feminine tattoo image

facebook like image               

Kanji Tattoo Designs

 

Kanji Tattoo Designs image

The first inhabitants of what is now Japan, arrived at approximately 35,000 B.C., but it took another 34,950 years before they developed a written language and kanji tattoos.

The foundation for that language is the Chinese symbol called Kanji, or hans characters. Today's kanji tattoo designs are based on those characters.

First seen on cargo crates sent from Chinese merchants, the Japanese started to transform these early ideographic characters into the first component of their written, and spoken language, and the earliest kanji tattoo styles were born.

The other two parts, katakana and hiragana, are phonic, meaning the way we connect sounds with characters. Hiragana is a phonic system used to supplement kanji, but can also be used as a replacement, making Japanese a lot easier to read and understand.

 Find Thousands of Awesome Tattoo Designs Here

 If you want a complete sentence or a phrase tattooed on you in Japanese kanji,the relatively simple and curvy characters of hiragana will most likely be added to the tattoo, instead of a host of individual characters that could stretch from your head to toe and back again.

kanji tattoo designs picture 1

Katakana is also a phonic system and is primarily used for foreign names and places that are not Japanese. If you want yours, or someone else's name tattooed in Japanese, it should be written in katakana.

This is a brief overview of a very complex language and isn't intended to confuse, but rather remind, as to how easy it is to permanently screw up Japanese or kanji tattoos for women.

With up to 100,000 symbols, and each having up to ten different meanings, depending on placement and context, the subtle nuances of every flick of the pen, could spell disaster, instead of mom.

Rather than digging any deeper into understanding the semantics of Japanese, and kanji, I think it's best to turn the focus to all of the potentials pitfalls that you need to avoid, when choosing kanji tattoo designs.

There are quite a few, but in the end, they trace back to not having a full knowledge of what you have chosen.

kanji tattoo design picture

Kanji should not be used for a name unless your name is Tree or something like that; at best it will translate into nonsense, and at its worst, we can only imagine.

One of the most common mistakes is totally choosing the wrong kanji character. If you're not sure what the symbol means and your artist only thinks he is sure; chances are you are both wrong.

Another common mistake made when selecting a kanji style design, is when the intended meaning is clear, but it is written sloppily. It's kind of like how your Japanese would look, and sound, after completing Japanese 101.

If you accidently, or unknowing, invert a kanji charector, they still look great, but sngised oottat ijnak doesn't translate well. This one is self explanatory, but it does happen.

But, the most common mistake, besides totally blowing the meaning, is little missing strokes that need to be there, or added strokes that do not, transforming your sexy Hot Momma kanji tattoo design, into the less desirable translation, Sweaty Bearer of Children.

All the complexity of the Japanese language aside, choosing a kanji tattoo is simple; find someone who understands Japanese, preferably someone Japanese, and ask them to help you out, keeping in mind that stupid knows no boundaries; find someone qualified.

kanji tattoo styles picture

Have them either review the image that you like, or design one for you. But when it all comes down to it, the choice is up to you; if you see something you like and it looks good on you, use it.

What are the odds that you will be spending a lot of time in Japan, or moving to China Town anytime soon, or, becoming famous like Britney Spears and have you Kanji tattoo design properly translated, in the press, from the intended meaning mysterious to the proper strange.

 

I hope this was of some help and thanks for visiting feminine tattoo designs at Angel Heart Tattoo and view "Kanji Tattoo Designs". Be sure to visit lower back tattoo design next or "How to Find Tattoo Designs".

Bookmark & Share

Return To Top of page - Kanji Tattoo Designs