Chinese Writing Tattoos

Tattooing is an ancient practice, though its popularity has increased manifold in recent times. It is a form of body art that can be either permanent or temporary. Permanent tattoos are created by inserting ink into the deeper layers of skin. In the world of tattooing, one of the most preferred options are Chinese symbols and letters, not only for their exotic look, but also for the fact that only a handful can understand their meaning, which make them more special and mysterious. Chinese dragon tattoos are well known throughout the world, and now Chinese letters have also captured the attention of the world by their eye-catching styles and forms. While selecting a particular Chinese writing tattoo, the most important thing to be considered is the different types of writing styles.

Chinese Writing
The Chinese language has almost 80,000 characters, but most of them are rarely used today, as knowing a few thousands of them are enough for basic literacy. Generally, each character of Chinese language stands for an entire word, and they are traditionally read from top to bottom, and from right to left. However, in modern China, Chinese writing characters are read horizontally from left to right. The first thing that has to be kept in mind while choosing Chinese writing tattoos, is that there are basically two different styles of Chinese writing, Kanji and Hanzi.

In the Kanji style of writing, a single character can be used to mean an entire concept or idea. It is actually a Japanese word which refers to 'Han Characters'. Han was an imperial dynasty that ruled China from 206 BC to 220 AD. So, kanji can be termed as an adaptation of Chinese characters into the Japanese writing system, which encompasses around 50,000 characters. These are the ones most commonly used for the purpose of making tattoos in Western countries.

On the other hand, Hanzi encompasses the traditional Chinese characters used in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. Many Chinese communities living outside China also use the hanzi writing style. In hanzi writing, approximately 47,000 characters are there, though knowledge of about 3 to 4 thousand are more than enough to properly read and write the Chinese language. In 1970, the Chinese government made an attempt to simplify Chinese characters in an effort to increase the rate of literacy. This is known as simplified Chinese, which is used in China, Singapore, and Malaysia. So, if you want to get a Chinese writing tattoo, first of all you have to decide about the appropriate writing style.

Chinese Writing Tattoos
Once you have decided the writing style, you will find a wide range of Chinese characters with their characteristic graceful and extraordinary strokes. But remember to do proper research regarding the meaning of different symbols, as there have been instances of tattoo mishap. Many people found to have realized that their Chinese symbol tattoos mean or symbolize a completely different concept due to some error or misplacement. So, make sure that your tattoo professional knows the meaning and significance of the Chinese characters that you have chosen. Also do not alter the order of the characters, as a little change can mean a different idea altogether.

Chinese writing tattoos look stunning, especially if arranged from top to bottom. The most preferred Chinese writing for tattooing are the symbols for love, faith, hope, strength, happiness, peace, and friendship. Chinese symbols for dragons, phoenix, and angels are also witnessing a tremendous growth in their popularity. Zodiac tattoos, with the symbols for Chinese zodiac like the rat, ox, dragon, tiger, rabbit, snake, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig are also widely used for tattooing. Some people prefer simple tattoos that include one or more Chinese letter, while others like a combination of Chinese letter tattoos and other famous Chinese tattoos like dragons, tigers or cherry blossoms.

Chinese writing tattoos are suitable for any place of the body including arms, legs, back and neck. Wrist tattoos with Chinese characters can make for an interesting and unique tattoo. Chinese writing tattoos are great for their unique and charismatic look, that can easily attract the attention and appreciation of others.