Koi fish colors & varieties

Kohaku Koi

紅白

White body with red (hi) markings — the foundational koi variety and the most prized in competition. Judges look for snow-white ground, deep even red with crisp edges (kiwa), and balanced step patterns down the back.

Showa Koi

昭和三色

Black (sumi) base body with red and white markings wrapping around it, including black on the head and pectoral fin joints (motoguro). Distinguished from Sanke by black that wraps below the lateral line and appears on the head.

Sanke Koi

大正三色

White body with red kohaku-style pattern plus small black (sumi) accent markings above the lateral line only — never on the head. One of the 'Gosanke' big three alongside Kohaku and Showa.

Tancho Koi

丹頂

A single round red marking on the head — ideally a perfect circle centered between the eyes — on an otherwise pattern-free white body. Named after the red-crowned crane and echoing the Japanese flag. Tancho Kohaku is the classic form; Tancho Sanke and Tancho Showa also exist.

Asagi Koi

浅黄

Blue-gray body with a neat net-like reticulated scale pattern down the back and red (hi) along the sides, cheeks, and fin bases. One of the oldest koi varieties, developed roughly 200 years ago from the ancestral Magoi carp.

Shusui Koi

秋翠

The scaleless (doitsu) counterpart of Asagi: smooth blue skin with a single row of large dark scales along the dorsal line and red markings on the sides. The name means 'autumn jade'.

Chagoi Koi

茶鯉

Solid brown, tea, or olive-bronze colored koi with a subtle scale reticulation. Famous as the friendliest and fastest-growing variety — usually the first fish in a pond to hand-feed, and often the largest.

Soragoi Koi

空鯉

Solid blue-gray ('sky') colored koi with quiet scale reticulation — Chagoi's gray counterpart, sharing the same docile temperament and strong growth. Crossed with Chagoi it produces Ochiba.

Ochiba Koi

落葉しぐれ

Blue-gray Soragoi base overlaid with brown Chagoi-tone patches — the name means 'fallen leaves on water'. Combines the calm temperament and size of both parent varieties with a subtle two-tone pattern.

Ogon Koi

黄金

Single-colored metallic koi with an even, unblemished sheen from head to tail. Platinum (white), Yamabuki (yellow-gold), and orange Ogon are the common forms; clean luster and a spotless head matter most.

Platinum Ogon

プラチナ黄金

Solid metallic white Ogon with a mirror-bright sheen — one of the most popular pond koi because the white flash is visible even in murky water. Judged on evenness of luster and a clean, unblemished head.

Yamabuki Ogon

山吹黄金

Solid metallic yellow-gold Ogon, named for the yamabuki rose. Bright, even gold luster across every scale; the most common 'gold koi' sold in the US.

Shiro Utsuri

白写り

Black (sumi) base with white markings in a checkerboard-like interplay — the black should wrap the body and appear in the head and pectoral joints. The most popular of the Utsurimono family.

Hi Utsuri

緋写り

Black base body with deep red (hi) markings — the red-and-black member of the Utsurimono family. Quality specimens show lacquer-black sumi and crimson that doesn't fade to orange with age.

Ki Utsuri

黄写り

Black base with yellow markings — the rarest of the Utsurimono trio. Genuine Ki Utsuri are hard to find; many sold under the name are washed-out Hi Utsuri, so breeder provenance matters.

Bekko Koi

べっ甲

White, red, or yellow body with small black (sumi) markings above the lateral line only, and a clean, markless head. Effectively a Sanke without the red pattern — simple, calm, and elegant.

Goshiki Koi

五色

'Five colors' — a Kohaku-style red pattern over a white ground that is netted with dark Asagi-like reticulation. Modern Goshiki range from light (clean white ground) to dark (heavily netted), and the pattern deepens with age.

Kujaku Koi

孔雀

Metallic white base with red/orange Kohaku-style pattern and matsuba (pinecone) reticulation in every scale. The name means 'peacock'. One of the flashiest metallic varieties and a frequent favorite in the Hikarimoyo class.

Hariwake Koi

張分

Two-color metallic koi: platinum white base with bright yellow-gold or orange patterns. The doitsu (scaleless) form, Kikusui, shows the same colors on smooth skin. Judged on luster and crisp pattern edges.

Kumonryu Koi

九紋竜

Scaleless (doitsu) koi with a shifting black-and-white pattern that can literally change with seasons, water temperature, and diet — the 'nine-tattooed dragon'. Some develop striking skeleton-like white markings on black, earning the nickname skeleton koi.

Kikokuryu Koi

輝黒竜

The metallic version of Kumonryu: scaleless black-and-white pattern with a glinting platinum sheen, often with yellow or orange (Beni Kikokuryu) added. Like Kumonryu, the pattern shifts over time.

Goromo Koi

五衣

Kohaku-pattern koi whose red scales are edged in blue or black, giving a grape-like (Budo) or robed effect. Ai Goromo (blue-edged) is the classic form; Sumi Goromo carries darker edging.

Matsuba Koi

松葉

Single-color metallic body — gold, white, or orange — where each scale carries a dark center, creating a pinecone (matsuba) net effect over the whole fish. Gin Matsuba (silver) and Ki Matsuba (gold) are the common forms.

Benigoi Koi

紅鯉

Solid deep-red koi from nose to tail with no white — the all-red counterpart to Chagoi's brown. Quality specimens hold a crimson tone (not orange) and grow large. Aka Hajiro variants show white fin tips.

Ghost Koi

A hardy cross between mirror/wild carp and metallic Ogon koi, showing pale silver-gray or gold ghosting with a metallic head and flash. Popular as robust, fast-growing pond fish; not shown in traditional Japanese competition classes.

Doitsu Koi

ドイツ

Not a color variety but a scale type from German mirror-carp lineage: smooth skin with either no scales or a single row of large scales along the dorsal and lateral lines. Almost every color variety exists in doitsu form, where patterns read extra crisp.

Gin Rin Koi

銀鱗

A scale trait, not a color: sparkling diamond-like scales that glitter gold over red areas and silver over white. Applied across varieties — Gin Rin Kohaku, Gin Rin Chagoi, and Gin Rin Showa are all common.

Red Koi

Looking for a red koi? Solid-red fish are the Benigoi variety; red-and-white patterned fish are Kohaku; red with black is Hi Utsuri; and a lone red head-spot on white is Tancho. Each carries different pricing and judging standards.

Black Koi

True all-black koi are the Karasu ('crow') variety; black with white accents points to Shiro Utsuri or Kumonryu; black wrapped in red and white is Showa. Solid black koi are subtle in ponds but striking at feeding time.

White Koi

Pure white koi are Platinum Ogon (metallic) or Shiro Muji (non-metallic); white with a single red head circle is the prized Tancho. White butterfly koi are among the most requested fin-variety fish in US dealers' stocks.

Blue Koi

Koi read 'blue' through gray-blue skin: Asagi (netted blue back with red flanks), Shusui (its scaleless form), and Soragoi (solid sky-gray). No koi is truly cobalt — dealers advertising vivid blue fish are usually showing Asagi juveniles.

Yellow Koi

Yellow-gold koi are led by Yamabuki Ogon (solid metallic gold); Ki Utsuri adds black over yellow, Hariwake pairs gold patches with platinum, and Ki Matsuba nets the gold with pinecone scales.

Orange Koi

Solid orange pond koi are usually orange Ogon; orange-and-black fish point to Hi Utsuri or young Showa whose red reads orange. Deep crimson separates premium fish from washed-out orange in the red-based varieties.

Butterfly Koi

Hirenaga

Long, flowing fins and barbels that keep growing throughout life, produced by crossing standard koi with Indonesian longfin carp. Any color pattern can occur in butterfly form — white, black, gold, and platinum butterflies are all common.

Jumbo Koi

Koi over roughly 24 inches (60cm+), typically 4+ years old from strong Japanese bloodlines — Chagoi, and big-bodied Kohaku/Sanke lines like Sakai and Momotaro, reach jumbo size most reliably. Expect four-figure prices and freight shipping.