Motivation in getting an Asian character tattoo?

I don't really know, and I agree with you that it's kind of weird that this phenomenon is so widespread. It seems to be to have something to do with the exotification of Asian cultures... somehow a word or idea or concept seems "deeper" or better or more resonant, maybe, because it's from this different, other culture that the person getting the tattoo has all these ideas about (i.e. a person who wants to get a 'courage' tattoo might think ooh, Japanese people have a lot of courage because they're always fighting one another with swords and they're bad-*** at martial arts - it'd be way cooler to get 'courage' in a kanji character, etc etc). To me, it seems like cultural co-opting and it's kind of irritating. I feel the same way when I see white folks with dreadlocks. I have a word tattoo, and it's in English, the language that I speak, the language that I learned to love (I'm an English teacher). It seems like all these people getting these one-word-concept Asian-character tattoos might look a whole lot cooler if they just had "Love" or "Strength" or whatever tattooed on them in English. JUST MY OPINION!

Yeah...I don't get that either. If your Asian..then O.K. I get it...if not then..what?

I do get a good laugh out of the horror stories you hear where some fool gets a tattoo thinking it says one thing and then (true story) he goes into a restraunt and some asian people start laughing at you and you find out your tattoo actually says "at the end of the day this is still an ugly boy" or something to that effect...

Just hilarious...and might I add...well deserved.

I got my chinese character because it means something to me and no one else will know unless they ask. I find chinese characters to be very beautiful, so why not choose something something beautiful to adorn my body. My character stands for Older Sister and my Younger Sister has the character that stands for that. It's our secret little bond. We highly respect many people and their language and admire their culture and virtues because we come from a communtiy of mixed people. So for me it is a holistic representation of me and my sister's relationship with each other and with life. We thought carefully about choosing what we wanted and decided that instead of matching butterfly tatoos (ick!) or something we would get a symbol that had history like we do.

I agree. I think it is amusing when someone has chinese, kanji, whatever tattooed on them with no knowledge whatsoever. So many people do it because it looks pretty...lol. AND, if I were going to get Chinese words tattooed onmyself, I wouldn't trust just any artist. Unless he/she is Chinese, no way would I let him tattoo me

I must agree with you on this one, also. It makes no sense to me as well. I guess it is because it was the "trendy" thing to do. Makes much more sense to me for the individual to search his own roots and get something along that line, though. But hey, go figure?

Because it is super trendy and automatically makes you cool, duh! *sarcasm off

All kidding aside though, that seems to be the main reason. I have asked countless people I have come across why they chose to have that as a tattoo, and most gave generic "it looks pretty" or "it looks cool" answers.

I am not discrediting anyone who has one, only certain reasons for getting it.

i think they probably get it because it's "pretty". no other languages are so pretty when written. it could say "i like to eat garbage" but it would be the prettiest word tattoo.

in fact, i think i'll go to my local joe blow off the street tattoo shop and get that phrase. thanks for the inspiration!

i completely agree with you!!!!

i have to laugh every time i hear about someone getting the wrong word or only half of the word.