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Word(Pronunciation) Meaning
Saiseirin
(sigh' say reen)
Reappearing scale. Scale that returns after having been lost in an accident or injury. Saiseirin could be good or bad, depending if the scale grew back to be the original color.
Sakame Asagi
(saa kah' meh ah' sah gee)
Reverse Asagi. Koi that has white cores in the scales, and indigo netting, which is the exact opposite of the scale pattern on a Narumi Asagi.
Sakura Ogon
Another name for Platinum Kohaku regarded as Hariwake variety. The light pink sashi is regarded as the color of a petal of sakura referring to cherry blossom.
Sandan(sahn' dahn)
Three, a Sandan Kohaku has three Hi plates.
Sankaku Hi
(sahn kah coo' hee)
A triangular Hi plate. Used especially to describe Hi on the tail section.
Sanke(sahn' keh) Short for Taisho Sanshoku or Taisho Sanke , a Kohaku pattern with black spots, Sumi does not appear on the head or below the lateral line. When called Sanke, it refers to Taisho Sanshokul.
Sansai(sahn' sigh) 3 years old.
Sarasa(saa rah' saa) Old name for Kohaku. Still used once in a while.
Sashi(saa' she) Short for Sashikomi. Term that refers to the blurry line between the front of a Hi plate or Sumi and the Shiroji. The blurry pinkish color is caused by the end of the Shiroji scale overlapping the beginning of the Hi scale. When the Hi is of sufficient quality, the Hi shows through the Shiroji and appears as a blurry pinkish line at the front edge of each Hi pattern. Sashi refers only to the Kiwa towards the head and does not occur in the Kiwa towards the tail. Ideal Sashi is about one scale wide. Nimai Zashi is 2 scales wide. Sanmai Zashi is 3 scales wide.
Sashi zumi
(saa' she zoo' me)
Short for Sashikomi. Sashi is not only seen in Hi but also in Sumi. Term that refers to the often blurry line between the front of Sumi and the Shiroji. The blurry bluish color is caused by the end of the Shiroji scale overlapping the beginning of the Sumi scale. The Sumi shows through the Shiroji and appears as a blurry bluish line at the front edge of each Sumi pattern. Sashi refers only to the Kiwa towards the head and does not occur in the Kiwa towards the tail. Ideal Sashi is about one scale wide. Nimai Zashi is 2 scales wide. Sanmai Zashi is 3 scales wide.
Seigyo(say' gyow) Mature Koi. Nishikigoi more than 6 years old. At Koi shows, Nishikigoi are entered into a class only by size and not by age.
Separation Method "A system for evaluating a pair of Koi by comparing sections of each one; the number of sections is not important - what is important is comparing the same section of 2 Koi; these sections may include:
Head - including the gills
Shoulders - (right behind the head)
Back - (sometimes this section includes the shoulders) from shoulders to the beginning of the dorsal fin
Trunk - the part under the dorsal fin
Tail - starting behind the dorsal fin but not including the caudal fin
Sometimes the body section refers to everything except thr head and the tail sections"
Seware
(se h' wah reh)
Diving the back. A Hi pattern that has most of the Hi on the side with wide Shiroji on the back. A Hi pattern that looks as if it were dividing the Koi's back.
Shiagari
(she ah' gah ree)
Finish. Koi become more beautiful or less beautiful as time goes by. If a Koi finishes well and is beautiful, we say it has good Shiagari. If a Koi does not finish well, then we say it has poor Shiagari.
Shibun(she boon') A very tiny weakpoint.
Shimegai
(she' meh guy)
Stunt the growth. The process of keeping Koi small by stunting their growth. Shimegai can be accomplished by feeding them a very small amount of food and keeping them in limited space so the pheromones that limit growth are present.
Shimi(she' me) Stain. Refers to stray sumi spots. Shimi is a single dot, while Jyami refers to a group of small Sumi spots.
Shinsui(sheen' sue ee) Fresh water. We could say "The pond needs Shinsui."
Shiro(she' row) White.
Shirobou
(she' row bow)
White Nishikigoi. Many white Koi without patterns are culled. However, a Koi could become white when it was 2-3 years old. Also called Shiro Muji.
Shiroji
(she row' jee)
White ground or background, a color.
Shiro Muji
(she row' moo' jee)
Regular scaled white Koi with no pattern, what Kohaku become if they lose their Hi color.
Shita Zumi
(she' tah zoo' mee)
Sumi beneath. Sumi that appears to be hiding below the surface of the Shiroji. Sumi that is barely visible under the surface of the scales. Shita Zumi could emerge or disappear. Kage Zumi refers to Sumi that has started to emerge and is seen on the skin as a shadow.
Showa(show' wah) Short for Showa Sanshoku or Showa Sanke, a black Koi with red and white patches named for its deveropment in the Showa era.
Shusui(shoe' swee) Doitsu Asagi, blue Koi with red on the belly and up the sides, clear white head with an indigo or black row of scales on either side of the dorsal fin, may have Motoaka and Hi in the dorsal fin. Variety created from the breeding of Doitsu black Koi with Asagi. Kichigoro Akiyama in Tokyo first succeeded in breeding the Doitsu version of Asagi in 1910. Because this achievement added a Doitsu version to this variety, soon other scaled Koi varieties also became more diverse, with fantastic new possiblilities.
Sokusen
(sow coo' sen)
Lateral lines. This term refers to the "lateral line" on both side of the Koi. The line divides the Koi in half lengthwise. We can see the pattern above the Sokusen, but now below it, unless we view the Koi from the side. The Sokusen is used to sense low frequency vibrations in the water.
Sora (sow rah') Sky.
Soragoi(sow rah' goy) Blue -gray Koi.
Sumi(sue' mee) Black, represents power, sometimes Zumi when with another word.
Sumigiwa
(sue' mee gee' wa)
Black border. Border line between the black pattern and the other colors.
Sumimono
(sue' mee mow no)
Sumi class. General name for Nishikigoi that have Sumi such as Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke), Showa, Kumonryu etc.
Susu Zumi
(sue' sue zoo'mee)
Soot Sumi. Low-quality Sumi that is like soot which is simply black without luster. Also called Nabe Zumi. The opposite term is Urushi Zumi.

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