Chinese character tattoos or kanji tattoos are tattoos consisting of Chinese characters (hanzi or kanji). Even though they are based on the Chinese or Japanese writing systems, these tattoos are almost unheard of in China and Japan, and are instead a relatively recent phenomenon originating in Western countries which do not use these writing systems.
Many such tattoos are unreadable or nonsense in the original language, and the forms of the Chinese characters are also often mistaken. Furthermore, as most tattoo artists are unfamiliar with Asian writing systems, the characters are often copied directly from a printed source (as if someone had a tattoo in the Times New Roman font), or else are improvised by the artists and often result in illegible or childlike penmanship. The blog Hanzi Smatter gives many examples of the mistaken use of Chinese characters in tattoos. It is for this very reason that any individual wishing to get a tattoo featuring Chinese characters should carefully research their intended design.
Some tattoo artists have been caught writing foul or silly slogans on their clients, who are unaware of the actual meaning of the Chinese characters.[2] In the third episode of the erstwhile NBC sitcom Committed, the character Bowie is on the receiving end of one. Also, in the ninth episode of the third season of the TV drama Lost, it is revealed that Jack Shepard’s tattoo actually means “outsider”.
Chinese character (in addition to Japanese kana) tattoos are commonly found on mixed martial artists who are familiar with Asian martial arts. Chuck Liddell, a former UFC champion, tattooed his scalp to read Koei-Kan or “house of happiness and prosperity”[3], the style of karate he trained in. Georges St. Pierre, another former UFC champion as well as a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and karate, has the kanji word for “jujutsu” on his chest. Jeff Monson has the characters for “Hero” on his upper back.
