Chinese Tattoo Design Tips

Design Tips



Chinese tattoos have exploded in western civilization to become one of the most popular types of tattoo to get. Ironically, the tattoo, or “Wen Shen” ( ) in Chinese, is not at all a popular or even acceptable practice in China. They believe our bodies are gifts that should not be marred by permanent ink.
Then why do we love getting Chinese tattoos? Written Chinese, in the variety of fonts and styles, is beautiful. Simple characters in the Chinese language can be beautiful pieces of artwork, while also portraying a meaning. Some popular Chinese tattoos represent meanings or concepts including love, strength, luck, bravery, peace, happiness, eternity, unity, beauty, earth, friendship, energy, spring, serenity, and enlightenment.
Before getting your Chinese tattoo, make sure you have done your research. There have been so many cases where Americans have gone to get a Chinese tattoo and ended up with one that doesn’t make sense, is actually Japanese, or looks incredibly sloppy. The first thing you should do is talk to a native Chinese speaker about what you are looking to have done. Ask them what type of characters would work best and what type of font would look best. You may even want to ask them to write out the character or phrase you have in mind as an example to give your tattoo artist.
Also, inquire about real Chinese idioms. Often times, an English speaker will attempt to translate what they are trying to say directly into Chinese characters, which will usually not sound accurate in Chinese. The best thing to do is ask a native speaker for help-they may come up with a Chinese saying that suits your thoughts perfectly. The next important step is to locate a tattoo artist that has experience in printing Chinese characters. Ask them to see some of their past Chinese tattoo work. Decide if you like their handwriting, as some Chinese handwriting can be as hideous as bad English handwriting.
Chinese tattoos are a great way to express something in the form of body art. Not only are you able to convey messages with Chinese tattoos, but they also double as beautiful pieces of art and interesting conversation pieces. Most likely, when someone sees the tattoo at first, they will simply admire its appearance and then ask you for the significance, allowing you to explain its Chinese meaning and the personal meaning it has to you.
Chinese Tattoo Ideas


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