CLASSIFICATION PRIMER - DICTIONARY OF JAPANESE TERMS
In the past year or so, I have discussed a lot of different types of Koi, and
used a lot of Japanese terms. I think we need to take a break here, and go back
over them all. In the list below, if a term appears in blue,
it is defined elsewhere in the list.
- AKA
- Another name for red, usually used when red is the primary body color.
- AKA BEKKO
- A BEKKO whose primary color is red.
- ASAGI
- Fully scaled Koi with a base color of light blue, red on the belly and
lower sides, and whose scales have a dark blue center.
- BEKKO
- A white, red, or yellow Koi with small black markings.
- CHAGOI
- A brown or tea-colored Koi.
- DOITSU
- A Koi bred without scales, or with limited amount of scales.
- GIN
- Silver. Used in HIKARI Koi where the skin takes
on a silvery tone or lustre.
- GIN or KIN SHOWA
- A SHOWA with a metallic silver (GIN)
or gold (KIN) shine on the skin.
- GOROMO
- A Koi with a KOHAKU pattern, whose red scales
are reticulated or edged in black or blue.
- GOSHIKI
- "Five Colors" - white, red, black, blue, and dark blue.
Basically, an ASAGI with the pattern of the KOHAKU
on top of it.
- HACHIWARE
- On a SHOWA or UTSURI,
where the SUMI mark on the head extends forward
from the shoulders in a "V" mark, balanced by another smaller SUMI
on the nose.
- HAGESHIRO
- A black Koi with a white head and white tips to the fins.
- HAJIRO
- A black Koi with white tips to the fins.
- HANA SHUSUI
- A SHUSUI, with red patterns between the scales
on the lateral line and the scales on the dorsal line.
- HI
- Red; usually used when the present as a marking as opposed to the primary
color of the Koi.
- HI SHOWA
- A SHOWA whose predominate color is red.
- HI SHUSUI
- A SHUSUI, with the red extending thru the
lateral line to the dorsal.
- HIKARI
- Classes of Koi that have a metallic shine on their skin.
- INAZUMA
- One continuous zig-zag HI mark extending from
the head to the tail.
- IPPON HI
- One continuous HI marking, but without
variation; not usually desireable.
- KARASU
- A black fish, frequently with a white or yellow belly.
- KAWARIMONO
- Any non-metallic Koi whose color pattern does not fit into a standard
classification.
- KI
- Yellow.
- KI BEKKO
- A BEKKO whose primary color is yellow.
- KI UTSURI
- A black Koi with yellow markings.
- KIGOI
- A solid yellow, non-metallic Koi.
- KIKISUI
- A white Koi with orange or yellow wavy markings along its side. A member
of the HIKARI class.
- KIN
- Gold. Used in HIKARI Koi where the skin takes on
a golden tone or lustre.
- KIN-FUJI
- A metallic KOKAKU.
- KIN KI UTSURI
- A KI UTSURI with a golden shine on the skin.
- KINDAI SHOWA
- A SHOWA whose predominate color is white.
- KINGINRIN
- A Koi of any classification where the scales have a reflective iridescent
pigmentation.
- KIWA
- The edge between two colors.
- KOHAKU
- A white Koi with red markings.
- KUCHIBENI
- Red "lipstick" markings on the head.
- KUJAKU
- A Koi of the HIKARI class. White with red
markings. The scales have black centers.
- MARUTEN
- A separate HI mark on the head.
- MATSUBA
- A type of scalation where the center of each scale is black or dark blue.
Also refers to an otherwise sold-colored Koi with this scalation marking.
- MENWARE
- A "lightening bolt" SUMI mark on the
head, running from the shoulders to the nose.
- MIDORI
- A green Koi.
- MOTO-SUMI
- Fin markins on a Koi where the joint or base of the fin is marked in
black.
- NIBANI
- Secondary HI; usually an indication of poor
quality and will frequently fade and disappear.
- NIDAN
- A two-step HI pattern.
- OGON
- Solid colored Koi that has a highly-metallic shine to its skin. Part of
the HIKARI class.
- ORENJI
- An orange OGON.
- PURACHINA
- A white or silver OGON.
- SANDAN
- A three-step HI pattern.
- SANKE
- A three-color Koi that is white with red and small black markings.
Properly known as a TAISHO SANKE.
- SANSHOKU
- An early name for three-color Koi. Usually used to refer to a SHOWA
SANSHOKU.
- SHIRO
- White.
- SHIRO BEKKO
- A BEKKO whsoe primary color is white.
- SHIROMUJI
- A solid white, non-metallic Koi.
- SHOWA SANSHOKU
- A three-color Koi that is black with red and white markings.
- SHUSUI
- A DOITSU variety of the ASAGI,
with a light blue body, red on the belly and lower sides, and whose scales
have a dark blue center.
- SUMI
- Black.
- TAISHO SANKE
- A three-color Koi that is white with red and small black markings.
- TANCHO
- Classification of Koi where the only HI mark is
a single mark on the top of the head.
- TANCHO KOHAKU
- A KOHAKU with only a single TANCHO
HI mark on the head; no other hi marking on the body.
- TANCHO SANKE
- A TANCHO that also carries the SUMI
pattern of a SANKE.
- TANCHO SHOWA
- A TANCHO that also carries the SUMI
pattern of a SHOWA.
- UTSURI
- A black Koi with white, red or yellow markings.
- YAMABUKI
- A yellow/gold OGON.
- YAMATO NISHIKI
- A SANKE with metallic skin.
- YONDAN
- A four-step HI pattern.
- YOTSUSHIRO
- A black Koi, with a white head and fins.
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