Chinese Tattoos + Their Meanings ⭐️ Ultimate Celebrity Edition

Ever been walking home drunk at 2 in the morning and had that light bulb go off in your head thinking “I should get a tattoo”?

Yeah me neither but let’s say hypothetically you find yourself in this situation.

Well naturally, as you start flicking through the binder of tattoo ideas, you’re sure to come across some cool designs of Chinese tattoos.

You’ll have the classic Chinese dragon tattoo, the lotus tattoo, the Chinese symbol of love and maybe some other Chinese tattoo quotes.

Top Chinese Tattoos Tip: By this point, you’ve decided to get a Chinese tattoo. However, you’ve sobered up enough to start thinking you might want to be sure of any incorrect translations before you go ink to skin.

Well, fear not because your favourite celebs are here to lend a helping hand. We’ve put together a list of the top 10 celebrities ranked by social media following with Chinese tattoos and meaning.

Chinese Tattoos – Justin Bieber

Chinese Tattoos – Niki Minaj

Chinese Tattoos – Justin Timberlake

Chinese Tattoos – David Beckham

Chinese Tattoos – Britney Spears

Chinese Tattoos – Chris Evans

Chinese Tattoos – Angelina Jolie

Chinese Tattoos – Mike Tyson

Chinese Tattoos – Megan Fox

Chinese Tattoos – Julia Roberts

1. Justin Bieber Chinese Tattoo 曲 (qǔ) Music

162 M (Instagram)

It’s hard to beat Justin Bieber in this list we’ve put together.

DID YOU KNOW – He has a whopping 162 million followers on Instagram.

The Canadian pop star has 曲(qǔ) meaning music in traditional Chinese characters.

2. Nicki Minaj Chinese Tattoo 上帝与你常在 (Shàngdì yǔ nǐ cháng zài) – May God Always Be With You

129 M (Instagram)

Rapper Nicki Minaj has 上帝与你常在 (Shàngdì yǔ nǐ cháng zài) ‘may god always be with you’.

For a version that translates better, we recommend 上帝与你同在 (Shàngdì yǔ nǐ tóng zài) ‘God is with you’.

DID YOU KNOW – Nicki’s nickname with Chinese characters is 麻辣鸡 málàjī. This translates exactly to Spicy Chicken!

Really, it’s a thing in China!

Looking for tattoo inspiration? We’ve put together to the ultimate list of Chinese tattoo ideas.

3. Justin Timberlake Chinese Tattoo 曲 (qǔ) Music

60 M (Instagram)

Justin Timberlake and Bieber both have 曲(qǔ) meaning ‘music’ in traditional Chinese.

If you want ‘music’ tattooed in modern mandarin go with 音乐 (Yīnyuè).

TOP TIP – Looking for tattoos for men? This seems to be the one to go for (according to Bieber and JT anyway)!

4. David Beckham Chinese Tattoo 生死在命,富贵在天 (Shēngsǐ zài mìng), (Fùguì zài tiān) Death And Life Have Determined Appointments; Riches And Honours Depend Upon Heaven

65 M (Instagram)

Look no further than the man himself, football star and former Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy player David Beckham.

Beckham has in traditional Chinese characters 生死在命 (Shēngsǐ zài mìng) ‘life and death in destiny’ 富贵在天 (Fùguì zài tiān) ‘Rich in the sky’.

It’s actually a proverb, meaning…

‘Death and life have determined appointments; Riches and honours depend upon heaven’.

5. Britney Spears Chinese Tattoo 奇 (qí) Special/ Magic

27 M (Instagram)

TIP TIP – Looking for tattoos for women?

Singer Britney Spears has a cool Chinese tattoo of a flower and in it 奇 (qí) which as a stand-alone character has no meaning.

We think she might have been going for 特别 (Tèbié) ‘special’ or 魔法 (Mófǎ) ‘magic’.

6. Chris Evans Chinese Tattoo 氏 (shì) – Husbands Family Name

14 M (Twitter)

Captain America, I mean Chris Evans had what he believed to be ‘family’ tattooed on his right bicep.

Unfortunately, 氏 (shì) is the character used after a husband’s family name to address a married woman.

TOP TIP – If you want ‘family’ in the correct Chinese characters go with 家庭 (Jiātíng).

7. Angelina Jolie Chinese Tattoo 死 (sǐ) ‘Death’

1.3 M (Instagram)

Tomb Raider and actress Angelina Jolie has a bit of a dark Chinese character 死 (sǐ) meaning ‘death’.

You read that right! Death!

She also rocks the Chinese dragon tattoo on her left arm.

DID YOU KNOW – The number 4 in Chinese is unlucky because the pinyin for the number 4 is the same as death in Chinese.

So avoid getting the number 4 tattooed in Chinese!

8. Mike Tyson Chinese Tattoo – Chairman Mao’s Portrait And Name

14.5 M (Instagram)

Any Mao fans out there?

Take a page out of Mike Tyson’s playbook.

Mike Tyson is obviously a big fan of Chairman Mao and decided to ink his portrait and name on his right arm.

Apparently, Mike is a collector of Mao’s writings.

In 2006 he visited the remains of Mao Zedong to pay his respects. He told Beijing news:

“I felt really insignificant next to the remains of Chairman Mao” – Mike Tyson

9. Megan Fox Chinese Tattoo 力 (lì) Force

10 M (Instagram)

Transformers star Megan Fox inked herself with 力 (Lì) which means force in traditional Chinese.

This symbol is derived from ancient Chinese.

The left section symbolises a farmer while the right section is his hoe.

As farmers from that time would typically strike the ground with force to help cultivate their crops.

Can you see the farmer and his hoe in the symbol? 力

Another suggestion using modern Chinese characters could be 给力 (ɡěi lì) ‘awesome’.

10. Julia Roberts Chinese Tattoo 为 (wéi) – Stand For

9M (Instagram)

American actress and producer Julia Roberts made famous for her role in Pretty Woman, has 为 (wéi) ‘stand for’ inked on her back.

Julia was once married to Kiefer Sutherland the star of the hit drama series 24.

Both got Chinese tattoos together. Kiefer has the same symbol 力 (Lì) as Megan Fox.

Perhaps Julia threw him out after she found out he had matching tattoos with Megan?

CHECK OUT – These celebrities and their tattoos on our Instagram page.

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Chinese Tattoo Ideas

We’ve all heard the story.

Guy showing off his tattoo saying this is a ‘love in Chinese tattoo’ only to have a Chinese person tell them it actually means fried rice.

Just ask Chris Evans (above), I’m sure he would have a word of caution on getting the correct Chinese tattoo translation.

Let’s make sure you’re getting the correct charachters with this list of Chinese tattoo ideas.

Chinese Back Tattoos

Love in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 爱
Traditional Chinese – 愛

Pinyin: ài

Peace in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 和平
Traditional Chinese – 和平

Pinyin: hé píng

Chinese Arm Tattoos

Happiness in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 幸福
Traditional Chinese – 幸福

Pinyin: xìng fú

Life in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 生活
Traditional Chinese – 生活

Pinyin: shēng huó

Chinese Neck Tattoos

Loyalty in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 忠诚
Traditional Chinese – 忠誠

Pinyin: zhōng chéng

Family in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 家庭
Traditional Chinese – 家庭

Pinyin: jiā tíng

Chinese Wrist Tattoos

Joy in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 喜悦
Traditional Chinese – 喜悅

Pinyin: xǐ yuè

Wisdom in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 智慧
Traditional Chinese – 智慧

Pinyin: zhì huì

Chinese Leg Tattoos

Courage in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 勇气
Traditional Chinese – 勇氣

Pinyin: yǒng qì

Friendship in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 友谊
Traditional Chinese – 友誼

Pinyin: yǒu yì

Chinese Rib Tattoos

Fate in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 命运
Traditional Chinese – 命運

Pinyin: mìng yùn

Faith in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 信仰
Traditional Chinese – 信仰

Pinyin: xìn yǎng

Chinese Ankle Tattoos

Hope in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 希望
Traditional Chinese – 希望

Pinyin: xī wàng

Patience in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 耐心
Traditional Chinese – 耐心

Pinyin: nài xīn

Chinese Shoulder Tattoos

Strength in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 力量
Traditional Chinese – 力量

Pinyin: quán lì

Beauty in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 美
Traditional Chinese – 美

Pinyin: měi

Chinese Chest Tattoo

Grace in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 优雅
Traditional Chinese – 優雅

Pinyin: yōu yǎ

Beautiful in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 美的
Traditional Chinese – 美的

Pinyin: měi lì

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Chinese Foot Tattoos

Brother in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 哥哥
Traditional Chinese – 哥哥

Pinyin: gē ge

Mom in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 妈妈
Traditional Chinese – 媽媽

Pinyin: mā mā

Sister in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 妹妹
Traditional Chinese – 妹妹

Pinyin: mèi mèi

Dad in Chinese tattoo

Simplified Chinese – 爸爸
Traditional Chinese – 爸爸

Pinyin: bà ba

Chinese Tattoos – FAQ’s

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