All Chinese Tattoo Characters & Phrases — Full A–Z Index

How to use this index

Every entry below is a real Chinese character (or a fixed four-character expression) with its pinyin and English meaning. Click through to any entry and you will find the stroke count, the radical, the words the character appears in, and design guidance for using it.

The characters are grouped exactly as they appear in the reference, so the order is alphabetical by the English meaning rather than by the Chinese character. If you already know the meaning you want, scan the Meaning column; if you know the character, scan the Character column.

Before you choose

Two checks prevent almost every mistake. First, confirm the character itself rather than a translation — a single missing or added stroke produces a different word, and the pages here list the exact stroke count so you can compare. Second, confirm the form: simplified characters are used in mainland China and Singapore, traditional characters in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and many overseas communities. Keep the whole design inside one system.

Every entry is checked against Unicode's Unihan database (strokes, radical, pinyin, meaning) and reviewed by a native Chinese editor. If you want a character checked and turned into a stencil-ready design pack, use the quote form and we will confirm the character before you book an artist.

Frequently asked questions

Need a custom design or a checked translation?