Japanese Kanji Tattoos
Japanese Kanji tattoos are very popular.
Just like the Japanese are fond of wearing English expressions, so too others have discovered a fascination with Japanese kanji.
What many people don’t realize is that not all Japanese writing is kanji. Kanji are the elaborate calligraphic symbols that depict ideas, rather than words. A rounded shorthand style of writing called hiragana bridges the gaps between kanji and Japanese writing, tying the ideas together.
There is yet a third style called katakana, which is simple and angular. This style is used to write foreign words and names. All three are commonly used together when you read Japanese writing.
For tattoos, you can use kanji to represent an idea or phrase. You can use hiragana and katakana to spell names or words.
The beauty of the kanji symbols speak to many people. This is true whether they understand their literal meaning or not. Most English-speaking people who seek a kanji tattoo want one that is meaningful to them. Many will happily choose from an assortment of kanji at the tattoo parlor, clueless as to whether the one they chose really means what the label says it means.
Be very careful in choosing your kanji tattoo. Remember, it is permanent. Unless you want to have it removed.
Common choices for kanji tattoos include…
- happiness
- love
- harmony
- wind
- water
- heaven
- earth
- other similar concepts
Before you get a permanent kanji tattoo, however, you should do your homework. Check the meaning with someone who reads Japanese or at least with an online English – Japanese dictionary. Be prepared to wade through several versions of a kanji. Some are very different looking, yet are very similar in meaning. Others have very subtle differences in meaning.
Just typing in the English pronunciation isn’t enough. Some Japanese words sound exactly alike, yet are written with entirely different kanji and have entirely different meanings. You can not only find the dictionaries online, but there are also some Japanese translators online who are willing to verify the meaning of the kanji you have chosen, or design you a beautifully drawn kanji that you can use as your tattoo pattern.
Image by Lynie via Flickr
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Tags: japanese kanji, japansese tattoos, kanji, kanji tattoos
