Totally Sweet Tattoo Ideas

In recent years, kanji and hanzi tattoos have become an extremely popular choice among 20-something Americans with the insatiable itch for ink. Many are drawn to the mysteriousness and perceived symbolism of these eye-catching Asian characters, while others find themselves enchanted with the physical composition of the words; the beauty of the brushstrokes and the look of the language itself. Still others are prompted to select kanji and hanzi tattoos as a result of Asian music fandom, anime fandom or any number of varying fandoms based on interests rooted deep within the Chinese and Japanese cultures. Chances are, you know at least one person with an Asian character tattooed somewhere on his or her body. Kanji and hanzi tattoos are everywhere!

Unfortunately, many recipients of foreign language tattoos fail to perform adequate research on the tattoo ideas of their choosing, prior to actually having those ideas translated into ink. Lots of people use outdated dictionaries or shoddy language translators on the internet and don’t bother to cross-reference their results for accuracy; others naively select characters from the wall of the tattoo shop at random, assuming that particular shop’s translation is the correct one. Utilizing these methods of symbol verification is unreliable and, considering the permanent nature of the decoration, most unwise. After all, the image you choose on Tattoo Day will be inked into your flesh forever. Don’t take any chances!

It’s important to understand and be entirely conscious of the fact that the average English-speaking, American tattoo artist is likely NOT fluent in Japanese, Chinese, Korean or any other Asian language. (Heck, I’d even recommend verifying the spelling and punctuation of common English phrases before having them tattooed. Botched tatts aren’t going to rub off in the shower like magic, people!) Double-checking the meaning of a foreign word or phrase to ensure its exactitude is NOT in your artist’s job description. The language research isn’t his responsibility; it’s yours. It’s your tattoo — forever! Just take it easy and plan things out ahead of time. Remember: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Use reliable internet resources to check and cross-check your translations. Enlist the aid of any friends, family members, pen-pals or other acquaintances who may happen to speak and read the language in question with some degree of fluency. Collect several images of the character you intend to have emblazoned. Study and memorize it; know how the image is supposed to look. And, for crying out loud, make sure your tattoo guy doesn’t apply the stencil upside down! (Sadly enough, it’s been known to happen.) In the end, you’ll be glad you decided to do your homework.

Posted in Asian, Good Advice, Important

[ #4 ] IRRESPONSIBLE USE OF FOREIGN SCRIPT
Potential tattoo recipients are often attracted to the bold imagery and seemingly mysterious air of meaningful names or phrases written in fancy foreign script. (Japanese and Chinese characters are very common in textual tattoo requests, as well as Sanskrit and Elvish scripts.) Sadly, the average parlor patron neglects to perform an adequate amount of research on his exotic tattoo ideas before inking them, and afterward ends up caught in an embarrassing game of chance: “Does my tattoo actually mean what I think it means?”

If it should so happen that the tattoo in question doesn’t really declare what it’s supposed to be declaring, a whole new horrifying question must rear its ugly head: “What the f*** DOES this goddamn tattoo mean?” Something stupid? Something offensive? At best, the ill-prepared and spontaneously-tattooed party can avoid native speakers of their chosen tongue and hope they don’t ever find out about their tattoo’s meaning and origin for sure. At worst, they’ll be humiliated to discover an unsettling truth (the tattoo means “mustache” instead of “courage,” for example), and will end up kicking themselves in the pants over that one dumb decision for many years to come. The moral of the story is as follows: When dealing with foreign language tattoo ideas, thorough research should always be a prerequisite. Don’t take chances! That body is the only body you’ve got.

[ #3 ] LOL! THAT WOULD BE TOO FUNNY
Novelty tattoos consisting of humorous jokes, anecdotes or phrases are very similar to the “word tees” you might find inside your local Hot Topic store: They’re amusing for a little while, until the joke wears out its welcome and punchline becomes stale. Think about it: You aren’t still re-telling and laughing at the same dumb jokes you used to adore back in middle school, right? No! Nor are you currently busting a gut over the classic knee-slappers you’ve heard 50 times before, regardless of how funny they were, that first time around the block.

Although novelty tattoo ideas might seem like a recipe for a good laugh when mentioned in passing, the fact is that they simply aren’t going to retain their original hilarity (and that’s assuming they were even funny to begin with) throughout the ages. Once you hit 55, that sexually suggestive novelty tattoo is going to be a creepy, wrinkled, hairy turn-off to everyone around you. Think twice before you do things like these to your body; you’ll save yourself a heap of regret and an awful lot of lamentation along the lines of, “OH, GOD! What have I done? What was I thinking? I’m really dumb. OH, GOD!”

Posted in Bad Ideas, Good Advice, Top 10