Chinese tattoo lettering has become increasingly popular worldwide, with internet searches for “Chinese Tattoos” reaching into the thousands every day. Their popularity can be linked to their alluring nature, along with pop culture. While many people recognize them, few truly understand their meaning. All of this simply adds to the mysterious nature of Chinese tattoo lettering.

Each gender holds varying views on Chinese tattoo lettering. Women tend to appreciate their meaning more, whether it is peace, love or hope. On the other hand, men are fixated on them due to their association with Martial Arts in western culture.

There is quite a lot of history behind Chinese tattoo lettering, or symbols, starting with the symbols themselves. Their origins date back over 4,000 years and represent words or ideas not an alphabet, like many of the languages most people are accustomed to. In 1710, by imperial decree, the Kangxi Dictionary was created and held over 47,000 symbols. Now the number has risen to over 70,000, simply proving the development of language. Despite those monumental numbers, the average person only needs to know about 5,000 symbols in order to convey and read practically anything that is written.

When deciding on Chinese tattoo lettering as your choice for a tattoo, there are a few things to keep in mind. The first being to make sure you find someone who speaks the language to translate it. The ideal way to go is to find a Chinese tattoo artist and have him/her do it for you. Some symbols have more than one meaning much like our own language.

For example, you may want the symbol for “free” and when the translation is done by an unreliable source you may get the symbol or “free of charge” when you were looking for the symbol for “freedom”; comparatively, in the English language there are several meanings for the word “to,” too” or two” depending on how you spell it. That is why obtaining an accurate translation of Chinese tattoo lettering is extremely important.

A person can even get their name translated thanks to the numerous symbols, but be warned that if it is not native to Chinese it may be more than one symbol. Something else to keep in mind when having your name translated is that your last comes first when written. So plan accordingly.

When searching for your Chinese tattoo lettering you may come across the word Kanji. This is the Japanese writing system largely based off of Chinese symbols. Some symbols may hold the same meaning and are just pronounced differently, while others may hold completely different meanings.

The second rule you should keep in mind when inquiring about Chinese tattoo lettering is to get a high quality design. For this part, spending some money for a good professional design would be best. This investment will give back for the rest of your life, namely every time you look at your tattoo. You do not want to end up regretting your tattoo once it is done because of the slightest mistake or misunderstanding. A quality design guarantees a quality tattoo.