# Any idea of tatoo symbols? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 19, 2007, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374 "2007-07-19T13:20:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/21 "2007-10-05T18:05:57Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] To me, it seems an interesting ethical question. If you find that another person’s tattoo doesn’t mean what she thinks it means, should you tell her? If she believes it says, “Wealth and happiness will befall me eventually,” but it really means, “I bake the worst cookies in all of Shanghai,” will it make her a better person to know the truth? What should the mindful person do? 😕 [/QUOTE] Based on past threads we would make fun of them in the pit. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/22 "2007-10-05T18:12:09Z")
[QUOTE=Dinsdale] I know nothing about Chinese, but if anything, these symbols strike me as poor penmanship if nothing else. [/QUOTE] I have no earthly idea why, but I can’t stop laughing at this. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/23 "2007-10-05T18:13:11Z")
[QUOTE=Dante] Point and laugh. /Dante, owner of a misspelled Kanji tattoo. [/QUOTE] Proper forum for this: [Hanzi Smatter](http://www.hanzismatter.com/). ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/24 "2007-10-05T19:08:57Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Kayak? Only basing that on the green lines. I love ambigrams, but this one isn’t very good, honestly. There’s too much going on in what should be negative space and not enough going on where the letters should be. [/QUOTE] As way of explanation, I have had the artist change this several times to make it _less_ obvious. My tattoos are for me, and there is something I find cool in having decipherable stuff going on. Some of my stuff is obvious, like [this](http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/?action=view¤t=yak.jpg). I cannot get the entire band in a single pic, but it says kayakayak as a band. In this one, I have lettering hidden in the fence [posts/rails.](http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/?action=view¤t=fence.jpg) Looks better in person, though. Hey **Dinsdale** : sorry for the hijack. Tell me to and I’ll go away! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/25 "2007-10-05T19:18:07Z")
I have a large tattoo of a knife running the length of my forearm with a banner on it with the word “word.” When people ask me why in the world I would get the word “word” tattooed on me, I usually tell them it was supposed to say “sword” but he left the “s” off. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/26 "2007-10-05T19:58:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Hey **Dinsdale** : sorry for the hijack. Tell me to and I’ll go away! 😉 Be serious. Hey, do I note somewhat of a theme amongst your body art? Did you know there are boats that are called that? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/27 "2007-10-05T20:12:15Z")
[QUOTE=Dinsdale] What, are you a big Dan Brown fan now? 😉 [/QUOTE] I don’t know who is most deserving of a Pitting, **vetbridge** for wanting that tattoo, you for making that joke, or me for getting it. Probably me, since I couldn’t make **vetbridge** ’s sketch read “Illuminati.” ☹ But I couldn’t make it read “kayak,” either. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/28 "2007-10-05T21:32:51Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] As way of explanation, I have had the artist change this several times to make it _less_ obvious. My tattoos are for me, and there is something I find cool in having decipherable stuff going on. [/QUOTE] Well, hey, then it’s perfect! And if you love it, I love it! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/29 "2007-10-06T09:00:02Z")
I still hate it though. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/30 "2007-10-06T13:03:52Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] I don’t know who is most deserving of a Pitting, **vetbridge** for wanting that tattoo, you for making that joke, or me for getting it. Probably me, since I couldn’t make **vetbridge** ’s sketch read “Illuminati.” ☹ But I couldn’t make it read “kayak,” either. [/QUOTE] Anyone see the hidden message in this [tattoo?](http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/?action=view¤t=rolex.jpg) It is a fairly old piece that is the worse for wear, due to vitiligo causing some pigment loss. I have had people look at it, see the “hidden” message, then erupt with laughter. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/31 "2007-10-06T13:08:04Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Anyone see the hidden message in this [tattoo?](http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/vetbridge/?action=view¤t=rolex.jpg) [/QUOTE] Duuuuuuude. That’s, like, cool and stuff…wait, what was I saying? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/32 "2007-10-06T13:35:41Z")
^^bingo! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374/33 "2007-10-06T14:39:29Z")
I know the OP already got the Straight Dope from the girl, but from the initial description I was reminded of the tattoos for vampire “trusties” from Blade. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-of-tatoo-symbols/412374.md?page=1)