Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “koi” come from?

Koi comes from Japanese 鯉, from Old Japanese こい, with the original meaning unknown.

koi (English): Ornamental domesticated varieties of the common...

Definitions

  1. Ornamental domesticated varieties of the common...

Ancestry of “koi”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese鯉carp, specifically, the common carp
2Old Japaneseこい—
Every word from Old Japanese こい →