Recently updated on February 21st, 2024 at 07:45 pm
Chinese calligraphy tattoos have been a raging phenomenon in the Western world for the past few decades.
On a stroll down the street in New York, you can easily spot people with trendy and fabulous Chinese calligraphy tattoos etched onto their bodies even though they might not understand their meanings, perhaps the characters are wrongly written or misaligned in a way that they might spark laugh from anyone who can understand those.
So, why do people get Chinese calligraphy tattoos, especially those wrongly translated or written?
What is Chinese Calligraphy?
Chinese calligraphy is a traditional form of writing characters from the Chinese language through the use of ink and a brush. It’s an art of turning Chinese characters into images through pressure and speed variations of the pointed Chinese brush.
What Are Chinese Calligraphy Tattoos?
Chinese character tattoos are tattoos of Chinese characters in a calligraphic style. Chinese calligraphy is considered the most admired art among the visual arts in China. The fascination of this art form has spread around the world, and Chinese calligraphy tattoos have been in vogue and mainstream particularly in the Western world for the past few decades.
What Are the Five Types of Chinese Calligraphy?
There are five major styles of Chinese calligraphy: Seal Script (篆书 zhuàn shū), Clerical Script (隶书 lì shū), Cursive Script (草书 cǎo shū), Semi-Cursive Script (行书 xíng shū), and Standard Script (楷书 kǎi shū).
| Calligraphy Styles | Chinese Characters | Pinyin | Other English Translations |
| Seal Script | 篆书 | zhuàn shū | Zuan Shu, Zhuan Shu, Seal Script |
| Clerical Script | 隶书 | lì shū | Li Shu, Official Script, Clerical Script |
| Cursive Script | 草书 | cǎo shū | Tsao Shu, Cao Shu, Grass Script, Cursive Script |
| Semi-Cursive Script | 行书 | xíng shū | Hsin Shu, Hsing Shu, Semi-Cursive Script |
| Standard Script | 楷书 | kǎi shū | Kai Shu, Regular Script, Block Script, Standard Script |
Which script do you like the best?
29 Fantastic Chinese Calligraphy Tattoos That Will Definitely Inspire You
Chinese culture, history, and folklore have been an inspiration for people around the world to get their different parts of the body inked.
Before diving into more mythical designs such as dragon, phoenix, snake, and others, it’s a good idea to look into simpler examples of tattoos such as Chinese calligraphy tattoos. Finally, you can immerse yourself into the list of the most popular Chinese tattoo translation ideas we found on Pinterest and other sources and come up with an idea of your own that will flatter you greatly.
Single Chinese Character Tattoos
Two-Character Chinese Tattoos
Chinese Proverb Tattoos
Chinese Tattoo Translation Services by Chinese Copywriter
Chinese character tattoos have gone viral around the world. The only problem, however, is that these characters are often gotten wrong.
That’s why it’s super important to get someone who knows the meanings behind the symbols to translate them before tattooing them permanently onto your body.
That’s what we are good at. Send us an inquiry about your Chinese tattoo translation needs, and we’ll get back to you soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does tattoo mean in Chinese?
Tattoo means 纹身 wénshēn, puncturing the body.
What are the three major types of Chinese art?
The three major types of Chinese art are:
1. Chinese Calligraphy
2. Chinese Painting
3. Chinese Poetry
What is the most famous symbol in Chinese culture?
The dragon is the most famous symbol in Chinese culture. It symbolizes auspicious powers, strength, and good luck.
Chinese Copywriter Team consists of talented linguists, project managers, localization engineers, and SEO experts. Since 2012, we have been providing translation, localization, and marketing services for various international businesses targeting the Chinese markets as well as Chinese businesses expanding their global reach.