Koi fish are a great addition and beloved pet of many water gardens. Even though koi fish is one of the most famous types of water garden fish around, many people in the US are baffled by the variety of names. Until working with koi every day, we were too. When you often see those names, it makes you wonder how they decipher each variety and how the terms came about?
Did you know that koi variety names are based primarily on the color and design of the type of fish? Below is a list of meanings for certain syllables in a koi variety’s name. There are more color options and names but these match the popular varieties of koi that we see in an average water garden. Next time you look at your fish, try to see which of the variety based on this list.
Koi Fish Name Meanings
- “Aka” – red background
- “Hi” – red markings
- “Ai” – blue
- “Benji” – orange/red backgroud
- “Cha” – brown
- “Gin” – silver metallic
- “Kin” – gold metallic
- “Sumi” – black markings
- “Karasu” – black background
- “Ki” – yellow
- “Shiro” – white
Recent Post: Winter Pond Care
Have you checked out our Youtube channel>>>> River Rock Water Gardens
