How Koi Are Classified — 13 Groups & the JAS 21

Two frameworks, one system: the 13 major groups used by the hobby, and the 21 variety names standardised by JAS in 2022.

Japanese koi classification works at two levels. At the top, the All Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association tradition groups varieties into 13 major classifications — the skeleton used at shows and in catalogues. Beneath it sit well over a hundred circulating variety and sub-variety names.

In 2022, nishikigoi terminology and 21 variety names with their definitions were standardised as a Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS). That standard is this guide's authority for names and definitions: where hobby usage and the JAS definition differ, the pages here follow JAS and note the difference.

Two words are types, not varieties, and this guide keeps them apart throughout: Doitsu describes the scaleless or mirror-scaled form inherited from German carp, and Ginrin describes sparkling scales. Either type can combine with many varieties — Ginrin Kohaku is a Kohaku with ginrin scales, not a separate colour variety.

Sources: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA — summary in our own words, credit only); All Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association official; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and Finance Ministry trade statistics as published; Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS) for nishikigoi variety names and definitions (2022); Niigata Prefecture, Ojiya City, Nagaoka City (Yamakoshi) and Nishikigoi no Sato official; Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) visitor statistics; USDA APHIS and Australian DAFF official import guidance. Checked 6 November 2026.