A carp is a kind of fish you can catch. It is also a type of beautiful fish that is used in lakes or small ponds where you can feed the fish, and enjoy looking at them. It probably is not a fish people usually catch to eat.

It's a fish. Japanese carp are very ornate and expensive. I think they have some significance in Japanese culture too, as people keep getting them tattooed on themselves! :)

The word 'carp' has 2 meanings Dictionary definition of 'carp' as a noun 1. An edible freshwater fish (Cyprinus carpio) of Europe and Asia that is frequently bred in ponds and lakes. 2. Any of various fishes of the family Cyprinidae. As a verb, carp means; To find fault in a disagreeable way; complain fretfully. See Synonyms at quibble. As a noun it means a fretful complaint.

I also vaguely remember "carp" as a verb, meaning to complain (usually continuously, and on an insignificant topic). If you complain in this fashion to someone, the phrase is "to carp at (someone)". Apart from that... well, it's a fish.