What is the Koi Fish Meaning and Where is it Found?

Meaning and Origin

The koi as a symbol can be found all over the world, starting in East Asia, and becoming more and more popular in the US and other places. But first, what is the koi fish meaning? Strength, endurance, and courage are some of the most common and basic meanings. There are, however, a wide variety of reasons that someone might permanently paint a koi fish on their body in the form of a tattoo. With popularity comes different personal significance and value that the koi symbols will have to each person. The origin, however, can be traced back to the Yellow River in Japan and a legend that describes the koi's journey of swimming upstream. The legend states that if the fish is able to swim past a rough and difficult part of the river known as Dragon's Gate, then that fish will turn into a dragon. To do so the koi even has to jump up small waterfalls and always swimming against the current, of course. For these reasons the koi fish meaning has for many years meant perseverance, courage, and strength.

A meaningful tattoo

Koi as a symbol is found in a many locations. Whether its paintings, statues, tattoos, stories or any other form of art and literature, they describe and depict the beauty and power of the fish.

One very popular use of koi fish as a symbol is as part of a tattoo. Although each person may have his own reason, they usually center on the core attributes we described previously. Some believe that by imprinting the image of a koi on one's body that that person is being endowed with the power and strength that defines the fish. Others may believe that if a person wants to become something then he/she must make it a part of them self, which is only too literal with a tattoo. An example is a tattoo of the koi swimming upstream. The koi fish meaning portrayed is that of a person who is working hard to beat the odds. On the other hand, koi swimming downstream might tell others that that person has accomplished a great goal. Whatever the intended meaning might be, koi has always been used to describe the best attributes of human kind.

The koinobori

In Japan, koinobori is a streamer or windsock (like a kite on a leash) that is used in the National holiday Children's Day or Tango no Sekku. They are hung up on line or a pole to float in the wind, one for each member of a family. The largest is always the father, or head of the household, and is black. Then the next one, which is red, is to represent the mother. Then, blue, green, and purple follow for as many sons as the family has. As the holiday was traditionally for sons, it is also known as Son's Day. Basically it is a celebration in the honor of sons in the hope that they will become strong and healthy. In size, koinobori range from just a few inches long all the way to the largest ever made which was over three hundred feet long and 770 lbs!