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I read about one once that was supposed to read "badass," which it technically did, but the translation was closer to "evil anus."

SilentMunch Report

Final score:

285points

POST

James016 3 years ago

Hahahahaha that's brilliant.

110points

Martha Meyer 3 years ago

Gosh, only someone who is monolingual could think that an expression like "badass" could be translatable one on one.

22points

Dynein 3 years ago

I mean, you don't even have to leave the European language tree for it to be not translatable! German "schlechter Arsch" doesn't have any cool connotations, it would just *literally* mean "bad ass" and get you confused smirks by Germans until they'd connect the dots and break out in laughter...

10points

Adam C 3 years ago

"evil a**s" sounds really badass

15points

littlesaresare 3 years ago

We censoring a**s now, BP? Really?

1point

Meami 3 years ago

Evil a**s - often the result of a large Taco Del Mar meal.

3points

Steven Cuzen 3 years ago

I got ex wife name tattood in thai. people ask me the meanig . I just say it means Stupi..lol

2points

SykesDaMan 3 years ago (edited)

I remember this line on the Sopranos, when one of the characters said "Not a bad ass" about a woman. Obviously, he was talking about her physical "attributes" and not her courage or something.

2points

Craig Reynolds 2 years ago

The natural progression is: badass, evil a**s, evil asshole...

0points

Susan Mercurio 3 years ago

Karma

0points

Skyler Sage Tang 3 years ago

邪恶屁眼?

0points

Riley Quinn 3 years ago (edited)

If he was a badass, he'd have gotten the tattoo in English. Stupid an*s.

0points

Ella Blackwood 3 years ago

OMG, it just keeps getting better!

0points

GoddessOdd 3 years ago

I saw an actress explaining how her tattoo was supposed to say "crazy love" but when she went to Japan, the ladies tittered and blushed and told her that it said "rough sex".

0points

Debrina Blackmoon 3 years ago (edited)

"What does mine say?!" "Dude!" "What does mine say?!" "Sweet!" Etc, etc.

0points

AzKhaleesi 3 years ago

Meh.... still works.

0points

H.L.Lewis 3 years ago

What you get after eating too many ghost peppers

0points

Jo Choto 3 years ago

Some things just don't translate well.

0points

Banana97286 3 years ago

I'm gonna have to get a tattoo like that...

0points

Reynard 3 years ago

Toxic masculinity goes wrong (as it usually does).

0points

Luka Verheijen 3 years ago

"I am Fodi"

0points

Andrei Marentette 3 years ago

Evil a**s is when you are too badass, that you start becoming an evil a**s

0points

Michelle C 3 years ago

That's close enough!

0points

Thundernight 3 years ago

Bahahahahhahahah!

0points

Daniel Atkins 3 years ago

I wonder if those who could read it thought he was warning them he has IBS.

0points

Deborah B 3 years ago

I think there would be a real temptation to give bad translations to culturally-appropriative tourists.

0points

Don Flynn 3 years ago

A literal bad ass... 🤣

0points

Beth Sito 3 years ago

Hahahahahhaha

0points

Bacony Cakes 3 years ago

oh don't you mean goats- *vaudeville hook steals me from the stage*

-1point

I speak Japanese. A guy had a massive Kanji tattoo on his arm. I asked him, “what did you ask them to put on you?” He said “oh, this? It means courage.”

Sir, that means breastmilk.

theskiingblonde Report

Final score:

246points

POST

Nagawa (Cofa) Kishiki 3 years ago

It does take courage to wear that.

141points

There’s no one single reason why hanzi and kanji on tattoo aficionados' bodies sometimes end up in failure. First, there’s the lack of research which may be time and effort-consuming, meaning that you have to consult the experts in Chinese/Japanese languages to really tell you the meaning of your chosen logogram.

Then, there’s an overconfidence in the tattoo artist, who may not know the language you want your tattoo inked in. It doesn’t mean you can put the blame on them—it’s not their job to work as language editors, but rather to give you a beautiful and precise work of ink you’ll likely carry for the rest of your life.

鸡蛋 meaning egg tattooed on the side of his face - didn’t help that the man was bald and it took all my willpower to not laugh in his face

i-nct Report

Final score:

208points

POST

Sue Hazlewood 3 years ago

Left with egg on his face, love it.

109points

Dude I worked with long time ago had "to the grave" on his arm.

Both of our managers came from China (one was Chinese, the other Vietnamese who grew up in China). When he asked the one what his tattoo said, she said "cheapskate!"

He was mortified and said "no, no, it means to the grave" and she said "yeah, when you die, you'll take all your belongings with you to the grave. You won't leave anything for anyone. You're cheap" he says "no, no, it means I take all my secrets to the grave!" She goes "that's not what your arms says"

He was soooo pissed.

suestrong315 Report

Final score:

176points

POST

Eseri Akullu 3 years ago

In my country this rich dude was buried with millions in this huge grave. He was buried in a rural area where his parents were from and the residents were basically very very poor. Needless to say, the grave was robbed

80points

It’s not me but my stepdad got a symbol on the back of his neck that he THOUGHT meant “warrior” or “strong” or something like that. Someone told him one day that it 100% says “spicy.”

BillyDomo Report

Final score:

164points

POST

Kat 3 years ago

Not THAT bad though...

89points

And third, a momentary impulse to get a tattoo without really thinking it through is most likely to blame. When your head is in the clouds and you really get fascinated with a particular character which, in your mind, looks amazing, sounds amazing and carries an amazing meaning, you don’t even think of the prospect of regret. This dawns on you after you leave the tattoo parlor, after someone who really knows the language starts cringing while making you regret the decision.

But no matter what kind of tattoo you’re getting, whether it’s hanzi, kanji, something impulsive, something you ink while drunk, or something you made while a teen in your friend’s garage, regret is a big part of being an owner of the tattoo. And while proud owners don’t have it, others, like the tattoo aficionados in this list, probably know the feeling when otherwise perfect inkwork suddenly turns sour.

One of my coworkers requested the character for “free” as in “freedom” which would be 自由, however because he just used translation apps, he ended up with 免 as in 免税 which means “tax free.” Its also on his hand and is always visible.

simaxiang Report

Final score:

161points

POST

Madison Feehan 3 years ago

Tell me he has another one that says "for services rendered."

73points

Saw 黄 on someone's neck. It means "yellow".

Asked her why she had 'yellow' tattooed on her and she started to explain its spiritual significance in Chinese culture but I had to interrupt and say "No, it really means yellow, like the color."

Felt kind of like a dick afterwards, to be honest, but at the moment i thought it was right to bring it up to her.

daishide Report

Final score:

158points

POST

pusheen buttercup 3 years ago

You did the right thing

72points

I used to work at a bar and a lady came in with 自転車 on her shoulder. I speak Japanese and asked her what it meant. She replied proudly “driven to be self motivated”. That word means bicycle in Japanese.

LordDessik Report

Final score:

155points

POST

Skara Brae 3 years ago

Well, someone riding a bicycle is driving a 'self-motivated' vehicle, so maybe the tattoo was intended to be allegorical.

78points

So in order to find out more about tattoo regrets and how to avoid them, Bored Panda reached out to Orsolya Molnár, a London-based professional tattoo artist who has been tattooing people since 2014. She specializes in delicate blackwork, dotwork, black & grey and linework tattoos, as well as florals, birds, animals and other naturalistic designs that fit the body.

“In my opinion, these days people are a lot more deliberate when it comes to getting a tattoo,” Orsolya said and added that they do more research and put more energy into coming up with an idea.

#10

Buddy from high school had the nickname "Beast". Got that tattooed in between his shoulder blades in some Asian looking characters. Home from college over the summer, playing sand volleyball, shirt off, random Asian girl asked him why he had "bread" tattooed there.

pdhot65ton Report

Final score:

154points

POST

James016 3 years ago

The answer would be: "Because I am essential"

85points

#11

I saw a manager demanding Karen b***hing out a cashier with “chicken” on her neck. I asked her about her cool tattoo and she said it means “hope.” Uh, nope - chicken. I just love whomever did this to her over-entitled self.

RosieCakeness Report

Final score:

153points

POST

Steve Wilson 3 years ago

“Chicken”? Are you sure it wasn’t “c**k”?😜

108points

#12

I can't read it but a girl i was seeing pointed out my ex girlfriend had a tattoo that read something like "demo text" on her shoulder.

suitology Report

Final score:

147points

POST

GoodWolf 3 years ago

Lorem ipsum

125points

Having said that, Orsolya confirmed that there will always be people who regret a tattoo for some reason or other. “Usually they regret it because they chose the wrong tattoo artist and don't like the outcome or because they got tattooed younger in the '90s or early 2000s and they no longer want to have those older ones. However, nowadays it is a lot easier to get old tattoos removed or covered up.”

“Another type of tattoo that people often regret is their significant other's name on their body—I've had to cover up quite a few of these on clients,” she recounted.

#13

At a bar with my buddy Steve-o (not the jackass one) and Steve-o is talkin to some guy about his neck tattoos. Guy was saying one meant power and the other meant strength, cause that's who he is (or some other bulls**t along those lines, I had a few pints at that point).

Chinese? fella a few seats down chuckles while putting down his beard. Looks up and says "That not Power Strength! That Kitchen Sink!"

Steve-o and I lost all of our spaghetti laughing, sides in orbit with a couple of strangers.

My cheeks hurt just remembering it.

DerrylliusKlyne Report

Final score:

146points

POST

Mark Trombley 3 years ago

I am having trouble with the "lost all of our spaghetti laughing, sides in orbit" part. Is this another typo or is this a common saying in some part of the world?

54points

#14

I knew someone that got the Chinese characters that were supposed to mean “sky”.

A Chinese friend of theirs pointed out it meant “ceiling”.

Lady_butt_hole Report

Final score:

135points

POST

Fey Magi 3 years ago

Oh yeah- in some language in Asia, we call ceiling 'sky' sorta- I can totally see how the character can be mixed up. SO yeah-

32points

#15

I speak and read mandarin and cantonese fluently, and one time I was in Boston with my family to visit family and we ended up at this seafood restaurant. When my family sat down there was another family there and one of those people being the dad. The dad was huge, like Arnold Schwarzenegger huge, and on his arm he had a massive tattoo saying “打飛機.” I’m pretty sure the guy used to be from the air force because he had a bunch of papers in his back pack and stuff because the restaurant served free meals to people that served in the army, so his tattoo translated from Mandarin to English which means “hit air plane,” it sounds sort of reasonable since he severed in the air force but the thing is if you were to translate this from cantonese to english, it would also mean “hit air plane” but it’s also slang for “to jack off”

Guest82O1 Report

Final score:

131points

POST

Maiun 3 years ago

Did you tell him????

37points

When asked what kind of tattoo design the professional artist would refuse to do on a client’s body, Orsolya said that all respectable tattoo artists would refuse any sort of hate symbols or signs. “I personally don't tattoo minors either. But unfortunately, as in any profession, there are always some who would do it,” she said.

“Otherwise, sometimes clients reach out and want a design in a very specific style that isn't what I do usually—I would most likely refuse them as well. It's always best to go to an artist that specializes in the style that you want.”

#16

A person from work had a fairly small Japanese tattoo that was supposed to read "Big Brains". (He'd just got his degree or something, so this was a celebration of that)

A Japanese co-workers started laughing and said it was more like "Big Head".

MisterMarcus Report

Final score:

118points

POST

Incitatus 3 years ago (edited)

Sounds like he had both!

46points

#17

There was a somewhat famous dude among the Chinatown dwellers where I lived awhile back. He was a big, buff white guy who would always hang out in Chinatown with shirts that had the sleeves ripped off. He was pointed out to me in roughly this manner, “Look at that guy. His name is Ben. Ben has a tattoo of his name in Chinese on his upper arm. Ben insisted on having the pinyin of his name tattooed instead of being given a proper Chinese name. Ben is proud of his tattoo. Ben likes to introduce himself to the Asian people in Chinatown by pointing to his tattoo.”

Ben in pinyin = “pen” (pronounced pe-hn, which does sound like an Asianfied “Ben”). “Pen” in Mandarin means stupid. Dude introduced himself as stupid for years. Afaik no one has ever told him. Everyone knows Ben though.

CabaiBurung Report

Final score:

117points

POST

Random Person 3 years ago (edited)

Well technically, 'Ben' should literally be translated to 'běn' in pinyin. 'Pen' doesn't mean stupid, 'bèn笨' does.

22points

#18

"As a matter of priority I declare, I am a wife beater"

Is what I saw on a man's arm.

(作为优先事项，我声明我是殴打妻子的人)

he thinks it's means something along the lines of "the best, strongest, manliest man is right here!"

The_WereArcticFox Report

Final score:

116points

POST

Allan Breum 3 years ago

That... kinda sounds like the tattoo artist did that on purpose.

96points

Before getting a tattoo, Orsolya reminds everyone to do their research to see that you like the work and style of the artist you want to go to. “Nowadays, it's very easy to find good tattoo artists on Instagram. Once you have the artist and you know what you want to get, reach out to them and tell them what you're thinking about. But be open to some changes if it makes the tattoo better.”

#19

I saw someone with a tattoo that said 下品 "inferior goods" once

But my favorite was a white person with a tattoo that said 白人 which means "white person"

roipoiboy Report

Final score:

108points

POST

Nagawa (Cofa) Kishiki 3 years ago

Those are japanese. One mean indecency and the other mean caucasian.

33points

#20

"马马"， which means "horse horse". 100% sure that guy wanted a "mama", but "妈"[mā］means "mom", while "马"[mă] means "horse", they sound similar, but with different tones

[deleted] Report

Final score:

107points

POST

Sky Render 3 years ago

At least that's easy enough to fix. Weird that character for "mom" appears to have the characters for woman and horse as its components, though...

15points

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#21

Shrimp Dumpling, huge tattoo on a jacked guy.

charlie_chapped_lips Report

Final score:

105points

POST

grotesqueer 3 years ago

Considering the stereotype of jacked/huge men having small penises, this is way funny! 😂

53points

“To me getting a tattoo should be a personal decision. Clients often seek out the opinions of others around them when it comes to the design and placement etc. and listen to their opinions over themselves or the artist.”

The professional tattoo artist added that clients should also be ready to listen to their artists “as we are the ones that know how to make a design fit the body and have it look good for decades to come. Sometimes this means that a tattoo should be bigger or should be in a different spot as the skin loses elasticity and can massively change how the tattoo looks over the years,” Orsolya concluded.

#22

I saw a picture once of a huge back piece that just said "vegetables".

discountErasmus Report

Final score:

95points

POST

Nagawa (Cofa) Kishiki 3 years ago

A vegan?

31points

#23

As a tattoo artist, I've seen many. I myself, can't read Kanji but I explain to my client that it's probably most likely not the word they want. Most clients realize that and for some reason still get it. Google can't possibly be right all the time, that's my stance on it.

Worst one I've seen though, one that was translated to picnic table.

xurism Report

Final score:

93points

POST

Madison Feehan 3 years ago

That's okay, just tattoo "Yogi Bear" on the other arm.

57points

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

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#24

I saw a girl with 水炎 tattooed which means 'Water' and 'Inflammation'.

She must have wanted 水火 which means 'Water' and 'Fire'.

炎, Inflammation is two 火 Fires, one on top of the other

pickmeuptomorrow Report

Final score:

93points

POST

grotesqueer 3 years ago

I love the explanation. It kinda makes me want to learn the language.

60points

#25

Japanese kanji "Friend Boat." They thought it read "friendship."

tropicofducks Report

Final score:

91points

POST

grotesqueer 3 years ago

Well, technically, it does. If I was them, I would probably be kinda excited about this accident. It simultaneously communicates what it was supposed to, but then it's also a pun.

35points

#26

Not me, but my father once met a woman who wanted to have “bad girl,” like as in “badass,” tattooed on her in Chinese.

The characters didn’t really mean that, though. It, uh, meant something more along the lines of a woman who would cheat on her husband and take advantage of men.

sigma-octantis Report

Final score:

88points

POST

Madison Feehan 3 years ago

It Said Succubus?

23points

#27

My friends mum had what she thought was her name on her chest, her friend at work asked why she had 'population of China' tatted on her

lottus4 Report

Final score:

87points

POST

Allan Breum 3 years ago

Maybe it was her "Body count" :P

23points

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See Also on Bored Panda

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#28

笨 as a tramp stamp. It literally means stupid.

used_npkin Report

Final score:

83points

POST

Madison Feehan 3 years ago

Well if you are voluntarily getting a tramp stamp then you're kinda...

45points

#29

I knew an English girl in Japan who had kanji for woman on her arm. It is also the sign for ladies toilets. Suddenly gets less sexy.

Zabawka25 Report

Final score:

78points

POST

Julie C Rose 3 years ago (edited)

*sigh* That’s because Japanese uses the same characters for both singular and plural, and because Japanese doesn’t distinguish between “woman” and “lady” unless you’re saying “lady” as in “rich/classy woman”. That’s not a mistake on their part; that’s you not being fluent enough.

30points

#30

I know a girl who had "壊疽" ("gangrene") tattooed on her side and it quickly became her nickname ([sic] name-call). Even her family began calling her that. She was a very mean person, simply put, and I can only guess the tattoo artist was getting back at her. This was about five years ago and nobody hears much from her nowadays.

cdngoneguy Report

Final score:

76points

POST

Zedrapazia 3 years ago

I don't understand this one. What does the tattoo mean?

2points

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#31

I read it somewhere a person made a tattoo in Chinese which said "something this guy copied from google" and another said "pervert".

amazingly-insane Report

Final score:

14points

POST

Madison Feehan 3 years ago

Sounds like that tattoo artist has a little sly passive aggressiveness.

6points

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

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#32

Not Chinese but Japanese saw a guy who had Ball (like a sphere) tattooed on his hand. I asked him what his tattoo said he told me his story about how his older brother had death tattooed on his hand, and he died two years ago. So he thought he should have live on his hand. I had to be the guy to tell him that it was not live but ball

LionTigerPolarbear Report

Final score:

14points

POST

Max 3 years ago

Ball is life, though

6points

#33

A coworker of mine has the character for 'water' on the back of her leg. She told me it meant 'harmony'.

bismarcke Report

Final score:

14points

POST

Julie C Rose 3 years ago

She probably meant that water symbolises harmony. The “water” character is one of the best-known ones.

9points

#34

We had an exchange student from Japan in the early 2000s. Like what seemed to be the height of those tatoos. We were at a new years eve party and some very drunk lady was showing off her new tatoo that supposedly said something along the lines of "peaceful spirit". The exchange student asked her why she had a tatoo that said bicycle.

hymntotourach Report

Final score:

13points

POST

WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago

My father called lazy people bicycles. "Because you have to get on their backs and kick them hard to get them moving."

8points

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#35

Someone close to me got a Chinese symbol tattooed on them years ago. One day, I was talking to a colleague/friend and I asked what the tattoo said. Instead of saying Courage (or something like that), it said “human”. Apparently it was missing one line or something that would of made it the correct word.

I never told him that his tattoo says Human

0rangePolarBear Report

Final score:

12points

POST

WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago

"that would of made it" means "that would have made it"

9points

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

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As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, I indulge in the joy of curating delightful content, from adorable pet photos to hilarious memes, all while nurturing my wanderlust and continuously seeking new adventures and interests—sometimes thrilling, sometimes daunting, but always exciting!

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What do you think ?

POST

Beth Sito 3 years ago

When I was younger, I got a tattoo on the back of my neck of a Chinese symbol... when people now ask what it means I tell them that it means that I am capable of making horrible mistakes. LOL

26points

Mystery Egg 3 years ago

Goes both ways; the terrible English in Asian countries is hilarious.

23points

Monday 3 years ago

I love terrible translations in general. There's something so entertaining about them.

18points

Joanna 3 years ago

I've seen bad T-shirts for sure, but the only bad English text tattoos I've ever seen were on native English-speakers.

3points

Aliquid 3 years ago

Terrible translations are everywhere, and they are all funny. I often am amused with poorly translated instructions that come with cheap products shipped from China. --- but tattoos... that's a whole different thing.

2points

Stannous Flouride 3 years ago

Yes, I think there's been more than a few of those posted here on BP.

1point

KokoMomo 3 years ago

Yeah, terrible English in Asian countries is hilarious, but I don't see them tattooed as much as the Chinese/Japanese characters.

1point

Rose the Cook 3 years ago

Funniest one I ever heard was "closed on Mondays". I have no idea what the person thought it meant but I doubt it was that.

12points

Honu 3 years ago (edited)

For me it was a young woman who had gotten the logo from an imported Chinese tea she liked. The English on the box was peace/serenity/happiness kind of feel-good stuff. The actual writing in the logo was "Good Quality. Low Price."

8points

Mike Loux 3 years ago

*wiggles eyebrows*

1point

Karin 3 years ago

Kind of like the song or movie, "Never on Sunday."

0points

Rod Egret 3 years ago

Never get a tattoo that you can't read yourself...

9points

Adam C 3 years ago

Where is all "Do your own research" before getting a tattoo in foreign language?

8points

Annamagelic 3 years ago

I think its exactly a "do your own research " problem. Why consult someone who actually knows what they are talking about, when you can find your own answer on a random sketchy website.

5points

Monday 3 years ago

I've heard a couple of these types of stories where the characters were wrong because the client wanted them to look cooler. Like they'd find the kanji for courage and decide it would look cooler with an extra line here or there, changing the meaning in the process.

6points

Donkey boi 3 years ago

Before I had mine I went to our local restaurant and had a chat with them. They explained that sometimes a character can have different meaning in different dialects and that adding another character can change the meaning entirely. I selected some characters that I liked the aesthetic of, they started laughing themselves silly! Finally they said it must be fate that I like them because it means 'Eats many dumplings' and I'd just orders 3 portions.

5points

Martha Meyer 3 years ago

I guess the lesson here is to ask a native speaker to give you the exact characters for the word you actually want, before having some random stuff tattoed on you by accident.

5points

Joanna 3 years ago

*a native speaker who has your best interests in mind

11points

Csaba Hegedűs 3 years ago

People doing research and looking into different options when buying an electronic device or shoe they will use for like three to five years, but when it comes to a tattoo that stays on you for life they go with whatever?

3points

Libstak 3 years ago

Had a chat with a tattoo artist at a pub one night who told me some guy wanted worlds greatest lover in Chinese. He didn't know any Chinese so he grabbed a menu from a chinesectakeway and tattooed dim Sim on him.

3points

Jo Browne 2 years ago

There was a young man who had a tattoo done and was supposed to mean champion. It actually translated to blocked drain

2points

Skyler Sage Tang 3 years ago

Chinese-Japanese here. Lemme list all the dumb tattoos I've seen during my time alive. 1. A girl had 'diabetes' tatted on her neck. Maybe she thought it meant 'sweet'? (Japanese) 2. Chicken fried rice (Chinese). 3. Toilet devil (Chinese). Maybe dude had a rough bout of diarrhoea. Who knows. 4. Whore. I don't know if this was a mistake. (Japanese) 5. A lot of anime stuff. 6. Shoyu ramen (Japanese). 7. Free (as in worth 0 dollars). Both Chinese and Japanese. 8. Fracture (Japanese & Chinese. Don't know when breaking your bones became popular) 9. Diabetic father (Chinese). I guess girl wanted a sugar daddy. That's pretty much all I can think about right now. I'll comment if I remember some more whacky tattoos.

1point

Queen Jackson. 3 years ago

I’m gonna get thick eyeballs on my hip!

1point

Dave P 3 years ago

never get a tattoo in a language you dont understand until you pay for a professional translation service to ensure you get what you actually want.

1point

Pamda Panda 3 years ago

I saw a woman who had "beef" (牛肉) tattooed on her arm.

1point

Ray Heap 3 years ago

Pointed out to a rather big guy, you know the type, no neck, knuckles dragging, thick as two short planks. That he may have thought his back tat said „Blood and honour“ in German but „Blute und Ähre“ actually means „bleed and ear, as in ear of wheat.

1point

Joanna 3 years ago

I can read and speak Japanese. One of my college classmates had "accident" tattooed on her wrist. When I told her, she argued with me (despite having no knowledge of Japanese). Anyway, she ended up doing a lot better in life, so I guess the joke's on me.

1point

Nicholas Yu 2 years ago

People who get these tattoos want a conversation starter and want to be different. I just see them as clowns. Do your research before getting inked.

0points

Tobias the Tiger 2 years ago

I remember buying this t-shirt with no idea as to what the kanji said, but had some beliefs that it could either be something meaningful like "Courage and strength", something straightforward like "Tiger and flowers", or just something like "Turkey sandwich". Turns out it means "uncivilized", haha! IMG_202111...ae9f1a.jpg

0points

LSR 3 years ago

Basically the description of any of the million hipster imbeciles who go "oh I am sooo rad and badass because I have a f*****g tattoo in a language I have no idea about".

0points

Jackie Wacky 3 years ago

It’s also popular to have your name in Arabic made up as a necklace, because the characters are pretty. I once saw a lady wearing a necklace that said... er... See You Next Tuesday, if you get my meaning. Certainly extremely rude of the craftsman who make that for her,.

0points

Susi Moffitt 3 years ago

I'm in my 60's and have many surgical scars. I've never felt I needed a tattoo -- especially after reading stuff like this, lol

0points

KokoMomo 3 years ago

There was a guy named Burton who said he got his name tattooed in Japanese. It said 馬豚. Yeah, MAYBE it could be read as "Burton" (pronounced as "Bah-tone"), but the Kanji stands for "HORSE-PIG" lol

0points

Caroline Pichette 3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Jo Choto 3 years ago

I will never understand why you would get a tattoo in a language you don't understand from a culture you don't know. I'm sure a lot of these tattoo artists are making a cruel point.

0points

Mike Loux 3 years ago

The one I always heard (and it's probably an urban legend) was about a pretty young lady who got a tattoo done on her arm of Chinese characters she saw on a menu and thought they looked cool. OK, so, right away, not too bright. And the next time she was in the same restaurant, the owner saw the tattoo and started laughing. Afterwards, he explained to her that her tattoo read: "This dish is cheap but extremely tasty." Wa-Hey!

0points

BoopBoop 3 years ago

Hanzi Smatter has been collecting these for decades, and as they say, "why would you get a tattoo in a language that you obviously do not speak or understand?"

0points

Ivana 3 years ago

SIL is Greek but she doesn't speak it. She got "love" and "family" tattooed on her wrists in Greek and when her dad saw it and he starts going off about it. For one, he hates tattoos and thinks they are stupid, but he asked her why she had tattooed "Love of God" on her wrist since she is atheist. She said she double checked a million times and it was Greek for 'love' and her dad goes, "Yea, the love of god." She was so upset about it.

0points

Tess Unkn 3 years ago

I'm really curious what the Greek word is because I'm Greek and I've spent the last 5 minutes trying to figure it out. I think it might be "λατρεία" which roughly translates to "worshipping" , though we also sometimes use it for people we are extremely close with and we love and admire a lot, like a lover, partner etc.

0points

Nikki Sevven 3 years ago

I don't understand the reasoning behind a white person getting a tattoo in an Asian language. Or any language they can't speak, read, and write.

0points

Karin 3 years ago

Why anyone would want a tattoo in a language they don't speak and can't read is beyond me. Morons deserve it.

0points

Susan Trevaskis-Owen 3 years ago

And the lesson here is "Don't get tattoos in a language you cannot read."

0points

Ray Martin 3 years ago

I'm admittedly biased because I loathe all tattoos, but while I'm sure many of you will be outraged at that, can we all agree that cultural appropriation is not just ignorant, it's stupid?

0points

Demi Zwaan 3 years ago

Cultural appropriation? Haha. Why, language is to be exclusively used by people from the original country? Ik hoop dat je Nederlands kan lezen, want ik mag dan geen Engels meer gebruiken...

5points

POST

Beth Sito 3 years ago

When I was younger, I got a tattoo on the back of my neck of a Chinese symbol... when people now ask what it means I tell them that it means that I am capable of making horrible mistakes. LOL

26points

Mystery Egg 3 years ago

Goes both ways; the terrible English in Asian countries is hilarious.

23points

Monday 3 years ago

I love terrible translations in general. There's something so entertaining about them.

18points

Joanna 3 years ago

I've seen bad T-shirts for sure, but the only bad English text tattoos I've ever seen were on native English-speakers.

3points

Aliquid 3 years ago

2points

Stannous Flouride 3 years ago

Yes, I think there's been more than a few of those posted here on BP.

1point

KokoMomo 3 years ago

Yeah, terrible English in Asian countries is hilarious, but I don't see them tattooed as much as the Chinese/Japanese characters.

1point

Rose the Cook 3 years ago

Funniest one I ever heard was "closed on Mondays". I have no idea what the person thought it meant but I doubt it was that.

12points

Honu 3 years ago (edited)

8points

Mike Loux 3 years ago

*wiggles eyebrows*

1point

Karin 3 years ago

Kind of like the song or movie, "Never on Sunday."

0points

Rod Egret 3 years ago

Never get a tattoo that you can't read yourself...

9points

Adam C 3 years ago

Where is all "Do your own research" before getting a tattoo in foreign language?

8points

Annamagelic 3 years ago

I think its exactly a "do your own research " problem. Why consult someone who actually knows what they are talking about, when you can find your own answer on a random sketchy website.

5points

Monday 3 years ago

6points

Donkey boi 3 years ago

5points

Martha Meyer 3 years ago

I guess the lesson here is to ask a native speaker to give you the exact characters for the word you actually want, before having some random stuff tattoed on you by accident.

5points

Joanna 3 years ago

*a native speaker who has your best interests in mind

11points

Csaba Hegedűs 3 years ago

3points

Libstak 3 years ago

3points

Jo Browne 2 years ago

There was a young man who had a tattoo done and was supposed to mean champion. It actually translated to blocked drain

2points

Skyler Sage Tang 3 years ago

1point

Queen Jackson. 3 years ago

I’m gonna get thick eyeballs on my hip!

1point

Dave P 3 years ago

never get a tattoo in a language you dont understand until you pay for a professional translation service to ensure you get what you actually want.

1point

Pamda Panda 3 years ago

I saw a woman who had "beef" (牛肉) tattooed on her arm.

1point

Ray Heap 3 years ago

1point

Joanna 3 years ago

1point

Nicholas Yu 2 years ago

People who get these tattoos want a conversation starter and want to be different. I just see them as clowns. Do your research before getting inked.

0points

Tobias the Tiger 2 years ago

0points

LSR 3 years ago

Basically the description of any of the million hipster imbeciles who go "oh I am sooo rad and badass because I have a f*****g tattoo in a language I have no idea about".

0points

Jackie Wacky 3 years ago

0points

Susi Moffitt 3 years ago

I'm in my 60's and have many surgical scars. I've never felt I needed a tattoo -- especially after reading stuff like this, lol

0points

KokoMomo 3 years ago

0points

Caroline Pichette 3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Jo Choto 3 years ago

I will never understand why you would get a tattoo in a language you don't understand from a culture you don't know. I'm sure a lot of these tattoo artists are making a cruel point.

0points

Mike Loux 3 years ago

0points

BoopBoop 3 years ago

Hanzi Smatter has been collecting these for decades, and as they say, "why would you get a tattoo in a language that you obviously do not speak or understand?"

0points

Ivana 3 years ago

0points

Tess Unkn 3 years ago

0points

Nikki Sevven 3 years ago

I don't understand the reasoning behind a white person getting a tattoo in an Asian language. Or any language they can't speak, read, and write.

0points

Karin 3 years ago

Why anyone would want a tattoo in a language they don't speak and can't read is beyond me. Morons deserve it.

0points

Susan Trevaskis-Owen 3 years ago

And the lesson here is "Don't get tattoos in a language you cannot read."

0points

Ray Martin 3 years ago

I'm admittedly biased because I loathe all tattoos, but while I'm sure many of you will be outraged at that, can we all agree that cultural appropriation is not just ignorant, it's stupid?

0points

Demi Zwaan 3 years ago

Cultural appropriation? Haha. Why, language is to be exclusively used by people from the original country? Ik hoop dat je Nederlands kan lezen, want ik mag dan geen Engels meer gebruiken...

5points