Save Type Surname Usage Japanese, Popular Culture Pronounced Pron. Koh-ee-wah-ee(Japanese) [key] Meaning & History Ko means "Small", Iwa means "Stone", and I means "Well". Fictional characters with this last name: Yotsuba from the manga "Yotsuba&!" and Yoshino Koiwai from "Masamune-kun's Revenge" are examples of this.