Everything You Need To Know About Chinese Symbol Tattoos

Chinese symbol tattoos are very popular today because they are really beautiful. And because most of us in the Western people cannot read Chinese symbol, Chinese symbol tattoos become an exotic form of expression.My Name is Yingying and I am a Chinese Tattoo Artist. I have been providing custom Chinese tattoo translation and design service during the past three years. Western people sometimes ask me some questions when they are planning to get Chinese symbols tattoos.I have listed some of the most FAQs as below. you may find the answers are very useful information if you are planning to get one soon.Can anything be translated and written in Chinese symbols? Yes, anything can be translated and written in Chinese symbols. Chinese has more than 4000 years history. The most ancient Chinese symbols called oracle were written on animal bones. Chinese is a fully developed writing system with over 70,000 symbols (characters), capable of recording all nuances of contemporary language.What are the differences between kanji and Chinese symbols? Kanji is the term for Chinese symbols that are used in the Japanese language. Kanji in Japanese are typically characters from the Chinese language that have been adapted to mean Japanese words. The meanings in Chinese and Japanese can be the same but pronounced differently, or they may have entirely different meanings.

Why do I need the custom designs for a Chinese tattoo? Your tattooist needs the design as a clear reference while inking. If you get free translation from web or somewhere else, it is usually a small and blur image which can not be used for inking purpose. If the tattooist does use it for inking, then your Chinese tattoo is worse than do not have one at all. (You may find some vivid samples of both bad and good Chinese tattoos on my website). Comparing the free crap, the custom tattoo design is large clear image come with stencil outline which your tattooist will use it to ink a high quality Chinese symbol tattoo on your body.Can one English word be translated into either one symbol or two symbols? The answer is it depends on the English word to be translated. Some English words can be translated into either one symbol or two symbols. For example, beauty can be translated into either one or two symbols, and the meaning is the same. Whereas, some words must be translated into two symbols, hope is an example, there is no single Chinese symbol which can be express the meaning of hope. Having your body inked can be a very rewarding experience which can last for the rest of your life. Many people who have Chinese symbol tattoos feel that they are very much symbolic representations of their inner feelings and personality. That is the power of choosing a Chinese symbol tattoo that represents your true self, so it is of the up most importance to select the Chinese Symbols perfect match the meanings you want to express through your tattoos. By Yingying Lin

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Don't Make These Chinese Symbol Tattoo Mistakes

The Chinese people have a highly developed writing system that evolved at least 3000 years ago. Ancient writing has been found written on bone, brass vessels or pottery and bamboo strips.The Chinese writing system has no alphabet, but relies on a large number of symbols that represents spoken concepts or ideas. It is important to note that a Chinese symbol is NOT a pictograph but represents the entire spoken word.And don’t even look for the Chinese alphabet because there isn’t one. The alphabet is a Latin invention, which is a whole new can of worms.The Kangxi Dictionary was created in 1710 A.D. by imperial decree to compile 47,035 symbols. Don’t worry; the average Chinese person only needs to know five thousand symbols to pretty much read anything that is written in the Chinese language.Now, let’s talk about mistakes which is the biggest block when someone thinks about getting a Chinese symbol tattoo. What you think the Chinese symbol tattoo means, may not be necessarily so.As you can imagine, before rushing off to get the Chinese symbols tattooed on your skin – DOUBLE CHECK with someone who CAN read and understand Chinese. And resist the urge to pull over the Chinese waiter and ask him to write out the Chinese symbol for you.

He may not know exactly what meaning you really want and may unintentionally give you the wrong symbol.You see, Chinese symbols are complex and can easily be mean something other than intended. Get the wrong one… and your new tattoo will be a permanent source of embarrassment to you!Another fact is that Chinese Calligraphy is a precise art and sometimes strokes can be missing in your tattoo design. But don’t panic! Your tattoo artist can easily fix those mistakes.However, be warned that the artistic flair of your tattoo artist can turn your Chinese characters into gibberish.Another thing, Chinese names are written in the reversed order. Which mean your last name goes before your first.Let me pause here for just a minute… this is where things may get a little more complicated. Because your name is probably foreign to the Chinese language -- Chinese symbols will have to be picked out to pronounce your name. Remember there are no Chinese alphabets. So you will have to pick out one or more Chinese symbols that represent your spoken name.Do you see what I mean? Getting a Chinese symbol tattoo can become a nightmare if done hurriedly without any thoughts whatsoever!Nonetheless, Chinese symbol tattoos are very popular today because they are really beautiful. And because most of us in the Western Hemisphere cannot read Chinese, Chinese symbol tattoos becomes an “exotic” form of expression.And let’s face the fact that the real reason most guys probably want a Chinese symbols tattoo is because they are usually associated with martial arts or karate flicks. Men!Becky McClure believes that the MOST important word after you made the decision to get inked is “Patience!” Pick the right tattoo design. Pick the right location on you. And then pick the best artist you can find for your new body art. By Becky McClure

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Chinese Zodiac Tattoo Symbols

Chinese zodiac tattoos are gaining attention among tattoo buffs - Westerners and Easterners alike - worldwide. While all are primarily used for divination, zodiac signs are distinctly unique and vary from one culture to another. What sets Chinese zodiac symbols apart from the others is that they do not match up to cycles within the year; neither do they correspond to constellations. Instead, Chinese zodiac signs correspond to a longer cycle of twelve years. Furthermore, Chinese zodiac signs integrate the elements of metal, wood, fire, earth, and water. These five elements are associated with a zodiac sign, and as such, provide sixty possible personality variations for interpretation. This, above other reasons, makes Chinese zodiac tattoos more individualized and just the right thing for a very personal tattoo. Aside from having elements and animals, the Chinese zodiac also assigns a different color for each year. The colors are sorted by the stems and relate to the elements. Metal is white, Water is black, Wood is green, Fire is red, and earth is brown. Another distinguishing characteristic of the Chinese zodiac is that it refers to the lunar calendar cycle. It takes into account the monthly phases of the moon and incorporates them to further typify zodiac personalities, daily horoscope, and prediction of events. The only aspect that makes it similar with the more widely known Roman zodiac is its use of twelve animals as signs. They are, however, illustrated as Chinese characters.
The following are the twelve Chinese zodiac animals:Rat: 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008Ox - 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997Tiger - 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998Rabbit - 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999Dragon - 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000Snake - 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001Horse - 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002Goat - 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003Monkey - 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004Rooster - 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005Dog - 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006Pig - 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007However, very interestingly, some web sites assert that there is only one character for the term zodiac. This symbol is modified by the proper birth month of the person who wears it to reflect the true zodiac sign. The variation is likened to how an English pronoun is modified by a pronoun. Choosing a Chinese zodiac tattoo gears more towards identity symbolism and expression, rather than a manifestation of what we value in life because it caters closely to an individual, leaving very little room for generalization. As a tattoo design choice, a Chinese zodiac symbol would represent your birth year, your element, and can mean nothing else. It does not matter if you are Chinese, Asian, or Caucasian. It also does not matter whether or not Chinese astrology is part of a personal belief system. All the same, choosing Chinese zodiac signs as tattoo designs can oftentimes be surprisingly revealing - it provides a vivid glimpse of how the bearer of the tattoo views his own personality. By Romeo Rodriguez

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Chinese Symbol Tattoos - A Beginners Guide

Chinese symbol tattoos are rapidly growing in popularity all round the world. In fact, more than six thousand people search for the phrase "Chinese Tattoos" on the internet every single day.But that's not surprising as Chinese symbol tattoos are extremely beautiful and mysterious. Thanks to the movies and popular culture, most people in the west can recognise these Chinese symbols but can't understand them. So that makes these tattoos a rather exotic form of self expression.But beyond that, there are other more gender specific reasons for the popularity of these tattoo designs.Women are attracted to the numerous subtle meanings and over-arching themes that the Chinese symbols can express, such as hope, freedom and love. Men, on the other hand, are drawn to Chinese symbol tattoos because in western culture they're strongly associated with martial arts movies.So if you're considering getting a Chinese tattoo, here's a quick beginners guide to Chinese symbols.The system of Chinese writing began more than 4000 years ago and doesn't have an alphabet. This is perhaps the biggest difference for non Chinese people to understand.Instead, Chinese writing relies upon a large number of symbols that represent spoken ideas or concepts. Each symbol represents a different spoken word.

In 1710 AD the Kangxi Dictionary was created by imperial decree and contained more than 47,000 symbols. However, since then that number has risen to more than 70,000 symbols to represent the growing number of nuances and meanings in the modern language.But having said that, the average Chinese person only needs to know around 5,000 of these Chinese symbols to be able to read and understand anything that's written in Chinese.Can anything be written in Chinese symbols?Thanks to the sheer number of symbols available, anything can be translated into Chinese. Even the most subtle meanings and nuances can be achieved using a combination of symbols.What is Kanji?Kanji is the term used to describe Chinese symbols that have been adapted to mean Japanese words. The meaning of the symbols in Chinese and Japanese can be the same but they may be pronounced differently. Alternatively, they may express completely different ideas.Can I get my name, or someone else's name, translated into Chinese Symbols?Yes, of course. But it's worth bearing a couple of things in mind. First, Chinese names are written in reverse order, which means that your last name appears before your first name. Second, if your name is foreign to the Chinese language, symbols will have to be selected that represent your spoken name.As you can see, the whole issue of Chinese writing is extremely complex, so the first major rule when you're getting a Chinese symbol tattoo is to...Make Sure That Your Chosen Words Are Correctly TranslatedBefore you allow anyone to put a tattoo needle anywhere near your skin, make sure that you have discussed your chosen design with someone who can understand Chinese writing. And make sure that they are used to advising people about the meaning of Chinese symbols for use in tattoos.Whatever happens, resist the temptation to ask the first Chinese person that you know to check the meaning of your intended design. They may not know the exact meaning that you want and provide you with the wrong symbol.For example, one women asked a waiter at her local Chinese restaurant to draw the Chinese symbol for free on a napkin. Unfortunately, this English word can be translated into Chinese in one of two ways. She wanted "Freedom" he gave her the symbol for "Free of charge".So consult a Chinese speaking tattoo specialist and you'll avoid the permanent embarrassment of a Chinese tattoo that doesn't mean what you thought it did.The second rule of getting a successful Chinese symbol tattoo is to...Get A Custom DesignTo create a high quality tattoo, your artist will need a quality design to work from. So it's important to spend some money on getting a custom design professionally made to your order. This will provide you with a crisp, clear Chinese tattoo that means what you think it does.Okay, you could search the internet and find a free translation service, but in most cases the end result will be a small and poorly defined image which is unsuitable for creating a quality tattoo. If you find a tattoo artist who is prepared to use such a poor design you'll end up with a blurred mess which may have lost its meaning.Chinese symbol tattoos represent a highly individual and beautiful way to express your personality. If you follow these basic guidelines you will be rewarded with a unique piece of body art which will last you for the rest of your life. By Gustavo Gomez

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