Chinese characters are very attractive as they look cool and they still have a meaning on their own. They look very mysterious and deep that more and more non-Chinese are getting Chinese characters permanently inked on their skin. Another trait that drags us towards choosing Chinese characters as tattoos is the intricacy on how they look on your skin.

And their intricacy is the reason why some people sport wrongly made Chinese characters on their skin, printed forever (unless you are willing to shell out at least $1000 for removal). Here are some mistakes that you may want to note if you are planning to have a Chinese tattoo inked on you.

1. Not knowing what the symbol is for

Let’s face it, all Chinese characters look cool. So sometimes, we walk in a tattoo parlor and we are tempted to choose the “prettiest” looking symbol without knowing what it means. Read up on Chinese symbols to know their meanings before you choose one. It is a good idea to chose a meaningful symbol or set of symbols as a tattoo is a form of self expression and you want this art work to express a part of you to its audience.

2. Not consulting with a Chinese translator

Or, if you do not know a translator, then go to http://www.chinese-tools.com. Type in what you want and it will automatically translate things for you for free.

3. Not having the correct symbol tattooed

This is especially true if you get your tats made in the US. If the artist is not Chinese, he or she may feel to be at liberty to do some added strokes for additional beautification of your ink or he may try to edit out some strokes. If this happens, you will end up with the wrong symbol on you or worse, having a symbol that translates to something trashy and ugly. What you can do is prepare a stencil and have a Chinese translator check if the stencil is right before you give this to your artist. Then ask him or her to stick to the stencil strictly so your artist will know what you want.

4. Not starting with a Chinese tattoo temporary

It is best to have a Chinese tattoo temporary first so you can try a design out for a couple of weeks to see if you like how your future permanent tattoo will look and to see if you will be comfortable to place a soon to be permanent body art there. A Chinese tattoo temporary will be like your training wheels towards having a permanent one inked on your body forever. With this, you can see how the tattoo works with your outfit or work uniform if you do have one. You can also solicit information from your friends (which will most likely give out their advise on this as soon as they see your tats, even before you solicit for their advise) and family members if the tattoo suits you there or other areas would best house that tattoo.

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