The kanji 鯉 represents the "carp" or "koi" fish. It's the core meaning of this character. This fish is often associated with strength, perseverance, and good fortune in Japanese culture.

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

⚫︎錦鯉 Translation: Brocaded carp (specifically, ornamental koi carp) ⚫︎鯉のぼり Translation: Carp streamers (used in Japan to celebrate Children's Day) ⚫︎鯉料理 Translation: Carp cuisine

The kanji 鯉 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is a "氵" (water radical) indicating the aquatic nature of the subject. The right side is "里" (里) which provides the phonetic component, suggesting the sound "ri". Therefore, 鯉 is formed by combining the meaning of "water" and the sound related to the word "carp".