Colony
Japanese: コロニー（集落）
A visible cluster of cells on a culture medium, grown from a single microorganism. A fundamental concept used for isolating and identifying microorganisms.
A colony is what forms when a single microorganism divides repeatedly until it becomes visible to the naked eye. A tiny dot appearing on a culture medium—that is actually a cluster of millions of cells.
In microbiology, the shape, color, size, and texture of a colony help identify the species. Koji mold colonies are greenish and powdery; yeast colonies are cream-colored and smooth.
A colony is the one moment when the invisible inhabitants of the microbial world reveal themselves to the naked eye.