Tattoos That Can Be Misread: What to Check Before You Commit

Short answer: A tattoo means what other people read into it as well as what you intend. Some symbols have completely different meanings in different countries, some numbers and small designs are known gang or hate codes, and some placements turn a design into something else when you move. Before you commit, search the symbol together with words like “meaning” and “hate symbol”, ask someone from the culture it comes from, and look at the stencil from other people’s point of view. The most important example for travellers in Vietnam is the Buddhist swastika.

Symbols that change meaning across borders

• The swastika (卍). You’ll see it on pagodas, statues and temple gates all over Vietnam, where it is called chữ Vạn and stands for good fortune and the Buddha’s heart. It’s thousands of years old and sacred in Buddhism and Hinduism. In Europe, the Americas and Australia, almost everyone will read it as the Nazi symbol, whichever way it faces. Displaying Nazi symbols is a crime in Germany and some other countries. If you want a Buddhist souvenir from your trip, a lotus, dharma wheel or Buddha image carries the meaning without that risk.
• The rainbow. In many places it’s now read first as the pride flag. Our rainbow tattoo guide covers its older meanings.
• Numbers. 8 is lucky in Chinese and Vietnamese culture, and “88” can mean double luck or a birthday. In Western countries, 88, 14 and 1488 are known white supremacist codes. A birth year or lucky number can be read in a way you never intended.

Designs linked to prison or gangs

Some small, simple tattoos are traditional prison or gang markers in certain countries:

• A teardrop under the eye, linked with prison time or violence in the US
• A spider web on the elbow, a classic prison tattoo. Our spider web guide explains it.
• Five dots on the hand, in a dice pattern, a prison tattoo in several countries
• In Vietnam, phrases like “Hận đời” (“hate life”), which older Vietnamese people strongly associate with the old giang hồ (street gang) image

You can still choose these designs, but know how they may be read. Our guide to visible tattoos in Vietnam explains why older people here still link some tattoos with gangs.

Words in a language you don’t read

A beautiful character or phrase can be wrong, meaningless or embarrassing to native speakers. Our guide to verifying kanji and hanzi and our guide to checking lettering accuracy explain how to check before it’s permanent.

Placements that change the picture

• Knees and elbows: skin folds and stretches, and round designs on kneecaps can look like something else entirely when you bend or stand.
• Hands and fingers: text on fingers reads differently from your side and from the other person’s side.
• Lettering in mirrors: a mistake in a reversed stencil can turn numbers or words into something else.

Our guide on how to check a stencil before approving it explains what to look for. Move, bend and stand in front of a mirror with the stencil on.

How to check before you commit

• Search the symbol with “meaning”, “hate symbol” and “gang tattoo”.
• Ask someone from the culture the symbol or language comes from.
• Think about where you’ll live and travel, not just where you are now.
• Show the design to a friend without explaining it, and ask what they see.

What to expect at GOAT Tattoo Studio

If you’re not sure how a symbol, number or word might be read, bring it to your consultation. Our artists will tell you honestly if a design is commonly misread here or abroad, and help you adjust it so it says what you mean.