Japanese symbol for tattoo

[ciaran...@yahoo.ie]

I want to get a tattoo,the japanese symbol for ''koi''.It is a symbol
for strenght through adversity.However I must admit the prospect of a
full orange fish sprawled across my forearm is,right now,a little
daunting.
I wanted to get the simple Japanese character instead,but cannot find
the exact symbol translation.
Every symbol i see is in ''Kanji'',to which I am ashamedly
ignorant.The meaning for the koi symbol,it says,is ''love''.But this
is not the meaning I seek-I want it to refer to the word ''carp''-and
the story of strength through adversary.According to Japanese
tradition,if a carp swims to the top of a waterfall,it will become a
dragon,a message which I feel echoes the human condition-we must
strive to reach the summit.I have googled and googled and googled,and
this forum is my greatest hope.
If anyone knows the symbol that I'm looking for,your help would be
greatly appreciated.Thanks

[Johnno Maine]

Hi,

I think people getting a tattoo should take a step back and carefully
consider the consequences and outcomes. "Koi" may have deep meaning for you
but the thing to consider is whether you would feel foolish if you had
"Carp" in English tattooed on you. Because when Japanese see that symbol,
that is what it means!

<ciaran...@yahoo.ie> wrote in message
news:49b73352-7c25-44a6...@d77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...