram.
Shindomari Shintsuu	芯止まり 芯痛	しんどまり しんつう	That the cell division stops at the growth point and a new leaf doesn't come out. Shindomari Shintsuu
Shiro	白	しろ	White. The on'yomi reading of 白 is "haku", e.g., 'Hakuunkaku (白雲閣)' and 'Furouhaku (不老白)'.
Shirobana	白花	しろばな	White flower. This is the standard color of fuuran flower.
Shirone	白根	しろね	This term indicates that the color of the actively growing root tips is white without any pigmentations, which ranges from pure white to pale greenish or creamy white. Sometimes the active root tips in moss or under a very low light condition are (almost) white but these are not shirone in a real meaning. Real shirones grow this manner even if put on a bright place. For example, the ruby root tips of 'Kenkoku no shima (建国の縞)' often look whitish if they grow in moss under no light or very dark condition but they will turn ruby if they are exposed to light.
Shishiba	獅子葉	ししば	Leaf which irregularly curves and twists. The direct translation is "lion leaf". Also known as Kuruiba (狂い葉).
Shitaba	下葉	したば	A leaf in the lowest position or several leaves in lower position of a growth. See Fuuran diagram.
Shizenzukuri	自然作り	しぜんづくり	Literally "natural make". The way to grow fuuran utilizing the natural climate. This term includes wide range of growing way from pure natural to near natural, though to use pots is common. The "pure natural" means that everything (such as watering, shading, and keeping temperature and humidity) is left to nature all year round except planting in pots. For example, fuurans are hanged under big trees and stay there all year round; the shading depends on the leaves of the trees, watering lelies on the rain, they hibernate in winter under the tree. This kind of growing way is specifically called Sutezukuri (捨て作り), which is an extreme type of Shizenzukuri. The "near natural" has wide spectrum; often to pass the winter under natural temperature without greenhouse is also called shizenzukuri.
Sokubaikai	即売会	そくばいかい	A sale. Often abbreviated to Sokubai (即売). Sokubaikai Sokubai
Sukashibachi	透かし鉢	すかしばち	A pot with openwork. The word "openwork" is "sukashi (透かし)" in Japanese. Usually, sukashibachi indicates artistic openwork ceramic pots which are often used for display at a Show. There are three famous masters of making sukashibachi in the present day (2020) in Japan: Mr. Shunji Mitsuhashi (三橋俊治氏) of Keyaki-gama (欅窯) whose pots are generally referred to as "Keyakibachi (欅鉢)" (Fig. A), Mr. Tomohiko Saeki (佐伯知彦氏) of Tenzan-koubou (天山工房) whose pots are called "Tenzanbachi (天山鉢)" (Fig. B), and Mr. Yukimasa Chino (千野之雅氏) whose pots are called "Chinobachi (千野鉢)" (Fig. C). The (black) plastic pots with "slits" or "holes" on the bowl part are not called sukashibachi and are used for daily care. But recently plastic pots with artistic openwork made using the 3D printing technology came into the market, which may be able to be called sukashibachi (Fig. D).
Sukashiboshi	透かし星	すかしぼし	Literally "transparent star". Small translucent dimples on leaves which look like "stars" when we hold the leaves up to the light. Note that this is not a true variegation but sometimes classified into a unique variegation. Also known as Hoshi fu (星斑).
Sumi	墨	すみ	Literally "black ink". Usually we say "Sumi wo nagasu" which means "let black ink flow". But basically this characteristic should be distinguished from its color. Sumi is caused by a physical mutation of cells, usually in the epidermis layer of leaves. Sumi appears longitudinally along a leaf and looks translucent, glossy, and a bit dark green line. Sumi is sometimes a fine indented linear striation, and sometimes shows as a bit wide streak; sometimes long but sometimes short. To say it without worrying about being misunderstood, it may be possible to say that sumi is a kind of linear "defect" or "scar" of cellular tissue on the leaf surface which looks like scratch. Anyway, it will be sure that there is a physical difference between the sumi area and the other area of the leaf surface. Sumi can appear on both/either the top and/or bottom surface of the leaf. When sumi is on the bottom side of a leaf, often it looks a kind of the disorder of the stomata pattern, and the sumi area has fewer stomata than the other area of the leaf surface. My present understanding of sumi is shown in Fig. 1. The ways of appearance are categorized into two groups, i.e., without/with coloration (S1 and S2). The colored group S2 is further subcategorized into three (S2-1 to S2-3). The sumi in Category S1 often turns to S2 as the leaf ages, sooner or later, overall or partially. When the anthocyanin pigmentation (S2-1) appears on the green area, the sumi area gets dark because of the mix of the colors of anthocyanin and chlorophyll. But if the pigmentation is on the variegated area, beautiful pink or purple coloration often appear. In case that the plant has little pigments except chlorophyll, like 'Suminagashi 墨流し', the sumi will not turn to S2-1 but it will be possible to turn to S2-2 or S2-3. The black-colored portions in Category S2-2 are called "Yani ヤニ" which is literally "tar". When the initial lustrous green streak turned black later, "Yani is showing up on sumi" is the correct expression, strictly speaking. But in daily conversations, this black line itself is often referred to as sumi, which causes the confusion. Also, sometimes corky bumps or line will come out on/along sumi (S2-3). The way of appearance and change of the sumi significantly depends on the varieties that have sumi characteristic (sometimes the growing conditions such as light intensity will also affect the appearance of sumi). It is considered that these colorations may come out to protect the "wounded" sumi part, but I'm not sure. It should be noted that sumi indicates a physical mutation of cells ("scar") on leaves rather than colorations. Therefore, colorations without any physical mutations of cells such as Azuki fu will not be referred to as sumi, even if they appear linearly on the leaf surface. Sumi Sumi wo nagasu Fig. 1 Sumi diagram Fig. 2 Examples of sumi without coloration (Category S1 in Fig. 1). The color of these streaks shows the substrate color, but the surface texture in the sumi area is different from the other area. (a) An uncolored streak is on the top leaf. Maybe this sumi will be colored black later with yani. (Other photo(s) will come soon.) Fig. 3 Examples of sumi colored with anthocyanin on green area (Category S2-1 on green in Fig. 1). The color of sumi line gets dark by a mix of anthocyanin and chlorophyll. (a) This figure shows the fine sumi striations with very dark purple (purplish black) coloration, while the anthocyanin pigmentation of the outside of the striations are not sumi. Note that 'Kurogane kokubotan 黒金黒牡丹' is a kind of 'Kokubotan 黒牡丹', which is a personal name to distinguish from other Kokubotan specimens. 'Kurogane botan 黒金牡丹' is a kind of Kinbotan mutated from Kokubotan, and 'Kurogane kokubotan' is an offshoot Kokubotan growth from 'Kurogane botan'. That is, Kokubotan → Kurogane botan (Kinbotan) → Kurogane kokubotan (Kokubotan). (b) The same specimen as (a), i.e., a photo of opposite side of (a). An example of a bit wide sumi streak. (c) and (d) are the videos to see the luster of sumi on the top leaf shown in (b). (c) is by the rotation of the plant and (d) by change of the angle of light. It can be seen that the sumi line on the top leaf is lustrous. (e) An example to show the difference of colors between sumi lines on green and variegated areas. The anthocyanin-pigmented sumi on the green area is much darker than variegated area. The purplish sumi on the top leaf will gradually become darker as the leaf ages because Kinbotan variegation has nochikurami characteristic. Fig. 4 Examples of sumi colored with anthocyanin on variegated area (Category S2-1 on variegatoin in Fig. 1). The sumi line is colored pinkish or purplish by anthocyanin without chlorophyll. (a) and (b) are the same specimen of Awazuminishiki and anthocyanin-pigmented spots in line on the sumi streak can be seen. (a) shows the colored spots on the top surface of the leaf and (b) on the bottom surface. Note that the spots on the green area are much darker. (c) shows minuter (mist-like) anthocyanin-pigmented spots than (a) and (b). Fig. 5 Examples of sumi with ooze of Yani (Category S2-2 in Fig. 1). Yani is literally "tar". (a) and (b) Ooze of yani on the sumi streak can be seen. (a) shows the yani on the bottom surface of the leaf and (b) on the top surface. (c) shows an example of partial yani. (d) is an example of yani spots on the plants which has no anthocyanin pigment. Yani is black on both green and variegated areas, though the colors of the anthocyanin pigmentation are different as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 6 Examples of sumi with corky bump or line (Category S2-3 in Fig. 1). (a) Corky bumps on the sumi streak with scattered yani can be seen. (b) Raised corky line with black yani margin can be seen.
Sunago fukurin	砂子覆輪	すなごふくりん	Fukurin which seems to be drawn with small grains like sand.
Sutezukuri	捨て作り	すてづくり	Literally "throw-away make". An extreme case of Shizenzukuri. See Shizenzukuri (自然作り).
Suyakibachi	素焼き鉢	すやきばち	Unglazed clay pot, used for daily cultivation of fuuran. This type of pots has good breathability because of their porosity and has good cooling performance by the heat of water evaporation.
Suzumushiken	鈴虫剣	すずむしけん	Leaf which has pointed tip as if pinched. The pointed leaf tip looks like an ovipositor of bell cricket (suzumushi). The direct translation is "bell cricket sword".

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Tachiba	立ち葉	たちば	Literally standing leaf. The angle of leaves near the leaf base is large to the horizontal. Typically the leaves of tachiba varieties are almost straight but sometimes arced. The arced tachiba is often called tachi-himeba.
Tachihimeba	立ち姫葉	たちひめば	A type of leaf shape seen from the side of a plant. Combined shape of the Tachiba and Himeba, i.e., the angle of leaves near the leaf base is large to the horizontal, then the leaves curve.
Tairinka	大輪花	たいりんか	Large flower.
Tana	棚	たな	Literally "rack" or "shelf". A place where a hobbyist grows fuuran, regardless of the type of the space (greenhouse, outdoor place, veranda, with/without pot stands or pot hangers, etc.). Also known as Sakuba (作場).
Tanawari	棚割り	たなわり	Literally "rack division". A plant which was divided and sold by a hobbyist. Especially often used for a division from a famous fuuran grower.
Teiran Teirankago	提蘭 提蘭籠	ていらん ていらんかご	Literally "carry orchids" and "carry orchids basket". A basket to carry orchids. Usually a kind of bamboo works with good breathability. Teiran Teirankago
Tenba	天葉	てんば	Top leaf. See Fuuran diagram.
Tenjikai	展示会	てんじかい	A show.
Tenzae	天冴え	てんざえ	Literally "top becomes vivid". A characteristic where a new (top) leaf comes out with clear variegation. Also known as Imahaze (今晴ぜ). Typically the variegation remains clear on the old leaves. But there are some varieties of which variegation gets dark as the leaf matures. Usually we call this type of variegation Nochikurami but sometimes call it Tenzae Nochikurami to describe the variegated way more clearly.
Tenzaki	天咲き	てんざき	Literally "sky bloom". A flower characteristic where the flowers bloom towards the sky. Strictly speaking, in addition to the bloom facing upwards, the flower has a shorter spur than the standard one and the petals curve not so much backwards. One of the representative is 'Tamakongou' flower. But in these days, this term often means only the upward-facing blooming way.
Teriba Tsuyaba	照り葉 艶葉	てりば つやば	Literally, Teriba is "shiny leaf" and Tsuyaba is "glossy leaf". Both have the same meaning, i.e., a characteristic where the leaves have glossy surface. Cf. Tsuyakeshi. Teriba Tsuyaba
Toiba	樋葉	といば	Leaf of which cross section looks like "V". The direct translation is "gutter leaf".
Tora fu	虎斑	とらふ	Tiger variegation or tiger stripe. E.g., 'Karanishiki' and 'Setsuzan'. The abbreviation Tora (虎) is often used. The Kun'yomi reading of 虎 is "tora", while the on'yomi reading is "ko" (cf. 'Kagetora (影虎)' and 'Kishuusekko (紀州雪虎)'). Note that the term Tora fu usually means a type of variegation but Tora is sometimes used for temporally names of varieties which have tora fu.
Tsuba	鍔	つば	Flange of a pot. In case of decorative pots, the edge of the flange often has gold color (kinbuchi 金縁) or straw-rope pattern (nawabuchi 縄縁) and sometimes both, or sometimes picture or pattern is painted on the upper face of the flange. See Fuuran diagram.
Tsubomi	蕾	つぼみ	Unopened flower buds, which will open in near future.
Tsuke	付け	つけ	The line of the leaf joint between the leaf and the leaf sheath at which the leaf abscises when it is dead (see Fuuran diagram). The line shape is one of the key traits from which we can distinguish the varieties. There are four basic shapes, i.e., Ichimonji gata (一文字型, straight), Nami gata (波型, wavy), Tsukigata (月型, crescent), Yama gata (山型, mountain). "Gata (型)" means the shape. If a leaf has no tsuke, we call Tsuke nashi (付け無し). Typically each variety has one specific type of tsuke, but sometimes there are varieties which have a few tsuke shapes in one growth. Note that slight differences can be found in the same tsuke shape, eg., we can find shallow crescent shape and deep crescent shape or high mountain and low mountain. Also note that the tsuke shape may be sometimes related to the flower shape. For example, bean leaf varieties with tsuke of Tsukigata often have standard-shaped flowers, but bean leaf varieties with other tsuke shapes have tenzaki flowers with shorter spurs and non-curved petals. Triple spur varieties often shows the Namigata tsuke shape (which may not appear in all leaves though).
Tsukenashi	付け無し	つけなし	A characteristic where a leaf has no tsuke or a variety which has no tsuke.
Tsukigata	月型	つきがた	One of the leaf joint shapes. Half circular arc. It looks like the shape of a crescent moon. This is a typical shape. The literal translation is "moon shape". Often abbreviated to Tsuki.
Tsukuri	作り	つくり	Literally "make". Same as Saku (作).
Tsume fukurin	爪覆輪	つめふくりん	Marginal variegation only on around the leaf tip. The direct translation is "nail-like marginal variegation". Tsume fukurin looks like the white edge of a nail.
Tsuriwaku	吊り枠	つりわく	Literally "hanging frame". A hanger of plant pots. A hanger type of Rankake (蘭掛け).
Tsuyaba Teriba	艶葉 照り葉	つやば てりば	Literally, Tsuyaba is "glossy leaf" and Teriba is "shiny leaf". Both have the same meaning, i.e., a characteristic where the leaves have glossy surface. Cf. Tsuyakeshi. Tsuyaba Teriba
Tsuyakeshi	艶消し	つやけし	Literally "matt". That the leaf surfaces are matt. Cf. Teriba and Tsuyaba.
Tsuyuukeba	露受け葉	つゆうけば	Inversely (upwardly) curved leaf at the tip. This leaf shape looks like receiveng dews by a hand. The direct translation is "dew-receiving leaf".

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Uchikomi jima	打ち込み縞	うちこみじま	Indented stripe. The leaf thickness of the striped parts is thin. Sometimes easy to be burned.
Uekae	植え替え	うえかえ	To change the planting material (sphagnum moss is often used in case of fuuran). To repot. This is the same video as "Repotting method" in Videos FYI section.
Uekaebou Uekaebō	植え替え棒	うえかえぼう	Literally "repotting pole". A pole used to repot fuuran with sphagnum moss. See the repotting video in Videos FYI section.
Urakouryuu Urakōryū	裏甲龍	うらこうりゅう	The raised longitudinal pleats (Kouryuu) on the back side of a leaf. Or a temporary variety name (see the name list of U in Unregistered Varieties section).
Uwagoke	上苔	うわごけ	Long fiber moss which wraps the root system. Also known as Keshougoke (化粧苔). See the repotting video in Videos FYI section.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Wankyokuba	湾曲葉	わんきょくば	Highly curved (arced) leaf when seen from the side of the plant.
Wariko	割り子	わりこ	Literally a "divided child". An offshoot child growth divided from a mother plant. A division. It is said that it will be better that the offshoot child has three or more roots when divided.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Yaezaki	八重咲き	やえざき	Double-petal flower. Literally "eight layer bloom" which means many petals are layered in one flower.
Yamagata	山型	やまがた	One of the leaf joint shapes. Mountain shape. Often abbreviated to Yama.
Yasuriba	鑢葉	やすりば	Leaf which has rough surface texture like a file or a rasp. The direct translation is "file leaf". Note that Rashaba is a bit longitudinal pattern, while Yasuriba is rather lateral to the leaf.
Yonken	四剣	よんけん	Sanken + 1, i.e., 'Houken (宝剣)', 'Kenryuu (剣龍)', 'Mitsurugi (御剣)', and 'Kotou no tsurugi (湖東の剣)'. The direct translation of "yonken" is "four swords". The leaves of these four varieties look like sword. See Lineages and Genealogies section.
Yoseue	寄せ植え	よせうえ	Group planting. To plant some specimens together in one pot. Cf. Kabu.
Yuurei Yūrei	幽霊	ゆうれい	This is not a variegation name. Leaf or plant that do not have chlorophyll at all. In case of yuurei leaf, often we call it yuureiba (幽霊葉). Several variegated varieties, especially hade specimens, tend to turn to more hade plant and sometimes turn to yuurei growth finally, or often put out yuurei offshoot babies.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Fuuran Fūran Furan	風蘭	ふうらん	Vanda (Neofinetia) falcata. Any V. falcata including standard wild plants and hybrids. Literal translation is "wind orchid". These two photos are wild fuuran found in Tottori City, Japan.
Fuukiran Fūkiran Fukiran	富貴蘭	ふうきらん	Varieties of Vanda (Neofinetia) falcata which are registered in the Japan Fuukiran Society. Sometimes the unregistered V. falcata including wild plants and hybrids are called fuukiran but it is not suitable strictly speaking. Literally "Rich and valuable orchid". Click the above photos to see larger ones.
Amami fuuran Amami fūran Amami furan	奄美風蘭	あまみふうらん	Vanda (Neofinetia) falcata found in Amami Islands are called "Amami fuuran". Those are sometimes simply referred to as "Amami" for short. Generally Amami fuuran are larger than other fuurans found in the other (northern) area of Japan. Sometimes seed propagated fuuran in Korea are called "Amami" as well because many Amami fuuran have been seeded in Korea, but this way of calling might cause confusion. Amami fuuran Amami Click the above photos to see larger ones.
Amamikei	奄美系	あまみけい	Fuuran of Amami fuuran lineage.
Ki	木	き	Literally "tree". As a fuuran term, this indicates figuratively a growth. We say "ii ki" (a good tree) for a specimen which have good variegation pattern or grown well.
Kabu Kabudachi	株 株立ち	かぶ かぶだち	Specimens that have plural growths. A clump (though occasionally Kabu indicates one growth). Kabudachi reminds us of a larger clump than Kabu. Usually these terms indicate one plant that have plural growths, i.e., basically all the stems of the growths need to be connected in order to call a clump Kabu, though it is probable that we cannot check the stem connection in case of a very big clump. When a clump is group-planted or is divided under the planting material, we say not Kabu but Yoseue (寄せ植え), even if the group-planted specimens are the same variety. Cf. Ookabu and Kokabu. Kabu Kabudachi
Kokabu	小株	こかぶ	A small clump (not group-planted) in which some growths are. See Kabu. Cf. Ookabu.
Ookabu Ōkabu	大株	おおかぶ	A big clump (not group-planted) in which many growths are. See Kabu. Cf. Kokabu.
Honshou Honshō Honshouhin Honshōhin	本性 本性品	ほんしょう ほんしょうひん	Original plants (species) found in the wild or divisions from the original plants. Cf. Mishou. Honshou Honshouhin
Mishou Mishō Mishouhin Mishōhin	実生 実生品	みしょう みしょうひん	Seed-propagation or seed-propagated plants (seedlings) including hybrids or divisions from the seed-propagated plants. Natural seed-propagation on a tree in mountain is referred to as Yama mishou (山実生) which is literally "seed-propagation in mountain". Cf. Honshou and Honshouhin. Mishou Mishouhin
Kouhai Kōhai Kouhaishu Kōhaishu	交配 交配種	こうはい こうはいしゅ	Kouhai is "crossing". The varieties obtained by crossing are called "Kouhaishu". But in the fuuran world, the word Kouhaishu is often used for hybridized varieties (i.e., hybrids) which include non-fuuran genes. Note that the hybrids are now being considered to be not suitable for registration. Kouhai Kouhaishu
Hinshu Hinshumei	品種 品種名	ひんしゅ ひんしゅめい	Hinshu is a "variety" or "cultivar". Hinshumei is "variety name". For example, 'Fuukiden', 'Ooemaru no shima', 'Akausagi', and so on are hinshu and hinshumei, regardless of registration. Hinshu Hinshumei
Meihin	銘品 名品	めいひん	There are two Kanji writing with the same reading, and these have the almost same literal meaning "named thing". The following descriptions are applicable only to the fuuran world. 銘品: The registered varieties in the Japan Fūkiran Society which are written in the Fūkiran Meikan (富貴蘭銘鑑). So this term is a synonym of Fūkiran (the registered fuuran varieties). Note that the same Kanji 銘 (mei) is used in both meihin 銘品 and meikan 銘鑑. 名品: Excellent and famous varieties. Basically regardless of the registration, but sometimes used as the term which indicates the registered varieties, i.e., as the same term as 銘品.
Ippin	逸品	いっぴん	A supremely excellent variety.
Ippinmono	一品物	いっぴんもの	Literally "only one thing". A growth which is only one in the world regardless of its origin (found in the wild, mutated from a mother plant, or found from among millions of seedlings).
Kawarimono	変わりもの	かわりもの	Literally "strange thing". A fuuran different from the standard type of fuuran, regardless of its difference level.
Megawari	芽変わり	めがわり	Literally "sprout change" or "growth change". (i) An offshoot mutation from its mother growth, or a mutated offshoot. (ii) A growth mutation from original to other. Figure 1 shows an example of case (i). An offshoot growth on the left side has the Manazuru characteristic (Gintsuru). The offshoot growth of Fig. 2 is Houken, while the mother is Kansetsu (case (i)). But the mother growth seems to be turning to Houken, which is an example of case (ii).
Sanken	三剣	さんけん	'Houken (宝剣)', 'Kenryuu (剣龍)', and 'Mitsurugi (御剣)'. The direct translation of "sanken" is "three swords". The leaves of these three varieties look like sword. See "Lineages and Genealogies" section.
Yonken	四剣	よんけん	Sanken + 1, i.e., 'Houken (宝剣)', 'Kenryuu (剣龍)', 'Mitsurugi (御剣)', and 'Kotou no tsurugi (湖東の剣)'. The direct translation of "yonken" is "four swords". The leaves of these four varieties look like sword. See Lineages and Genealogies section.
Saku	作	さく	Literally "make". Appearance of fuuran as a result that a hobbyist made efforts to grow the fuuran well. It is considered that the appearance of the fuuran can reflect the hobbyist's efforts and way to grow. Also known as Tsukuri (作り). If the fuuran is good-looking, we say Saku ga ii (saku is good), but Saku ga warui (saku is bad) if not. Of course the saku ga ii fuurans will be more expensive than saku ga warui ones. Saku Saku ga ii Saku ga warui
Tsukuri	作り	つくり	Literally "make". Same as Saku (作).
Shizenzukuri	自然作り	しぜんづくり	Literally "natural make". The way to grow fuuran utilizing the natural climate. This term includes wide range of growing way from pure natural to near natural, though to use pots is common. The "pure natural" means that everything (such as watering, shading, and keeping temperature and humidity) is left to nature all year round except planting in pots. For example, fuurans are hanged under big trees and stay there all year round; the shading depends on the leaves of the trees, watering lelies on the rain, they hibernate in winter under the tree. This kind of growing way is specifically called Sutezukuri (捨て作り), which is an extreme type of Shizenzukuri. The "near natural" has wide spectrum; often to pass the winter under natural temperature without greenhouse is also called shizenzukuri.
Sutezukuri	捨て作り	すてづくり	Literally "throw-away make". An extreme case of Shizenzukuri. See Shizenzukuri (自然作り).
Koru Korime	凝る 凝り芽	こる こりめ	Koru: Literally "get stiff". A verb. To put out stunted short leaves. This phenomena is often caused by undesirable growing conditions such as a mismatch of the water hardness, a side-effect of over-fertilizing, a side-effect of an insecticide, a side-effect of a fungicide, and so on. Especially 'Seikai (青海)' is easy to koru. Korime: A stunted growth of which leaves are abnormally shorter than those of a normal growth. Sometimes the leaves get shorter suddenly or gradually though the plant was growing healthily till that time. And sometimes an offshoot baby comes out as a korime. Koru Korime
Mureru	蒸れる	むれる	Literally "get steamed". A verb which means that the roots in the wet moss get steamed and damaged because of high temperature (which depends on season or high light) with poor ventilation. Rarely steamed if unglazed clay pots are used, but sometimes steamed when plastic pots or rakubachi are used, especially in summer, in room, or in car.
Shindomari Shintsuu	芯止まり 芯痛	しんどまり しんつう	That the cell division stops at the growth point and a new leaf doesn't come out. Shindomari Shintsuu
Saijou Saijō	最上	さいじょう	This is a general Japanese word which means "the finest" or "the best".
Sakuba	作場	さくば	Literally "making place". A place where a hobbyist grows fuuran, regardless of the type of the space (greenhouse, outdoor place, veranda, with/without pot stands or pot hangers, etc.). Also known as Tana (棚).
Tana	棚	たな	Literally "rack" or "shelf". A place where a hobbyist grows fuuran, regardless of the type of the space (greenhouse, outdoor place, veranda, with/without pot stands or pot hangers, etc.). Also known as Sakuba (作場).
Onshitsu	温室	おんしつ	A greenhouse. Usually heated in winter.
Oodana Ōdana	大棚	おおだな	Literally "big rack". A person who has many fuurans or that person's growing place. See Tana (棚).
Tanawari	棚割り	たなわり	Literally "rack division". A plant which was divided and sold by a hobbyist. Especially often used for a division from a famous fuuran grower.
Wariko	割り子	わりこ	Literally a "divided child". An offshoot child growth divided from a mother plant. A division. It is said that it will be better that the offshoot child has three or more roots when divided.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Ha -ba	葉	は -ば	Leaf. See Fuuran diagram. Ha: kun'yomi (訓読み), -ba: kun'yomi with rendaku (連濁を伴う訓読み). For example, Haguri (葉繰り) and Himeba (姫葉). The on'yomi reading is "yō" just FYI.
Tenba	天葉	てんば	Top leaf. See Fuuran diagram.
Honba	本葉	ほんば	Mature leaf. See Fuuran diagram.
Shitaba	下葉	したば	A leaf in the lowest position or several leaves in lower position of a growth. See Fuuran diagram.
Chiba	稚葉	ちば	Infant (baby) short leaves which come out at the beginning of the growth of a new baby. See Fuuran diagram.
Oyagi	親木	おやぎ	Parent or Mother plant of a division or the oldest growth in a clump. See Fuuran diagram.
Ko	子	こ	Child, (offshoot) baby, or young growth. See Fuuran diagram.
Atari	当たり	あたり	Literally "hit". This term describes a sprout on the stem which we can see (sometimes hidden) in a leaf sheath as shown in Fig.1. Usually an atari cannot be distinguished if it is a leaf bud or a flower bud, so the term generally indicates the two meanings. Note that atari is more often written in Katakana characters as "アタリ" than using Kanji and Hiragana characters in these days. In a narrow sense, atari means a leaf bud. In this case, Atari is a short for Meatari (芽当たり, literally "sprout hit"). This may come from a lottery because "atari" means "to win a lottery". In many cases, a leaf bud is much more desirable to many growers than a flower bud because one of the main objectives to grow fuuran is to make an artistic clump (especially regarding variegated varieties), or because the growers may be able to sell divisions (wariko) several years later. So the grower feels "lucky" when an atari is found to be a leaf bud. Be careful because the uncertainty of this term described above is sometimes badly used, especially on the internet auctions. Note that usually only one atari will come out from the inside of one leaf sheath. So other atari(s) will never come out from the position where a flower spike or an offshoot baby already came out. The leaf sheath at which a flower spike or an offshoot baby has not come out yet is referred to as 'Akibeya (空き部屋)' which means a vacant room. Very rarely, two ataris appear in one leaf sheath as shown in Fig. 2. Atari Meatari
Meatari	芽当たり	めあたり	Literally "sprout hit". Same meaning as Atari (当たり). See Atari.
Eri	襟	えり	Literally "collar". The area around a stem where leaf sheaths or leaf bases overlap. See Erigumi (襟組み).
Koshi	腰	こし	Literally "hip". The area of the leaf base shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Usually the leaf sheath is not included, but sometimes this term, in a broad sense, indicates the base of the plant, and the area of the leaf sheaths and around the leaf joints.
Jiku	軸	じく	Stem but usually covered with leaf sheaths. So, strictly speaking, we cannot see the true jiku. The term jiku actually means the leaf sheath surface around the stem. See Fuuran diagram.
Ne	根	ね	Root. Usually describes a whole root from the root joint to the root tip. But when we describe the active root tip colors, this term indicates the active root tip. See Fuuran diagram.
Nesaki	根先	ねさき	Root tip. Especially active root tip. See the notation of the term Ne (根) and Fuuran diagram.

Romanization	Kanji	Hiragana	Note
Gei	芸	げい	Literal translation is "art", or figuratively "performance". Specific and unique characteristics of a variety, such as variegation, stem color, root tip color, flower etc. or their combination. Generally this term indicates the characteristics which differ from the standard ones.
Hongei	本芸	ほんげい	Literally "original art". The true cahracteristics (i.e., true gei) of a variety. Some specimens may not show the true characteristics of the variety but others do even if they are the specimens of the same variety. The specimens that show the true characteristics (i.e., hongei) are called "Hongeihin (本芸品)". Hongei Hongeihin
Jougei Jōgei	上芸	じょうげい	Literally "high art". That the gei (specific and unique characteristics) of a variety appears with high quality. The specimens that show jougei are called "Jougeihin (上芸品)". Jougei Jougeihin
Saijougei Saijōgei	最上芸	さいじょうげい	Saijou + Gei. The best quality of the characteristics of a cultivar or a plant which shows the best quality of the characteristics compared to other specimens of the cultivar. Note that Saijougara indicates only the quality of the variegation pattern, while Saijougei includes not only the variegation pagttern but also other characteristics such as leaf shape, plant shape, and root tip color. So this term can be used for the varieties with no variegations such as solid green bean leaf varieties.
Fu	斑	ふ	Variegation.
Fuiri	斑入り	ふいり	Being variegated.
Gara	柄	がら	Variegation pattern. Refer to Jougara (上柄) and Saijougara (最上柄).
Garamono	柄もの	がらもの	Literally "variegated thing". A variety of which variegation we mainly admire and enjoy. For example, 'Fuukiden', 'Ooemaru no shima', and 'Karanishiki'.
Jougara Jōgara	上柄	じょうがら	Fine variegation pattern or a plant which has a fine variegation pattern among other specimens of the cultivar. In most cases, jougara is between jimigara and hadegara. Cf. Saijougara.
Saijougara Saijōgara	最上柄	さいじょうがら	Saijou + Gara. The finest variegation pattern or a plant which has the finest variegation pattern compared to other specimens of the cultivar. Sometimes we say Gara saijou (柄最上), changing the order of Saijou and Gara. Cf. Saijougei. Saijougara Gara saijou
Aburigara	炙り柄	あぶりがら	Literally "burning variegation". The variegation which appears under high light.
Garaochi	柄落ち	がらおち	Literally "pattern loss". That the variegation disappears, or a growth of which variegation disappeared. Strictly, the variegations were on old leaves but not on new leaves and then the growth itself turned to a solid green one (all leaves have turned solid green), which is distinguished from Ao (青) that have no variegations since its sprout time. But sometimes Garaochi and Ao are used in the same meaning.
Mujiba	無地葉	むじば	Literally "plain leaf". Non-variegated leaf. The term muji means solid green without any variegation patterns. See also Namiba and Ha. Mujiba Muji
Konji Konsei	紺地 紺性	こんじ こんせい	Depth of green color. Usually we use as "Konji ga tsuyoi" or "Konsei ga tsuyoi" for deep green (Green is strong if directly translated) and "Konji ga yowai" or "Konsei ga yowai" for light green (Green is weak). See Kon (紺). Konji Konsei Konji ga tsuyoi Konsei ga tsuyoi Konji ga yowai Konsei ga yowai
Hanamono	花もの	はなもの	Literally "flower thing". A variety of which flower we mainly admire and enjoy. For example, 'Shutennou', 'Hisui', and 'Shunkyuuden'.
Hanagawari	花変わり	はながわり	Literally "flower mutation". Fuuran which has mutated shape or form of flower such as 'Shunkyuuden', 'Hanamatsuri', 'Manjushage', and 'Soubiryuu'.
Hagawari	葉変わり	はがわり	Literally "leaf mutation". Fuuran which has mutated shape or form of leaves such as mameba, hariba, kouryuuba, and kuruiba.
Hasugata	葉姿	はすがた	Shape of whole leaves. Same as "Kisugata".
Kisugata	木姿	きすがた	Shape of a plant. Same as "Hasugata".