Ai
blue or indigo
Aigoromo
a Goromo (Koromo)
koi with blue or indigo reticulation
Ai Showa
a showa koi with blue or indigo speckles
Aka
red
Akame
eye with a red iris
Akebi
light blue
Asagi
blue, referring to a koi with a reticulated bluish body and red
markings on the underside, which may also be present in the pectoral
fins and cheeks
Ato sumi
late-developing black markings
Bekko
refers to a koi whose body has a single base color (white, red, or
yellow) with black markings generally in the form of spots or
speckles above the lateral line
Beni
orange-red
Boke
faded or blurred color, usually referring to black or sumi
Budo
a color thats intermediate between aigoromo and sumigoromo
Bunka
a variation of the sanshoku or tricolor pattern
Cha
brown
Chagoi
a brown koi, known for its splendid growth
Doitsu
translates to German, and refers to a koi that either: 1) has no
visible scales; or 2) has mirror-like scales only on the dorsal and
lateral lines
Enyu
a doitsu koi with a white body and red markings whose mirror
scales are platinum; pale blue speckles may be interspersed within
the red and white color of the dorsal surface
Etsu No Hisoku
a doitsu yellow-green koi
Fukurin
- an area around the scales of a metallic koi that exhibits extra
luster
Gin
silver metallic color
Ginrin
- a koi with silver-colored sparkling scales
Goior Koi or Goi
wild carp
Goke
fish scale
Gosanke
a term that refers collectively to the 'big three' of koi keeping:
Kohaku, Sanke, and Showa
Goshiki
translates to 5 colors, referring to a koi with
a white
base color with black-and-blue reticulation, overlaid by Kohaku-like
red patterns
Gotensakura
a Kohaku with much red patches
Hageshiro
an all-black koi (Karasu) whose head and snout are patched with
white or brown
Hagoromo
a variety of aigoromo
Hajiro
an all-black koi (Karasu) whose tail and fins are edged with white
Hanako
translates to flower maiden, referring to a red koi
Hi
red, usually referring to a red patch or coloration on a koi
Hariwake
a metallic white koi with gold or yellowish markings
Hikari
- metallic
Hikarimoyo
refers
to a metallic koi with more than one color, with the exception of
metallic showa and metallic utsuri (both of which are classified as
Hikari
Utsuri)
Hikarimuji
- refers
to a metallic koi of single color
Hikariutsuri
refers
to a koi that's a metallic version of either the
Showa
or the
Utsuri
Hisoku
yellow-green color
Inazuma
a zigzag pattern usually associated with Kohakus
Jiro
white
Kabuto
translates to helmet, referring to a koi whose head color is
different from that of its body
Kagami
an old koi variety with mirror scales on both the dorsal and
ventral sides
Kanako
a koi with a white body and red spots
Karasu
a totally black koi, often tinged with a blue haze
Kasane Sumi
a black marking on a red background; see also tsubo sumi
Kawa
a koi with no scales except for some reflective scales on the
dorsal surface
Kawarimono
the old name for koi with undefined color or pattern
Kawarigoi
the new name for Kawarimono koi, covering all koi varieties that
do not fall under established mainstream koi classifications
Ki
yellow
Kin
metallic gold
Kiwa
the edge of a patch or marking
Kinginrin
- a koi with silver- or gold-colored sparkling scales
Kinrin
- a koi with gold-colored sparkling scales
Kohaku
a koi with a white body and red markings
Komoyo
small zigzag pattern of red and white
Konjo
dark blue
Koromo
translates to 'robed', referring to a koi that has a white
base color with red patterns overlaid with dark reticulation
Koshi
green
Kuchibeni
a red-lipped koi
Kujaku
translates to peacock, referring to a reticulated metallic koi
with red, orange or golden markings.
Kumonryu
-
is the
term applied to a
doitsu
koi with a 'killer whale' pattern, i.e., a black body with white
markings
Kuro
black
Leather Koi
refers to a koi with no visible scalation, e.g.,
doitsu
Ma
wild
Maruten
a koi with a round red patch on the head in addition to other
markings on the body
Matsuba
a pine-cone or reticulated pattern resulting in a net effect at
the back of a koi; usually caused by scales whose centers are
colored differently from their edges
Menkaburi
masked, usually referring to a Kohaku with a completely red head
Menware
a lightning-shaped marking across the head of a koi, which is a
desirable trait in a Showa or Utsuri
Meija
the era from 1868 to 1912
Midorigoi
a doitsu koi of greenish color
Moto
aka
red pectoral joint
Motoguro
black coloration at the base of pectoral fins; a desirable trait in
Showa and Utsuri
Moyo
with markings or patterns
Muji
translates to nothing else, usually used as a suffix to refer to
a single-colored koi
Narumi
light blue
Nezu
gray or tarnished silver color
Nidan
refers to a two-stepped Kohaku, i.e., a koi with two red patches
over its white body
Odome
tail stop
Ogon
refers to a single-colored metallic koi
Omoyo
- refers to a single-stepped Kohaku, i.e., a koi with just a single
patch over its white body
Orenji
orange
Purachina
refers to a platinum or very white metallic koi
Rin
scale
Sandan
refers to a three-stepped Kohaku, i.e., a koi with three red
patches over its white body
Sanke
three-colored, referring to a koi with a white body and red and
black markings; the black markings are generally in the form of
spots above the lateral line
Sanshoku
a three-colored koi, referring to either the sanke or the showa
Sashi
mottled black, gray or blue coloration beneath a koi's skin,
usually referring to undeveloped black markings; may also refer to
the blurred line caused by white scales overlapping red ones of
the hi
Shiro
white
Shiroji
white background
Shiku
colored
Shimi
undesired small black spots on the body of a koi
Showa
- refers to a koi with a black body and red and white markings; the
black markings are generally in the form of large streaks that wrap
around the body
Shusui
a doitsu koi with light bluish dorsal color, red ventral
colorations, and mirror scales
Sui
a ripple effect
Sumi
a black marking or patch
Taisho Era
the era covering 1912-1926
Taisho Sanshoku
same as a sanke koi
Tancho
refers
to a Kohaku, Sanke, or Showa whose only red marking is a round patch
of red on the head.
Tategoi
- a koi with good potential to be a future champion
Tobi
Hi
splattered red
Tosai
a young koi, i.e., a koi less than one year old
Tsubo
Sumi
a black marking over a white background; see also kasane sumi
Utsuri refers to a koi whose body has a single base color (white, red,
or yellow) with black markings generally in the form of large
streaks that wrap around the body
Yamabuki
pale yellow color; derived from the name of a yellow-petaled rose,
Kerria japonica, from China
Yamabuki Ogon
a pale yellow single-colored metallic koi
Yamabuki Hariwake
- a metallic koi with white body and light yellow markings
Yondan
a four-stepped Kohaku, i.e., a koi with four red patches on its
white body
Yotsujiro
a black koi whose head, fins, and undersides are white
Yoroi
translates to armored, usually referring to a doitsu koi with
excessive mirror scales
Zuiun
a color variant of the shusui
References
1.
AnMarie Barrie, "The Professional's Book of Koi", TFH Publications,
1992
2.
www.koi.com
3.
http://www.pkwsonline.com/glossary.html
4.
Douglas Dahl, "Koi Appreciation and Judging Criteria"
5.
Koi USA Magazines published by Associated Koi Clubs of America, Inc.
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