Choosing the Perfect Koi Fish Tattoo Design

Koi, meaning "carp" in Japanese, would not be such a special tattoo design, if it wasn't for the many positive meanings that are attributed to this fish.

If you are looking for a tattoo that symbolizes courage, aspirations, perseverance and goal achievement, a Koi fish can fit your needs.

So now that you know you want this kind of tattoo, what should you do next?

Placing Your Design

Many choose to tattoo the Koi as a full back tattoo, or as a major part of a sleeve. One reason for picking these spots is the ability to make a large and elaborate Koi fish tattoo. But you can also place this tattoo design on other, smaller parts of the body, as long as you make sure that the design is not too complicated.

Consulting your tattoo artist can show you in the right direction.

Making Your Design Unique


A great way for you to personalize your Koi fish design is by coloring the design with your favorite colors. You can go wild, with many different colors or just color the entire design using your favorite color.

Another way is to add a background to your Koi fish design, which could be a waterfall, flames, flowers or a simple ribbon looking styled background.

Choosing Your Design

If you took the time to consider where you will place your tattoo, how big you want it and how unique you plan to make it, then there are many tattoo websites that you can visit to narrow down the huge selection you have. If you have a clear picture in mind, you can get a black and white layout of the design and work on it with the help of your tattoo artist: choose colors, position (will the fish go up, down or sideways on your body) and background.

The best way to come up with your next tattoo idea is by looking at other people's tattoos and tattoo designs. Tattooholic's tattoo design gallery provides you with amazing ideas for all tattoo designs. Visit Tattooholic to learn more.