Japanese Kanji Tattoos

Japanese Kanji Tattoos

Kanji This is the alphabet which we commonly think of when looking for Japanese Kanji Tattoos. A Kanji, is typically a symbol for something either a whole object or an entire meaning. In some cases Kanji cannot always be read directly as a symbol and sometimes has to be combined with other Kanji to make a sentence.

Hiragana This is the second alphabet commonly used for Japanese. A Hiragana symbol represents a sound, much like the English alphabet. So for example, the word mountain may be 4 hiragana symbols, however it may be only 1 Kanji symbol. Basically, you can join Hiragana characters to make a word.

Katakana This is a similar alphabet to Hiragana. It has the same sounds as Hiragana but has different symbols. This alphabet is used for foreign words that were not originally part of the Japanese language. Typically western style names are written in katakana.

T he most important part of the process is choosing the right symbol or phrase. Kanji symbols are ideographic characters, which means each Kanji symbol commonly represents an ENTIRE object, idea or meaning. With Kanji style characters, it is very easy to create and express any meaning you desire!

You will see many tattoo shops offering Japanese Kanji tattoos, unfortunately many of these characters have been altered and are written incorrectly. Unless you have a native Japanese person with you on your visit to the