Vision RX20 Don't get me wrong, Karate kid was a great push for the bonsai community in America. It help put bonsai into a mainstream market, but also created some misconceptions. Bonsai are not only juniper as seen in Karate Kid. In fact, literally translated from Japanese to English, bonsai means a tree in a pot. So, may we conclude that every tree in a pot is a bonsai, and not just juniper? Aside from the purist bonsaiist who would call a tree in a pot a mere "stick in a pot" since it lacks the strict art guideline of bonsai, I like to say that every tree in a pot is a bonsai.