There are several categories of people who get themselves a tattoo of Chinese characters. Some are fans of Asian culture. Others - because you can hide the meaning of the tattoo, unlike a normal drawing. Some people choose to draw their hearts and minds in the mystical meaning of the symbol. And the fourth just for the beauty.
In any case, there are many such people, both among men and women. If you are one of them, then this article is just for you. Here we will tell about the meaning of different hieroglyphs, translate them into Russian and show examples of ready-made tattoos on all parts of the body.
Traditional Chinese writing
Hanzi is a traditional Chinese script, officially used in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and even outside the country. There are about 47 thousand characters in this language, but not all of them are used. To write correctly you need to know about four thousand signs.
Many Chinese words are composed of several hieroglyphs, where one character means one syllable. In addition to the traditional Chinese script, there is a simplified script that was invented to improve literacy in the country. Hieroglyphs in simplified script have fewer dashes than in the traditional one and are used in China, Singapore and Malaysia.
Chinese characters are considered to be the most ancient compared to the others and are used in Chinese, as well as Korean and Japanese. Before 1945, this script was even used in Vietnam.
No one knows how many hieroglyphs there are (it is assumed that there are about 50,000), as their number and type are constantly changing.
Around the world about a thousand different characters are used every day. That's enough for about 93% of the printed material.
Hanzi
History of Origins
Scholars and historians still offer different versions of the origin of hieroglyphs. Most are inclined to believe that the first characters appeared as early as the Yin era. Chinese writing is unique and the people of China proudly report that hieroglyphs reflect the unity of heaven and man.
Writing evolved through the gradual civilization of society. Hieroglyph was the basis of a kind of Chinese art called calligraphy. Every creator wrote a character according to the clear requirements, but the thickness of the lines, the curls were unique. Hieroglyphs in China have always been valued as works of art, and wealthy families gathered entire collections of such pictures. The symbols were placed in frames, placed on tables, hung on walls. The teachings of feng shui reveal in detail what the pictures mean. Most often they are done in black.
Most of the words consist of several characters. And, in addition to the classic writing, there is also a simplified version, in which the symbols have much fewer elements.
Writing of hieroglyphs
The Chinese consider it normal to know two thousand hieroglyphs. The spelling of a character depends on its designation, for example, 一 is read as and, its meaning is one. The character with the most dashes is made up of three characters, 龍, translates to "dragon" and is pronounced "lun".
Chinese writing remains the same throughout the country and is independent of dialect. If you need to communicate something and you write a message on paper, a Chinese person from any province will understand you.
Keys in Chinese characters are called graphic components. Separately, they are simple signs and help to attribute a character to a particular subject. For example, the key 人 may have different meanings in different characters:
- On its own, it translates as "person."
- In 亾, it means death;
- In 亿, it takes on the meaning of "many," "one hundred million."
- In the character 仂 it is translated as "remainder";
- The character 仔 with this sign means "child".
Tattoos can also be elaborate, telling a story. So a client can imprint a little story on his body that is important to him. More often inscriptions in Chinese and Japanese are beaten, but there are also Korean and Vietnamese characters.
Many people tattoo as amulets, considering them part of the ancient culture of China and Japan. Such tattoos are not complicated for masters, as they are small in size (most often no bigger than the palm).
Often people choose simple characters that mean one word. Masters also do tattoos that denote a phrase. It is possible to tattoo both a proverb and your own phrase.
Chinese characters.
Most tattoos are printed in black paint, sometimes red or white is used. It happens that the hieroglyphs serve as a complement to a large tattoo - for example, a dragon.
What kind of Chinese-style tattoo should not be done?
Symbols for tattooing should be chosen, avoiding characters with meaning: decline 下降, disease 病, death 死亡. Also the depiction of numbers (especially 4!) and symbols of subjugation. Nor should you do a name tattoo in Chinese unless you have reliable information about what each graphic symbol means individually.
Chinese characters used for tattoos, with adherence to ancient traditions when applied, can add luck and prosperity to a person's life.
Article design: E.Chaikina
Examples of Hieroglyphs with translation
Tattoo parlors offer each client a standard set of hieroglyphs. Most often these symbols are used as tattoo talismans.
Happiness
The character for "happiness
According to the Chinese, happiness depends on the patronage of Heaven and the Gods. The tattoo is aimed at good luck, happiness and good fortune in any sphere.
Biggest happiness
The symbol of great happiness.
This tattoo is considered a very strong talisman. Many believe that it fulfills wishes. It is best to use it to attract happiness in the relationship with the other half.
Love
Sign of Love
Contributes to attracting happy love. Helps to make love mutual, attract a life partner and gives happiness and peace of mind.
Eternal Love
Hieroglyphic Eternal Love
Also used as a talisman, represents "love to the grave", mutual understanding, support, sincere and happy love. Keeps fiery love forever and maintains the feelings of two people.
Luck
Hieroglyph Good Luck.
A great idea for a tattoo mascot. Keeps good luck and multiplies it, gives luck.
Wealth
Hieroglyph of Wealth.
Helps to create the right atmosphere to attract wealth, prosperity in the right sphere. Provides both material and spiritual wealth. Brings money as well as luck and fortune. Good amulet.
Money
Hieroglyphic sign for money.
The most common version of the tattoo. Helps in attracting wealth and money. If this sign is placed indoors, it also attracts wealth. Similar to the hieroglyph of wealth, but attracts only money, prosperity and good luck in such matters.
Prosperity
Prosperity Character
Helps in matters of career advancement, regulates failures in life. It is used to attract luck to the right sphere of activity. It is considered not only a talisman, but also an amulet.
Abundance
Hieroglyph of Abundance.
Brings prosperity to the home of the bearer of the tattoo, both monetary and moral. This character is similar to the prosperity character and attracts luck to a certain area of activity.
This character is associated with the symbol of luck and prosperity.
Strengthens health and increases life expectancy. Considered a talisman and protects against death at a young age.
Power
Hieroglyph of Power
Increases physical and spiritual strength, strengthens moral fiber, and helps the wearer to cope with problems more effectively and quickly. Suitable for exemplary family man.
Joy
Hieroglyph Joy
Used to achieve inner harmony, attract and retain a good mood.
Health
Hieroglyph of health
Helps with health problems, restores physical and mental strength. Prolongs life and its quality.
Peace
Hieroglyph Peace
Means a great responsibility, power. May be used for a tattoo on some personal conviction.
Beauty
Beauty.
Is considered a talisman for attracting beauty, preserving external and internal attractiveness.
Hieroglyph of Courage
Makes the owner of the tattoo more courageous and brave, helps to cope with difficulties.
Independence
Character for independence.
Symbolizes freedom of action and desire to do things his own way. Helps to get rid of bad habits or activities.
Courage
Courage character.
Characterizes the bearer of the tattoo as a strong-willed man and helps to keep this quality.
Dream
Dream Hieroglyph
It symbolizes the sublimity, inspiration, contributes to the fulfillment of desires.
Fulfillment of Desires
Hieroglyph Wishing Fulfillment
Similarly to the previous character, this design is a more powerful amulet for wishing fulfillment.
Beautiful ancient Chinese pictures for tattoos
The inhabitants of the Celestial Empire are more willing to make themselves tattooed images than inscriptions. Popular among the Chinese are tattoos with animals, flowers, birds, mythological creatures and abstract symbols.
Each image symbolizes certain concepts:
- The phoenix is a symbol of strength of spirit and the desire to live.
- The dragon symbolizes power and might.
- The tiger represents dignity, power and cunning.
- The turtle and serpent symbolize thoughtful comprehension of truths.
- Lotus symbolizes purity and wisdom.
- Carp symbolizes wealth.
- Monkey symbolizes strength, courage, and good luck.
- Yin and yang - harmony.
Proverbs in Chinese
Often fans of Chinese or Japanese culture, trusting the horoscope, have their zodiac sign in the horoscope of China or Japan inscribed on their skin. The most common place for a tattoo remains the neck (sometimes the stomach or back). You can also get a tattoo on your arm, shoulder, behind your ear or on your ankle.
The Chinese and Japanese prefer as tattoos the characters translated into English, often having a bunch of mistakes. Europeans more often make do with tattoos with primitive meanings.
You may also choose to have a tattoo that means something proverbial or a word that has special meaning to you. Such a tattoo will become your personal talisman. The photo below shows characters for simple objects:
Chinese characters.
If you want a tattoo with several characters at once, choose a proverb or the right phrase. It can express your life credo, character and life goals. Besides, Chinese proverbs are very instructive and interesting. You can choose any of the proverbs in the photo below:
Chinese proverbs
Many celebrities get tattoos in the form of hieroglyphics, believing in their magical power or putting a special meaning. For example, Janet Deacon has several hieroglyphic tattoos around her neck.
Britney Spears has tattooed a hieroglyph that translates to "strange." The singer claims that she wanted to get a tattoo that translated "mystical," but did not get the desired result.
Another singer has, Melanie C.Another singer, Melanie C., also has a tattoo on her shoulder that reads "Girl Power". This phrase was the motto of the musical group Spise girls. Singer Pink has a tattoo that translates to "happiness."
On the neck and head
According to statistics, most often, tattoos of hieroglyphs are printed exactly on the neck. I think many people have met people with the symbol of the Chinese horoscope tattooed on this spot. On the head itself, such tattoos are rare. The only exception is the favorite place for women - behind the ear.
Also in fashion lately are tattoos on the face.
It is already possible to meet a character with an oriental symbol above the eyebrow or under the eye.
Keys in hieroglyphs
Some characters seem intuitive. Many of the images resemble the objects and things they depict. This is because hieroglyphs are derived from pictographs, which portray their meaning as accurately as possible with a drawing.
For example, the hieroglyph 日 refers to the sun and is used in all East Asian languages. Originally, its image was round, but over time it has changed slightly. Round-shaped characters are no longer used in writing due to its inconvenience.
Besides, a common hieroglyph in different scripts brought peoples closer together. This symbol is considered a key, it is used in characters such as:
- The symbol with a line on the bottom 旦 means dawn;
- The symbol with a line on the left 旧 means "ancient".
Another key厂 resembling the letter "g" also has different meanings in different words:
- The symbol with a scroll 厄 translates as "difficulty."
- The symbol with several sticks 历 means "calendar, history";
- The character with a cross 厈 means "cliff".
This is interesting: Beautiful tattoo inscriptions with translation on the hand, foot, wrist for girls and men + 150 PHOTO
Simple Chinese characters: the 12 easiest Chinese characters
Chinese is one of the most difficult languages, but if you choose the right method and understand the basics of Chinese characters, there's nothing difficult about it. Moreover, Chinese philologists assure that it will be much easier to memorize each next character than the previous one.
The Chinese assure that the logic of the characters is not complicated and memorizing the simplest of them will not be very difficult.
- 人 rén - person. To begin with, you must draw a line to the left, then to the right (it should be started from the middle of the previous line). Another rule that must be remembered is that all characters are written clearly from top to bottom.
Man
- 木 mù - tree.
Tree
- 日 rì - has two meanings - day and sun. This character used to be written differently - there was a dot in the center of the circle. Now it is not as obvious as before. If you look closely at the sign, you can see the disk of the sun with a halo around it. According to the rules, the left vertical is drawn first, then the upper and lower horizontal, and only after that the right vertical. All lines in this case are written from left to right.
Sun, day
- 月 yuè - the character has two meanings: moon and evening. It is a pictograph that represents the young moon's sickle.
Moon
- This character 山 shān means "mountain" and is somewhat similar to it. Deciphered as follows - there are three mountain peaks on the horizon. Initially you write the left short vertical line, which smoothly passes to the bottom horizontal line. Smoothly write the long middle line and the short end line. All lines are drawn only from top to bottom.
Mountain
- 口 kǒu. The sign has a dozen designations, but the most common are "entrance" and "mouth." It is spelled the same way as the character for "sun" only without the middle line.
Mouth, Entrance.
- 犬 quǎn - dog.
Dog
- 火 hǔo - denotes fire. It looks like a fire and its flames that go up. Draw in the following sequence: left and right "tongues of flame", then add the sign of a man.
Fire
- 女nǚ - woman. The Chinese see in this sign almost all parts of the lady's body - arms, legs, head and back. If you look closely, the sign is depicted using 3 lines.
Woman
- 门 mén - door. If you look at the traditional door sign, it looks like the front doors in regular old Chinese houses (something similar to saloons in cowboy movies).
Door
- 王 wáng; wàng is emperor, king, king, prince.
King
- 水 shuǐ - water.
Water
Where to tattoo
Tattoo in the form of hieroglyphs
Many people, when getting a tattoo of hieroglyphs, believe in their miraculous power. If you believe a tattoo can protect you from evil spirits or trouble, tattoo it in a prominent place. A tattoo on an exposed part of the body repels evil spirits or problems.
Often the neck is chosen as the place for the tattoo, but it is not necessary to impose it there. An excellent place will also be the hand or the collarbone area.
You can also get a tattoo on a closed area of the body - the back, side, lower abdomen, leg or ankle. Very beautiful look combinations of inscriptions with drawings of Chinese women, dragons, etc.
Tattoos can be done in 2D and 3D. The latter look quite spectacular, especially on the back or stomach.
Such tattoos are more popular among Europeans than among the Chinese or Japanese.
Tattoos in the form of hieroglyphs have always been popular and are unlikely to ever go out of fashion. Fans of Oriental culture often see mystical meaning in tattoos.
Before going to the salon, it is necessary to think carefully about the future tattoo, so as not to stuff on the body some ridiculousness. There are cases when a person trusts the master, expressing his preferences and completely ignorant of the hieroglyphs. But the master puts the wrong phrase or word that the client asks for, often insulting or humiliating.
On the back and spine
Since the back is a very large area, it would be foolish to score it with a single Japanese character. But they can be stuffed on the lower back, on the shoulder blade, or under the neck. Usually this is just the kind of tattoo option for girls.
Men, as in the case of the sternum, score a part of the body with a large-scale drawing that includes hieroglyphs. Or they get a tattoo with Japanese or Chinese symbols along the spine.
What you should not do
You should not choose a master who specializes in several types at once, not only on tattoos in the form of hieroglyphs. It is better to choose a tattooist who works in one direction, because he knows a lot more about hieroglyphs.
There is no need to do tattoos "on a gimmick" without putting much meaning into them. Eastern states do not recognize frivolous behavior. In addition, the characters may be very similar, and in a hurry it is easy to mix them up. When you notice a mistake, it will be too late, as tattoo removal is a difficult, long and unpleasant process.
You should also not get a tattoo if you can't stand the pain. Tattoos on the neck take a very long time to heal, much longer than on other places. In order not to harm yourself, it is necessary to follow all the recommendations of the tattoo master, observe hygiene.
It is not recommended to do tattoos for people with diabetes, skin diseases, and blood clotting disorders. Also before the procedure can not drink alcohol, because it thinners the blood, which can cause bleeding.
Preparing for the tattoo
To perform a tattoo of hieroglyphs, it is recommended to pick a master who specializes in the oriental style, so that the outlining of the symbols is accurate. Before applying the image, it is necessary to choose a sketch from the proposed options or order the master an individual drawing.
You can come with a photo of the desired tattoo.
In order not to reduce the tattoo, sometimes make a temporary version at the request of the client. If necessary, prior to the application, depilation is carried out. Do not take blood pressure medications or drink alcohol before the tattoo.
How to do a tattoo
Process of tattooing
Before getting a tattoo, it is necessary to provide the master with a sketch and determine the area of skin on which the tattoo will be placed. If there is no sketch, you can ask the master to draw it himself, as most of them are excellent artists. When the sketch is ready and the place of the future tattoo is chosen, starts the preparation for tattooing.
If necessary, the hair is removed from the skin, and gel or spray for anesthesia is applied. The skin is treated with antiseptic, and needles and paint caps are never reused. The master must work in sterile gloves. Then the drawing is transferred to the skin, using special paper or gel pen (for simple tattoos).
After a special machine in the skin pounded paint. A small needle pierces the skin very quickly and leaves a little of the compound inside.
The pain during tattooing is not strong, so many refuse anesthesia. During the procedure, some blood may protrude, which is the norm.
On the leg
Beat Chinese tattoos of characters on the thighs and calves like men. For these places it is better to use thicker lines and interesting fonts. Again, no one forbids to add a beautiful drawing.
But on the foot Japanese characters are found mainly in women. Neat thin lines, of which the character consists, decorate a woman's leg and give elegance. With a small tattoo, the ankle or ankle will look especially feminine.
Preparation and care
Remember that a tattoo is done for life, so think carefully before applying a particular design. If you put a certain meaning into the tattoo, then remember that over time, beliefs change.
For a tattoo it is better to choose the period from the end of autumn till the beginning of spring (when it is necessary to go in the closed clothes). It is better not to do a tattoo on a tanned skin and not to take sunbaths for some time.
During healing it is extremely undesirable to expose the drawing to sunlight. On the eve of tattooing you should not consume alcohol and medications that affect blood pressure.
The first two weeks are considered the healing time of the tattoo. During this period it is not allowed:
- Go to the sauna, solarium;
- Frequent exposure to the sun;
- Exfoliate or use harsh loofahs.
In the place of the tattoo clothing should not rub the skin. If irritation still occurs, you should contact the master. If you do not take any action, you can pick up an infection or get a skin disease.
Skin care after tattooing
After a tattoo, there is localized redness of the skin or there may be blood. It usually takes 2 weeks to heal after the procedure. During that time there is no need to traumatize the skin with excessive sunbathing (or solarium), mechanical or chemical influences. It is possible to treat the skin with a delicate cream with antiseptic properties.
Chinese characters for tattoos are symbols to improve destiny, not just pretty pictures
If there is pain and inflammation after the specified period, you need to see a doctor.
Interesting facts about the Chinese language
Chinese is one of the most difficult languages
It is estimated that Chinese is spoken by about 1.5 billion people, most of whom live in the PRC, Singapore and Taiwan. There are also many Chinese speakers in North America, Australia, Asia and Western Europe, and almost none in South America, Eastern Europe or Africa.
It is considered one of the oldest languages. Scientists have found samples of Chinese writing that date back to the fourteenth century A.D. Inscriptions for divination made on the bones of animals have been found.
Chinese has many dialects divided into 12 groups. The dialects of two different provinces can be so different that their inhabitants simply do not understand each other. Most differences in dialects are due to the sound of words, there are not many differences in spelling.
Putonghua - is the normative Chinese language used to communicate with people of different dialects and is based on the Beijing dialect. It is the official language of the PRC and is used in the media. Residents of Taiwan use the language "goyu" and Singapore uses "hua-yu". These languages are almost indistinguishable in their sound.
What's the best place to type?
If you want to protect yourself from negative influences, it is better to put a tattoo on the place, which most often is not hidden under the clothes. For example, you can decorate your hand with the image you like. Small tattoos look stylish on the back of the neck.
It is believed that the hieroglyphs, applied to these parts of the body, can protect the owner from trouble. A popular place for hieroglyphic tattoos is the upper back.
Men who regularly exercise prefer to decorate the chest, and women often apply drawings on the thighs.
