wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 13 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.
This article has been viewed 170,211 times.
Learn more...
Koi is an ornamental variety of the Carp fish species. Because the Japanese pronunciation of the kanji “love” is the same as “Carp”, the Koi fish has become a symbol of love and friendship in Japan., as well as a popular tattoo motif. Want to draw a koi fish of your very own? We've got you covered with a quick, easy-to-follow tutorial. Grab your pencil and get ready to make a splash on your sketch paper!
Steps
Start by sketching the head.
Draw a long, slim oval.
Draw a big M-like shape at the end of the oval.
Draw two semicircles on each side of the body.
Outline the shapes.
Erase the sketch lines.
Color your drawing.
Community Q&A
-
QuestionHow do I draw the tail right? It's so hard!Community AnswerIf you look at a picture of one and follow that, it might help. If you really need to draw the tail, and you can't make it where the fish is swimming off the page, then you can print a picture and then trace the outline, and then personalize it.
You Might Also Like
- Chapters
- descriptions off, selected
- captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
- captions off, selected
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
End of dialog window.


- Chapters
- descriptions off, selected
- captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
- captions off, selected
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
End of dialog window.
- Chapters
- descriptions off, selected
- captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
- captions off, selected
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
End of dialog window.

- Chapters
- descriptions off, selected
- captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
- captions off, selected
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
End of dialog window.
