A quick search online will show you in full living color why it's extremely important to understand the meanings of Chinese characters for tattoos before you have that inked onto you. If you have a close friend who's Chinese, take advantage of their knowledge to steer clear of any embarrassing mistake. Failing that, though, here are some things you should be aware of.
Meanings lost to mistranslation
The same design gets passed from one artist to another and, like the story in a game of rumor, tends to lose its original meaning. Maybe the person who first brought in the design got it by cornering some the first Chinese speaker he could find and asking them to write down the character for some English word. With all the homophones in English, this is a dangerous thing to do.
Even if the character really did mean exactly what the original wearer thought, the tattoo artist he gave the pattern too could have gotten their designs mixed up over the years. So, what the artist thinks is the character for love actually could be the symbol of some Asian gang.
Keep in mind, too that some things just don't translate well. This is doubly true for phrases with culture associates or double entendre.
Poor penmanship and mirror image's can change meanings
On the most common problems with Chinese tattoos is missing or extra strokes and poorly drawn characters. In Chinese, you can't just add or take out "little" strokes on an artistic whim. Altering the character even a little could result in nonsense at best or, at worst, completely different word.
A missing stroke can be considered an oversight, a tattoo that's put on backward or upside down is just a plain embarrassing mistake. It happens when the tattoo artist works from a pattern and loses track of which side is which. Needless to say, a character written like this will result in a meaningless tattoo.
Where to find the meanings of Chinese characters for tattoos
So if you're dead set on getting a Chinese tattoo, where can you go to make sure you don't end up with meaningless scribble inked on your arm? The best source of information is a fluent speaker of the Chinese. Ideally, this would be a native Chinese speaker who not only can write well, but can explain nuances, slang meanings, and potential puns that might be associated with the character you've chosen. Even if you have a Chinese speaker handy, when you look for designs, stick to simple, international concepts like peace, love, and strength. Even then
Aesthetics
When you're going to be wearing a Chinese character for the rest of your life, the look is almost as important as the meaning. For this reason, choose an artist experienced in Chinese character tattoos. They'll not only be able to help you with understanding the meanings of Chinese characters for tattoos, they'll be able to create an attractive version of the one you choose.
Once the symbol of gang and mafia members, in the west, Chinese tattoos have become not only acceptable, but a huge trend. If you're thinking of getting one of these tats yourself, just make sure you understand the meanings of Chinese characters for tattoos and you can save yourself a lot of embarrassment.
My Name is Yingying C., I am a Chinese tattoo artist, I have been translating thousands of English Words Into Chinese and Custom design them for inking purpose during the past four years. Chinese symbols have a complex beauty as well as individual meanings.
People who get Chinese tattoos are often drawn to this. Unfortunately, the flip-side is that there are a lot of Chinese tattoo Mistakes. I have personally seen such elementary mistakes as Chinese Symbols being tattooed backward and meant something else other than intended.
My goal is to help people explore the beauty and complexity of Chinese symbols safe in the knowledge that they are dealing with the professional.
