Why kanji tattoos go wrong so often
Most problems come from the same source: the design was chosen by someone who could not read it. Each step between the idea and the ink can introduce an error, and none of them are visible to the wearer.
The good news is that almost every error is caught by one simple step, having a native speaker read the final design, exactly as it will be tattooed, before the appointment.
- A phrase translated word for word into unnatural Japanese.
- A character in its Chinese simplified form rather than the Japanese one.
- A character flipped, cropped or with strokes merged by a design tool.
- A string of characters chosen for sound, with no meaning together.
- Characters arranged in the wrong reading order.
Words that translate awkwardly
English tattoo words are often abstract nouns, and Japanese expresses many of them with a different part of speech or a longer phrase. Strength, for example, can be a noun, an adjective or a feeling of inner resolve, and each of those is a different word in Japanese.
The words below are commonly requested. Each is natural on its own, but the nuance differs, which is exactly what to confirm.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 力 | chikara | Power, strength: physical or general |
| 強さ | tsuyosa | Strength as a quality |
| 勇気 | yūki | Courage |
| 自由 | jiyū | Freedom |
| 家族 | kazoku | Family |
| 希望 | kibō | Hope |
| 愛 | ai | Love: common in designs, reads as a broad, serious word |
Japanese forms and Chinese forms
Japan and mainland China both simplified some characters in the twentieth century, but they did not always simplify them the same way. For many characters there is no difference; for some, the Japanese form, the traditional form and the Chinese simplified form are all distinct.
Designs copied from websites or fonts that are not set to Japanese can quietly use the Chinese simplified form. To a Japanese reader, that looks like Chinese rather than Japanese, or like a mistake. Ask specifically whether every character is in its standard Japanese form.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 愛 | ai | Love: this is the form used in Japanese |
| 爱 | ai | Love: the Chinese simplified form, which looks like Chinese or a mistake in a Japanese design |
| 龍 | ryū | Dragon: the traditional form, often chosen for designs |
| 竜 | ryū | Dragon: the everyday Japanese form |
| 気 | ki | Spirit, energy: the modern Japanese form |
| 氣 | ki | Spirit, energy: the traditional form, still seen in martial arts and some designs |
Mirrored, cropped and merged characters
Even a correct word can be damaged on its way to the skin. Stencils get flipped, design software stretches or merges strokes, and small strokes disappear when a character is scaled down. A missing stroke can turn one character into another.
Vertical arrangements add their own risk. Japanese read top to bottom, so a two-character word placed bottom to top reads backwards.
- Check that the design is not mirrored, especially on stencils.
- Check that every small stroke and dot survived resizing.
- Check that strokes touch or cross exactly where they should.
- Check the reading order for vertical designs: top to bottom.
- Check the spacing: characters of one word should look like one word.
Names and meaningless strings
Charts that assign a kanji to each letter of the English alphabet do not reflect Japanese at all, and the result is a string of characters with no meaning together. Names from other languages are normally written in katakana, which represents sound.
Choosing kanji for the sounds of a name is sometimes done, but every character also carries meaning. A native speaker can tell you whether a combination reads as pleasant, neutral or unfortunate.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| マイケル | Maikeru | Michael written in katakana |
| エミリー | Emirī | Emily written in katakana |
| 一期一会 | ichigo ichie | A once-in-a-lifetime meeting: a well-known four-character phrase |
| 七転び八起き | nana korobi ya oki | Fall seven times, get up eight: a well-known proverb |
How to check with a native speaker
Show the exact final design, not a typed version of the words, and do not tell the person what it is supposed to mean before they read it. Their first reaction is the most useful information you will get.
Ask two people if you can, since one person may be polite rather than frank about something that looks odd.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| これは何と読みますか。 | Kore wa nan to yomimasu ka. | How do you read this? |
| どういう意味に見えますか。 | Dō iu imi ni miemasu ka. | What does it look like it means? |
| 日本語として自然ですか。 | Nihongo to shite shizen desu ka. | Is this natural Japanese? |
| 字の形はおかしくないですか。 | Ji no katachi wa okashiku nai desu ka. | Do the characters look correctly formed? |
| 正直に教えてください。 | Shōjiki ni oshiete kudasai. | Please tell me honestly. |
A little context about tattoos in Japan
Tattoos have a complicated image in Japan, and attitudes vary by generation and setting. In practical terms, some onsen, public baths, gyms and pools restrict visible tattoos, while others welcome them or allow covered tattoos. Policies differ from place to place, so check ahead if it matters for your plans.
None of this means a kanji tattoo is disrespectful. A carefully chosen, correctly written design is simply read as what it says, which is the best reason of all to check it first.