We wanted to provide the patrons of our website and any koi enthusiasts out there with some of the basic terminology that is often used to describe koi.

Colors

Ai (ah·ih) Pale blue or indigo

Aka (ah·kah) Red

Akame (ah·kah·meh) Red-eyed

Beni (beh·nih) Scarlet (red)

Budo (boo·doh) Grape, purple

Gin (gihn) Silver

Hi (hih) Fire, red

Hikari (hkah·ree) Shiny (metallic luster)

Ki (kih) Yellow

Kin (king) Gold, golden

Konjo (kohn·joh) Deep blue

Kuchibeni (Koo·chih·beh·nih) Lipstick

Nezu (Neh·zoo) Mouse (gray)

Nibanhi (nih·bah·nih) Unstable secondary red

Orenji (Oh·rehn·jih) Orange

Purachina (Puh·rah·chih·nah) Platinum

Sumi (su·mi) Black

Features

Akame (at·a·ra·shi) New

Ato Sumi (ah·toh·soo·mih) Sumi(black coloring) that develops as the koi ages

Bu (boo) Size

Fukurin (foo·koo·rihn) is a condition occurring in scaled koi and it is a combination of skin and scale when the middle layer skin grows from under a scale to partially cover an adjacent scale, or when the upper-layer skin of a scale grows to partially cover an adjacent scale.

Goromo (goh·roh·moh) means Robed, which refers to the color scales on a predominantly white koi as being outlined or “robed” in blue or black.

Hachiware (hah·chih·wah·reh) V-shaped sumi(black) marking behind the head

Hanatsuki (hah·nah·tsoo·kih) Hi(red) pattern reaching the mouth

Ippon Hi (ih·pohn·hih) Solid red from nose to tail without a break

Kage (kah·geh) Shadow; reticulated shadowing sumi(black)

Kamisori Kiwa (kah·mih·soh·rih·key·wah) Pattern edge which only covers scales partially

Kanoko (kah·noh·koh) Dappled; hi(red) pattern only partially covering the scales

Karasu (kah·rah·soo) Crow; black koi with white/orange belly

Kasane Sumi (kah·sah·neh·soo·mih) Sumi(black) on hi(red) background

Kata Sumi (kah·tah·soo·mih) Sumi(black) on shoulder

Kiwa (kih·wah) Edge (of pattern) at the rear end of hi(red)

Konzai Kiwa (kohn·zie·kih·wah) Mixture of Kamizori Kiwa and Maruzome Kiwa

Koromo (Koh·roh·moh) Robe (also see Goromo)

Maruten (Mah·roo·tuhn) Round spot

Matsuba (Mat·tsoo·bah) Pine[cone]

Maruzome (Ma·ru·zo·me) Kiwa that follows the edges of the scales.

Menkaburi (mehn·kah·boo·rih) Red hooded pattern

Menware (mehn·wah·reh) Sumi(black) diagonal marking from head to nose

Motoguro (Moh·toh·goo·roh) Solid black in the base of the pectoral fin

Moyo (Moh·yoh) Pattern

Odome (oh·doh·meh) Pattern that stops in the tail tube region

Ojime (oh·jih·meh) Pattern stop in the tail tube region

Sanshoku (sahn·shoh·koo) Three-color

Sashi (sah·shih) An overlap of red and white scales on the forward edge of hi(red) patterns

Shimi (shih·mih) An unwanted/undesirable black stain, spot, freckle

Teri (teh·rih) Luster

Tsubo Sumi (tsoo·boh·soo·mih) Sumi(black) on shiro(white & black) background

Utsuri (oo·tsoo·rih) Reflection

Koi Anatomy

Hyousou Shimpi (hyoo·soo·shihm·pih) Upper layer of the skin

Kamisore (kami·sore) Razor sharp line

Kata (kah·tah) Shoulder

Nanshitsu Shimpi (nahn·shih·tsoo·shihm·pih) Middle layer of the skin

Rin (ding) Scale

Shimpi (shihm·pih) Skin

Animals

Bekko (beh·k·koh) Turtle

Kujaku (koo·jah·koo) Peacock

Tora (toh·rah) Tiger

Carps

Doitsu (doh·ih·tsoo) refers to German koi that were imported into Japan. They are known to have few or no scales.

Goi (goh·ee) Carp, often used as a suffix as in Kawarigoi (also see Koi)

Kawagoi (Khah·wah·goy) River carp (wild)

Kawarigoi (khah·wah·rih·goy) Unusual carp

Kawarimono (Khah·wah·rih·moh·noh) refers to a group of hard to classify, unique and non-metallic koi.

Koi (Koy) Carp, noun (also see Goi)

Magoi (mah·goy) Feral or “common” carp

Tategoi (tah·teh·goy) Unfinished koi that is expected to improve (more)

Wagoi (wah·goy) Scaled carp

Misc

Atarashi (atar·ashi) New

Dan (dahn) Step

Hana (hah·nah) Flower

Heisei (hay·say) Heisei era of Japan (1989-present)

Inazuma (ih·nah·zoo·mah) Lightning (strike)

Kindai (kihn·die) Modern, recent

Mono (Moh·noh) Thing, one (of a group), concerning a koi's pattern

Narumi (Nah·ruh·mih) Town in Ichi Prefecture where a tie-dyed fabric with dark blue center and pale blue edge is made

Sakura (sah·koo·rah) Cherry blossom

Showa (sho·wah) Showa Era of Japan (1926-1989)

Taisho (tah·ih·shoh) Taisho Era of Japan (1912-1926)

Yamabuki (yah·mah·boo·kih) Japanese yellow flower

Numbers

Ichi (ih·chee) One

Ni (nih) Two

San (sahn) Three

Yon (yohn) Four

Go (goh) Five