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Japanese Fish Names

Q: What is a good Japanese name for a koi?

Name it from the class it belongs to. A red-and-white koi is a Kohaku by definition, and wearing its own class name is the cleanest receipt in the hobby. A calm gray giant is a Soragoi, a gentle tea-colored one is a Chagoi. The variety register above doubles as the name bank.

Q: Is it okay to use these names outside Japan?

Yes, with the receipt attached. These are ordinary words, not sacred names, and Japanese fish naming itself is plain and literal: the class the fish is, the color it wears. Use Kohaku or Nami knowing the characters, and the name keeps its meaning.

Nami is 波, a wave. One character, two beats, and half the water in the word. This table holds 62 Japanese fish names: the koi register, the goldfish standards, the fish words, and the water and shine lanes. Script shown, reading shown, meaning glossed.

Prefer the tool? Open these in the generator. Every name comes with a receipt.

What are japanese fish names?

62 real names, five lanes, one rule. The koi lane is the register itself: nishikigoi classes are named for colors, eras and patterns, and those class names are the most documented fish names in Japan. The goldfish lane holds the kingyo standards. The fish-word lane is species vocabulary. The water and shine lanes fit any tank. Every row shows the script and the reading.

Grouped by lane. The reading column is the honesty column.

Japanese fish names with script, readings, meanings and lanes
Name	Script	Reading	Meaning	Lane
Koi varieties: the documented register: color classes, eras and patterns
Kohaku	紅白	kō-haku	red on white; the founding variety	koi variety
Taishō Sanshoku	大正三色	ta-i-shō san-sho-ku	Taisho-era three colors, black over the red	koi variety
Shōwa Sanshoku	昭和三色	shō-wa san-sho-ku	Showa-era three colors, black leads	koi variety
Asagi	浅葱	a-sa-gi	pale indigo; the old blue koi	koi variety
Shusui	秋水	shū-su-i	autumn water; the scale-line Asagi	koi variety
Bekko	鼈甲	bek-kō	tortoiseshell; black on red or white	koi variety
Utsurimono	写りもの	u-tsu-ri-mo-no	the ink-reflected class	koi variety
Goshiki	五色	go-shi-ki	five colors over gray	koi variety
Kumonryū	九紋龍	ku-mon-ryū	nine-dragon; the black that changes with age	koi variety
Ogon	黄金	o-gon	gold; the single-color metallic class	koi variety
Kinginrin	金銀鱗	kin-gin-rin	gold-silver scales; the sparkle class	koi variety
Doitsu	ドイツ	do-i-tsu	German; the scaleless lineage	koi variety
Kawarimono	変わり者	ka-wa-ri-mo-no	the everything-else class	koi variety
Ochiba	落葉	o-chi-ba	falling leaves; the full name adds shigure, early-winter rain	koi variety
Chagoi	茶鯉	cha-go-i	tea koi; the gentle one that eats from hands	koi variety
Soragoi	空鯉	so-ra-go-i	sky-gray koi; the pond calm giant	koi variety
Yamabuki	山吹	ya-ma-bu-ki	the yellow rose; the gold color word	koi variety
Matsuba	松葉	ma-tsu-ba	pinecone net over a metallic base	koi variety
Kanoko	鹿の子	ka-no-ko	fawn dapples; the red lace class	koi variety
Benigoi	紅鯉	be-ni-go-i	deep red koi; the old red before varieties	koi variety
Goldfish varieties: the kingyo standards, region and feature words
Kingyo	金魚	kin-gyo	goldfish: gold plus fish	goldfish variety
Ryūkin	琉金	ryū-kin	Ryukyu gold; the high-backed breed	goldfish variety
Wakin	和金	wa-kin	the common Japanese goldfish	goldfish variety
Ranchu	蘭鋳	ran-chū	the hooded lionhead, called the king of goldfish	goldfish variety
Oranda	オランダ	o-ran-da	Holland; the loanword for the hooded breed	goldfish variety
Demekin	出目金	de-me-kin	protruding-eye gold; the telescope breed	goldfish variety
Shubunkin	シュブンキン	shu-bun-kin	the calico breed, coined in Japan; characters vary	goldfish variety
Jikin	地金	ji-kin	earth gold; the peacock-tail breed	goldfish variety
Tosakin	土佐金	to-sa-kin	Tosa gold; the curled-tail breed of Kōchi	goldfish variety
Azuma Nishiki	東錦	a-zu-ma ni-shi-ki	eastern brocade; the calico Oranda	goldfish variety
Fish words: the species vocabulary, kanji shown
Koi	鯉	ko-i	carp; the word behind the whole register	fish word
Nishikigoi	錦鯉	ni-shi-ki-go-i	brocaded carp; the full name of the hobby	fish word
Fugu	河豚	fu-gu	river pig; the puffer	fish word
Medaka	目高	me-da-ka	high eyes; Japan’s classic ricefish	fish word
Saba	鯖	sa-ba	mackerel	fish word
Iwashi	鰯	i-wa-shi	the weak fish; sardine	fish word
Unagi	鰻	u-na-gi	the freshwater eel	fish word
Ayu	鮎	a-yu	sweetfish; the summer river fish	fish word
Masu	鱒	ma-su	trout	fish word
Sake	鮭	sa-ke	salmon, the river-returner	fish word
Kajiki	カジキ	ka-ji-ki	billfish; the spearfish	fish word
Hirame	平目	hi-ra-me	flat-eyed; the flounder	fish word
Namazu	鯰	na-ma-zu	catfish, the whiskered one	fish word
Dojō	泥鰌	do-jō	mud loach; the weather fish	fish word
Same	鮫	sa-me	shark	fish word
Tanago	タナゴ	ta-na-go	bitterling; the pond jewel	fish word
Water and shore: sea, tide and edge words for any tank or pond
Umi	海	u-mi	the sea	water word
Nami	波	na-mi	wave; the water word this page leads with	water word
Shio	潮	shi-o	tide, the salt breath	water word
Shizuku	雫	shi-zu-ku	a drop of water	water word
Nagisa	渚	na-gi-sa	the water’s edge	water word
Sango	珊瑚	san-go	coral	water word
Uzushio	渦潮	u-zu-shi-o	whirlpool; the Naruto strait’s famous one	water word
Mizuumi	湖	mi-zu-u-mi	lake	water word
Iso	磯	i-so	the rocky shore where tide pools live	water word
Color and shine: the gloss words, what a healthy fish wears
Gin	銀	gi-n	silver; half of the koi sparkle word	shine word
Kin	金	ki-n	gold; the metal behind Ogon	shine word
Ruri	瑠璃	ru-ri	lapis lazuli; the deep blue shine	shine word
Kon	紺	ko-n	navy; the deep-water blue	shine word
Uroko	鱗	u-ro-ko	scale; the armor of the lane	shine word
Kirameki	きらめき	ki-ra-me-ki	sparkle	shine word
Tsuya	艶	tsu-ya	sheen; a healthy gloss	shine word

Why the koi register is the receipt

Koi classes are named words, and the naming is the hobby's own. Kohaku states the fish's whole identity in two characters, red on white. Taishō Sanshoku dates a pattern to an emperor's era. Kumonryū reaches for the nine-dragon legend to describe a black that keeps changing as the fish grows. Nobody invented these names for pets: the classes were named so judges could tell fish apart, and the names were waiting when ponds did the rest.

The goldfish lane works the same way, one region at a time. Ryūkin points at the Ryukyus, Tosakin at Tosa province, now Kōchi. A fish called Tosakin carries its hometown in the call. The full method, sound test first, is the how to name a pet guide.

Which lane fits your fish?

Match the register to the tank. The lane the fish swims in picks the lane the name comes from:

Fish you keep, lanes that fit, starter names
You keep	The lane that fits	Starter names
Koi	the variety register	Kohaku, Yamabuki, Kumonryū
Goldfish	the kingyo standards	Kingyo, Ryūkin, Tosakin
Betta or tropical	water and shine	Ruri, Nami, Shizuku
A pond of mixed fish	water words	Umi, Uzushio, Shio

The species lists and the umbrella

This page owns the fish lane only. The any-species nature core lives on the umbrella page, and the other species have their own lists, each with the same script, reading and meaning rule:

Japanese pet names: the species-neutral umbrella, nature kanji and suffix grammar.
Japanese bird names: the bird words and the call-name register.
Japanese horse names: the warhorse chronicle and the coat words.
Japanese dog names and Japanese cat names: the stereotype lanes.

The human-side tradition, given names with their kanji, lives on the japanese name generator and the culture names grid.

Japanese fish names questions, answered

What is a good Japanese name for a koi?

Name it from the class it belongs to. A red-and-white koi is a Kohaku by definition, and wearing its own class name is the cleanest receipt in the hobby. A calm gray giant is a Soragoi, a gentle tea-colored one is a Chagoi. The variety register above doubles as the name bank.

Do these names work for goldfish and bettas?

Yes. The goldfish lane holds the breed standards, and the water and shine lanes fit any tank. A betta carries Ruri (lapis) or Nami (wave) cleanly. The fish-word lane leans pond Japanese: Medaka, Kingyo, Tanago. Pick the word, keep the kanji, and the receipt travels.

Is it okay to use these names outside Japan?

Yes, with the receipt attached. These are ordinary words, not sacred names, and Japanese fish naming itself is plain and literal: the class the fish is, the color it wears. Use Kohaku or Nami knowing the characters, and the name keeps its meaning.

Where this data comes from. Readings and glosses follow standard Japanese dictionaries. Koi class names follow the nishikigoi variety classification used by koi societies. Goldfish breed names follow the Japanese kingyo fancy standards; Shubunkin's written characters vary by source, so the gloss carries the receipt. Where every name's receipt comes from →