The characters of Kanji can stand alone and have their very own distinct meaning or be used in combination with other symbols to illicit other meanings. Many times the message from a Kanji symbol is not obvious and can be misconstrued by someone who is not familiar enough with the language. (japanese-name-translation.com, 2009) The symbols from Kanji are like looking at a picture, and, just like people see different things in a picture, a Kanji symbol can be interpreted in different ways. Sometimes the symbol will stand for a sound, depending on how and where it is written. (japanese-name-translation.com, 2009) So, basically, it can be very difficult to transfer something you want to say in English directly into a Kanji tattoo. For instance, you want your new Kanji tattoo to say “Big Daddy”. Everybody you know sees your tattoo and asks you what does it mean? You reply “Big Daddy” and you will get a laugh or agreement depending on how well they know you. Then, of course, you go to Japan or you meet someone from Japan and they read your tattoo and to them it says “large father”. It just will not translate the way you want it to. (japanese-name-translation.com, 2009)

This is basically the biggest problem for people that want to get a Kanji tattoo. The Kanji characters themselves are refined and exotic but there are very many ways to pronounce and interpret each unique character. There is also the fact that there are almost two thousand different Kanji characters used today which can make translations very difficult.(Mcbennet, 1999)

Some people believe that the characters have a spiritual meaning – that they can even effect your mood or bring you luck. There are characters often used to symbolize things like strength, luck, honor, etc. (Takase, 2005) Make sure that you have the right characters when deciding to have a Kanji tattoo because as we all know that they are permanent. It can be very frustrating when you end up with a Kanji tattoo that does not contain the message you wanted to convey.

It is not easy to translate Japanese symbols directly from English into Kanji. Even though many people know that the Kanji figures are hard to translate, they still continue to get the tattoo, finding out later it does not have the meaning that they intended. When deciding what tattoo to get, it might be more accurate to use Kanji symbols that have an established meaning like love or dragons or Bishidou (the way of the warrior). Trying to have your name spelled is probably not going to be as accurate as you would like and it might have more of a meaning than you bargained for. (japanese-name-translation.com, 2009)

Getting a tattoo is about expressing yourself. The creation of your Kanji tattoo should be a meeting of the minds between you and the artist who is inking your tattoo. Japanese Calligraphy needs exact translations and if you have some reservations before getting started, be sure to start with an artist who has a reputable catalog. This will require some research on your part. Ask the artist where they got their translations and find out when and where the translations were done as well as who was the translator. Look for comments or references that are available about the artist. Often, the tattoo artist might be insulted or give you a hard time for questioning them, but it is your body and your tattoo so BE SURE. When you find the artist who is willing to help you, and they have helped you understand the symbols you want, then you have probably found the right place to get your tattoo inked.

Works Cited

‘japanese-name-translation.com’, I. S. (2009). INT.COM. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from Japanese Caliigraphy: japanese-name-translation.com/site2/kanji_tattoos_article.html

Jennings, C. (1999, September). The Kanji Site. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from The Kanji Site: kanjisite.com/html/about/site.html

Mcbennet, M. (1999). Kanji Characters. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from Japan Zone: japan-zone.com/new/kanji.shtml

Takase, E. (2005). Takase.com. Retrieved november 11, 2009, from Custom Japanese Caliigraphy: takase.com/AboutUs.htm

As stated previously, I plan to continue through the alphabet. If you want me to provide a symbol in a larger or smaller size simply ask in the comments.

baby	bat
battle	beach
bear up, power, strong	beauty, beautiful
beauty, beautiful (brush stroke)	beautiful, pleasing, skilled
best	black
boy	boy (brush stroke)
brain	big brother
buddha	butterfly
butterfly (brush stroke)	“beloved”

See also: Overview of Kanji Tattoos

For more information see also:

Tattoo Symbols – Kanji Characters

Kanji Tattoo Symbols: The Letter “a”

The symbols themselves are quite complex but very beautiful when properly drawn. This explains why so many people like kanji tattoos. Each kanji symbol is comprised of a series of lines that are drawn in a very artistic manner, similar to calligraphy. Each line or series of lines within the kanji symbol illustrate either an object or an action. Each overall symbol represents a word.

Japanese emperors and priests revered the kanji symbols because of their aesthetic beauty and the spiritual effect they imparted on both the wearer and the person viewing the symbol. Kanji lettering was a studied art that required very precise movements of the wrists, the fingers, the quantity of ink on the brush and the pressure placed on the brush while drawing the symbol. As you can imagine the art of drawing Japanese kanji symbols was (and still is) very time consuming and requires precision and patience.

The complexity of kanji characters is tied to their meanings. One single kanji character may actually represent up to 10 different meanings. The meanings themselves vary based on the viewpoint of the reader – that’s why the different meanings are referred to as “readings.” The translation of each reading varies depending on the placement of the symbol in a sentence, the context, or the intended meaning. Kanji readings are either placed into one of two categories: kunyomi (Japanese interpretation) or onyomi (Chinese interpretation). The classification depends on the origin of the symbol itself (from either Japan or China). See why this is so complex?

Tattoo artists today attempt to draw kanji characters so the individual elements look like actual brush strokes. Some tattoo artists, especially those in Japan, go so far as to apply the individual elements of kanji symbols in the traditional order practiced in ancient Japan by Zen priests.

The decision about which symbols to include in the tattoo is entirely personal of course. Some people choose a single character that represents a word while others get a series of symbols applied that collectively represent a belief or thought. Still others have different kanji characters applied in order to spell a personal name. They do this by using the phonetic sounds associated with each character to spell out words. This makes the kanji tattoo much more unique than simply getting a loved one’s name tattooed onto the body.

Below are some kanji symbols and kanji translations for review. As always, feel free to use them for tattoo purposes:

beauty	beauty, beautiful
beauty, splendor	“Beauty of Face”
health, strength	sturdy, strength
“Exerting Strength”	energy, military strength
leader	excel, excellence
“Speaking the Truth”	happiness, blessing, fortune
welfare, happiness	happiness, good fortune
happiness, luck	good luck, joy, congratulations
faith, truth, fidelity, trust	logic, reason, justice, truth
reality, truth	affection, love
romance, “In Love With”	admire, praise

Here are some kanji translations of common names. Both the modern and traditional (calligraphy) versions are shown:

Modern Translation	Traditional Translation
Anna	Anna
Bill	Bill
Carol	Carol
Dave	Dave
Eric	Eric

For more information see: The History of Japanese Tattoos