Koi Fish Tattoos

Koi Fish Tattoo

Koi fish tattoos are as varied and as popular as the animal they represent. Koi tattoo designs are often combined with splashing water, cherry blossom and lotus flowers.
Koi fish are a species of carp (Koi is the Japanese word for carp) that are specially bred to have wild, brilliant color schemes. Originally a ravenous pet species that stirred up silt in waterways, the Japanese have inbred them and turned them into gemlike marvels.
The general symbolic meaning of koi and koi tattoos is good luck.
Interestingly, the Japanese assign different symbolic meanings to the fish depending upon the way it behaves, either in the pond or in the wild.
The Chinese, on the other hand, have a very special interpretation of koi fish in general.