Koi
/kɔɪ/noun
A domesticated ornamental variety of common carp, especially one bred for distinctive colors and patterns.
Did you know?In Japanese, koi can also mean “love” or “romantic affection,” though the fish and love words are written with different kanji and have separate origins.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Japanese
Japanese
鯉 (koi)
“Carp; the fish later associated with ornamental breeding”
8th Century
Old Japanese
koi
“Carp, recorded in early Japanese lexical and literary tradition”
19th Century
Japanese
koi
“Carp, including selectively bred colored varieties”
Early 20th Century
Japanese
nishikigoi
““Brocaded carp,” a term for richly patterned ornamental carp”
20th Century
English
koi
“An ornamental colored carp, adopted from Japanese”
Explore more surprising origins