Asian character tattoos ...played or....

Jingles · #1 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

OK so lots of people have Asian characters tattooed on them
and many more have plans for them - super

but i am hearing many people say 'oh that's so played'
OK - but what if that's your language? I mean people have things written in English on them..is that played too?

Is the whole language played
A friend of mine just had characters tattooed on his back - and someone gave him the 'played' remark when he posted it on the web
but he's Chinese...it's his freakin language

I personally would never get one, my heritage is not Asian, I can't read Asian lettering - it would have no meaning to little ol'white me

SO are these tattooes 'played' for everyone? Is Asian lettering ruined for all because a while shitload of suburbanites thought it would be cool to get them?

M!SKA · #2 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

I think its silly when a non-asian person gets an asian character tattoo just because it 'looks cool'. What if its not even drawn correctly?

axion · #3 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

I would never get one myself but i think they are alright as long as they are done tastefully.

bob · #4 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

haha that's funny cuz i was at the dutchman this morning with my friend and she got a tattoo... and the reception girl there was like "OH YOU SHOULD GET A CHINESE CHARACTER DONE!"...

yea i made sure that didn't happen...

definately "played".

hardstylin · #5 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

ya its played for sure but not as played as tribal tattoos that are goin around, it seems like every barstar on the planet has some kinda tribal tattoo.

Pussy_Kat · #6 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

i speak japanese tho
not fluently but i can read it and speak some of it
so what happens if i get it......it will one day be a second language of mine
does that mean its played for me too?

Moon · #7 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

if you understand the one out of the billions of characters out there then its far from played

but its just just simply a chinese character then its stupid and should be shot

rawb · #8 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pussy_Kat

i speak japanese tho
not fluently but i can read it and speak some of it
so what happens if i get it......it will one day be a second language of mine
does that mean its played for me too?

unless you look japanese or get a 'HAY GUYS I KNOW A LITTLE JAPANESE CUT ME SOME SLACK OKAY?' disclaimer tattooed beneath it, then it's played.

bob · #9 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

maybe it's just the love/peace/harmony/beauty characters that are played out...

miss.myra · #10 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

I worked in a tattoo and piercing shop for two years, and I saw a lot of people Character tattoos (oh, and maple leafs!)

It kind of baffles me. A character is created by placing strokes together in a particular order, not by having some guy photocopy the character and trace it onto somebody's body, this really destroys the meaning. Essentially, people have meaningless characters etched onto their bodies forever.

They are definitely played, and I don't think a lot of people put much thought into them at all. I especially loved the slutty underaged girls who pranced into the shop and decided to take a look at a few pages of flash and say 'OMG I WANT TO GET THE ONE THAT MEANS PURE!'.

omega_image · #11 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

i dont think the tatoos themselves can be played out, i think the reasons for getting them can........

im planning on gettin a family tree down my arm with my grandfathers, fathers, and my name going down in our chinese names. and if anyone says that its "played" ill just have to slap them

you also have to consider the people who are saying that it is played, do they even know what they are talking about? like say someone who doesnt read chinese at all just sees some guy with a chinese character on his arm and says its played.......what if it turns out the character is his mothers name that has died.

M!SKA · #12 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

Quote:

Originally Posted by miss.myra

I especially loved the slutty underaged girls who pranced into the shop and decided to take a look at a few pages of flash and say 'OMG I WANT TO GET THE ONE THAT MEANS PURE!'.

hahahahaha I love those girls.

ebbomega · #13 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

Hein.

The whole Yin-Yang thing has been "played" for years. Doesn't mean I don't wanna get one (mainly because I'm Taoist though).

I'm not exactly Roman either, but I plan on getting astrological symbols on my back as well.

The way I see it, if you're doing it to express yourself or whatever, who the hell cares? If someone thinks it's played, fine, let them think that. It's not their tattoo..

miss.myra · #14 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

Quote:

Originally Posted by M!SKA

hahahahaha I love those girls.

Oh Miskee, I know..we both wish we WERE those girls!

...someday!

LaMzWeLL · #15 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

Quote:

Originally Posted by omega_image

i dont think the tatoos themselves can be played out, i think the reasons for getting them can........

im planning on gettin a family tree down my arm with my grandfathers, fathers, and my name going down in our chinese names. and if anyone says that its "played" ill just have to slap them

you also have to consider the people who are saying that it is played, do they even know what they are talking about? like say someone who doesnt read chinese at all just sees some guy with a chinese character on his arm and says its played.......what if it turns out the character is his mothers name that has died.

one more month till my bday adam.... u get ur tatty ready...we'll go get it soon!

~*faeryfly*~ · #16 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

Even though I am not Japanese, I have four japanese kanjis on my lower back. I have always been fascinated with the Japanese language, thats why I got them. My tatty says yo sei, meaning faerie. What I love about my tattys the most, is that each kanji means something individually...I really dont care if someone thinks my tattys are played out or not, they've been on my skin for five years now, & I dont regret a thing. <3 :)

hardstylin · #17 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

Quote:

Originally Posted by rawb

unless you look japanese or get a 'HAY GUYS I KNOW A LITTLE JAPANESE CUT ME SOME SLACK OKAY?' disclaimer tattooed beneath it, then it's played.

hahaha someone should get that under there japanese tattoo that would not be played

SEAN! · #18 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

PLLAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEHHHHHHHHDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!

that shit waws played 5 years ago man...

now the hardcore nam/jap gangster tats with the dragons and giesha's and shit covering the entire back.....that shit will never go outta style.

since im a honkey piece of shit..i was thinkin i should get chinese or jap writing on my back that says "try hard whiteboy piece of shit."

hahaha

omega_image · #19 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

you should get "gwai lo dai lo" on ur forehead sean

Kazuma · #20 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

Whenever I get my tattoo I'm drawing it out, i want it to be orginal. If somewhere it includes japanese hiragana, katakana, or kanji... It will have meaning and the strokes will be done correctly. If I want to incorperate tribal, dragons, japanese/chinese characters, and ancient oriental art... I will. As long as I draw it or create it i'm happy.

Everyone says the dragons and chinese gods are played out. I think if it looks good then whatever, like "ebbomega" said "it's not their tattoo".

mugsy · #21 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

i dont really think its played, because then butterflies, maple leafs, and celtic symbols would be considered over played as well.
i definately believe tattoos need to have personal meaning, and who really cares what other people think\feel about it. its on your body, it has meaning to you.
i have two tattoos, both have meaning, one is much more meaningful. it is an ankle band and it says daddies little girl in welsh, then i have a butterfly in the middle that is the same as my moms tattoo, and then i have black waves conecting all of it. each part can be considered over played. but to me, it isnt.
i do agree that people who get the character because of the shape and not meaning is kinda trite.... but hey its their own opinion.

Kazuma · #22 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

haha adam I have been saying that to my buddy Dennis forever.

e_BoY · #23 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

lots of tats are played out

im chiense i got a dragon and koi tattoo but so many people have dragons so thats played, tribal is played, chinese/jap lettering is played, tigers are played, skulls are played. bah!

sass69 · #24 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

Quote:

Originally Posted by omega_image

i dont think the tatoos themselves can be played out, i think the reasons for getting them can........

I completely agree the reasoning behind it really does make a difference. As for Asians getting their own language tatood that is totally fine. I personally wouldn't want to get any word tatood on me but thats just not my style a tatoo is supposed to reflect something about you so whether it's played or not if it means something to you

Joanne · #25 (**permalink**) May 04, 04

erm, I'm not sure if "played" is really the word I'd describe it. I once saw an east indian woman with a bunch of japanese characters tattooed on her arm. it was beautiful. she had actually gotten it done by a japanese lady who specialized in calligraphy. it was absolutely gorgeous and I complimented her on it.

the thing that I find rather humorous is when I see people (asian or non asian) having asian characters that look like it was tattooed on by someone who doesn't even know the difference between what chinese and japanese characters are or even really know whatever the fuck the word even really means! as myra said.. the tattoo's meaningless! but hey, it's their body and if they want a meaningless character etched on their body for the rest of their body, whatever.... to each their own.

--Joanne :P