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 Translated Before 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 Design To 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.

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Female Tattoos: Add Attraction To The Overall Appearance

Body Art or Tattoos as it is called by presently, is not a new concept but an age old concept which is thought to be continuing since 12,000 years ago. Initially long ago before body arts became a fashion statement it was performed for religious ceremonies and initiations rites. But today body art has become the pre-eminent way that people of all cultures like to define themselves both to the outside world and to themselves.

Today much of body art consists of this wonderful mixture of styles, cultures, and influences and whatever else the person might think is cool. There are numerous tattoo designs each depicting different stories and both male and female can go for it. But female body art is entirely different from male body art in its appearance and intentions.

Female generally get tattoos mainly for two reasons. First strong reason is that they simply like to do anything to add complement to their appearance in some way and the second reason is that they have some likings towards body arts. Women would go for anything like body piercing or adding images to their skin that will add spark to their appearance even in the most elusive ways.

Tattoo designs like flowers, butterflies, stars, or other symbols that is related to feminine character are accepted by women. They particularly emphasize on the fact that is beautiful and they would also like to have that beautiful piece of body art as permanent image anywhere on their body that will add extra attraction to the overall appearance.

 The location of female body art is very significant and also selected very carefully. Women will choose a place to put a tattoo based on parts of the body they feel most confident in, comfortable and that which would give a very hot and sexy look. Location on the body for a particular tattoo should be emphasized because there are some tattoos that enhance the shape of the body.

Such tattoos are gaining popularity because women like to have such tattoo on their body. Places like lower back, ankle, or any place that is can be concealed by clothing are selected commonly to be tattooed by the women.

There are still others who like get tattoos on those very erotic parts of the body with an aim to look sexy and to draw attention to these parts. It could be concluded that female tend to get those tattoos that enhance the shape of the body and that which add sex appeal to their body.

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Butterfly Tattoos - How To Find The Perfect Design

Butterfly tattoos are growing in popularity all the time and are one of the designs most commonly requested by women. And it's not surprising. Butterflies are beautiful to look at and these designs carry a rich symbolism due to the short yet amazing life of these creatures. And due to the vast range of colors and species available, there's no reason why your tattoo shouldn't be absolutely unique to you.

 There are almost 25,000 different types of butterfly and they range in size from an eighth of an inch across to a massive twelve inches in diameter. And then of course there's the color to consider. Many butterflies display the most beautiful range of bright and vibrant colors imaginable.

 There are four main stages in the life of this amazing creature. They begin life as an egg, which turns into a caterpillar. At this stage (the pupa stage) they make a chrysalis or cocoon from which they emerge as an adult butterfly. It's this transformation from an unspectacular caterpillar into a graceful and glorious butterfly that inspired the mythical Greek character called Psych who had the wings of a butterfly.

Psych is the Greek word for both butterfly and the soul, hence the deep symbolic meaning of the butterfly tattoo. Many ancient people believed that the amazing transformation of the butterfly was similar to the soul's journey from an earthly body to a spiritual body. However, despite this long chain of transformations, the final part of their lifespan (as an adult butterfly once it emerges from the pupa state) lasts only two weeks.


This brief yet colorful contribution to life has been taken to represent the fragile nature of human life. Perhaps that's part of the appeal of butterfly tattoos. But due to the vast number of choices available it can be incredibly difficult to find the right butterfly tattoo design. It's often said that finding the right design is as much an art in itself as the actual creation of the tattoo. So here are a few things to bear in mind when searching for your butterfly tattoo.

 1) Start by working out why you want this tattoo. What do you want it to represent? This knowledge will help to influence and shape the look of the tattoo when it comes to selecting a final design.

 2) Work out what type of butterfly design you want. What type of butterfly? What colors? What size? What style? Where will it be located on your body? Once you have a rough idea of what you want, you'll find it much easier to narrow down your options.

 3) Start looking through tattoo designs and pick out a few that you like best. At this stage you don't have to like the whole design. Just take a note of all the designs that contain an element or a style that you like. These ideas will all contribute to settling on the final tattoo design.

The internet is a great tool to help find tattoo designs. It allows you to look at a large number of designs and pictures of completed tattoos in a short space of time. This will help you to narrow down that sort of thing that you want. You may even be able to find a reputable tattoo artist if you don't already have one.

 4) If you can't find a design that's exactly what you want, try sketching a picture of the type of design that you want. And if your artwork isn't that good, do your best and then get an artist or an artistic friend to draw what you describe. These drawings will be useful later on, because even if you find a design that you like, you can use your own drawings to add your own unique touch to the final design. And finally, don't proceed with your butterfly tattoo until you're absolutely 100% sure that you've found the right design, because it's going to be with you for a long time.

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Butterfly Tattoos Designs

Larger and stylized or miniature and classic, Butterfly tattoos are particular popular on lower back and chest tattooing decoration because the peculiar symmetry and color of their wings, although this type of tattoo can be worn on whatever other area of your body that you would prefer.

 For many people butterflies are the expression of freedom, and there are between 15,000 to 20,000 common and well-known butterfly species around the world to choose from for your Butterfly Tattoos designs.

 Some of those butterflies are the Common Yellow Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Lime Butterfly, Small White, Green-veined White, Common Jezebel, Xerces Blue, Karner Blue, Red Pierrot, Lange's Metalmark Butterfly, Plum Judy, Painted Lady or Cosmopolite, and the famous Monarch butterfly.

 Some other Butterfly Tattoos designs may be based on uncommon species, such as the Ornithoptera genus, also known as birdwings, and the largest of all butterflies, and the Lycaeides Melissa samuelis, an endangered butterfly. Although, it is not necessary to have a deep knowledge of butterflies to choose the tattoo that you like the most.

 There is a difference between moths and butterflies, both of which are confused between each other frequently and many people consider that a butterfly is just a day flying moth. As versatile as they are, Butterfly Tattoos designs can be the mix of both butterflies and moths. In addition, because butterflies live on nectar from flowers, many tattooists design them flying above, beside, or on them.

 In the United States, several states have adopted butterflies, whether as official mascot, butterflies or insects that you can pick to create you own Butterfly Tattoos designs. Some of such states are:

 Alabama, Monarch Butterfly and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Arizona, Two-tailed Swallowtail California,

California Dogface Butterfly Colorado,

Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly Delaware,

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Florida,

Zebra Longingly Georgia,

Tiger swallowtail Idaho,

Monarch Butterfly Illinois,

Monarch Butterfly Kentucky,

Viceroy Butterfly Maryland,

Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly Minnesota,

Monarch Butterfly Mississippi,

Spicebush Swallowtail Montana,

Mourning cloak New Hampshire,

Karner Blue Oklahoma,

Black Swallowtail Oregon, Oregon Swallowtail South Carolina,

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Tennessee,

Zebra Swallowtail Texas,

Monarch Butterfly (State insect) Vermont,

Monarch Butterfly Virginia, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail West Virginia,

Monarch Butterfly Butterfly Tattoos designs are suitable for men and women, and are also associated with spirituality. You can get some ideas by browsing online catalogs and galleries, as well as books and magazines available at your local library. Remember that butterflies can be portraits that are as realistic as a photograph, or as funny as a cartoon. Butterflies are also excellent motif for psychedelic and abstract designs.

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