LETTERING, IN CONTEXT
Seven models. Seven Japanese words. Ten body placements each. Five lettering styles.
Explore how lettering can sit with the lines of the body, while keeping its meaning in view.
These are placement concepts, not photographs of completed or healed tattoos, and are not to scale. Confirm the full wording and lettering with a fluent Japanese reader, and review an actual-size stencil with your tattoo artist.
Gyosho (semi-cursive script): flowing brush lettering by Aoyagi Kouzan. Review connected strokes and fine details with your artist.
Choose a placement below each portrait. All seven models offer ten placement areas. Every view keeps the face in frame.
01 / Shoulder
ai · あい
Love, affection, and care for someone or something. The meaning extends beyond romance to what you cherish.
A single character expresses a concept. 愛 does not form the sentence ‘I love you.’
Explore lettering & placement ↗02 / Shoulder
kizuna · きずな
A bond that connects people. The word also has a literal sense of a tether that holds something in place.
Kizuna can express a connection between people. It does not specify family, friendship, or romance by itself.
Explore lettering & placement ↗03 / Shoulder
yume · ゆめ
A dream, dreaming, or something as fleeting as a dream. The word can also be used for a hope or aspiration.
The character alone does not distinguish a sleeping dream from a personal aspiration. Explain your intended meaning when discussing the design.
Explore lettering & placement ↗04 / Shoulder
kokorozashi · こころざし
An intention, aspiration or aim held in the heart. Other uses include a record, and a token offered to express regard.
It can represent an aim you choose to pursue. The noun kokorozashi is written 志; the verb kokorozasu is 志す.
Explore lettering & placement ↗05 / Shoulder
kokoro · こころ
The heart as the seat of feelings, thought, and intention. It can also refer to the physical heart or the center of something.
‘Heart’ is only part of the meaning. Kokoro also includes the mind and feelings; context determines the reading.
Explore lettering & placement ↗06 / Shoulder
sei · せい
Quietness, stillness or a state without movement. The character is used for both reduced sound and physical stillness.
Sei is a character reading. The everyday adjective shizuka is 静か; a tattoo cannot guarantee emotional calm.
Explore lettering & placement ↗07 / Shoulder
Ken
yū · ゆう
Bravery, boldness, and being courageous. It appears in words about acting with courage or resolve.
This is the character for courage. The everyday word 勇気 (yūki) uses two characters; 勇 can also occur in names.
Four placement reference photographs of Ken show ten placement areas. Height setting: 181 cm; this is not a measured body scale.
Explore lettering & placement ↗Skin texture, movement and healing affect real tattoos. A photo illustration cannot predict fit or healed ink.