The kanji 鯉 represents the word for "carp" or "koi" in Japanese. This character directly refers to a specific type of fish, known for its vibrant colors, particularly the ornamental koi fish.

・On-yomi (音読み): リ (ri) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): 鯉 (koi)

⚫︎錦鯉 Translation: Brocaded carp (koi fish with colorful patterns) ⚫︎鯉のぼり Translation: Carp streamer (a carp-shaped windsock flown on Children's Day in Japan) ⚫︎鯉料理 Translation: Carp cuisine/dishes

The kanji 鯉 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is the radical 魚(うお, sakana), meaning "fish", which provides the semantic component. The right side is 里(り, ri), which provides the phonetic component, indicating the sound of the word. Therefore, the character visually links the concept of "fish" with a sound that is related to the word for "carp". The original form of the character depicted a carp more directly.