• Kanji such as these make for inspired tattoos.kanji japonais image by erwan leray from Fotolia.com
  
  "Kanji" is the Japanese word for the written language characters used in Japanese--specifically, those taken from the Chinese system of writing. Exotic-looking to most Western eyes, kanji are a popular inspiration for tattoo designs. While it's easy enough to make a kanji tattoo look good, consider a design concept with a little added meaning or thoughtful aesthetic design to make your character tattoo stand out from the rest.
  
  

Names

• Get a kanji tattoo that's both customized and highly meaningful to you by choosing a character set that's a representation of your name. Since kanji characters are pictoral (rather than phoenetic English), you won't be able to get an exact translation. Instead, get a transliteration (characters whose pronounciation sounds something like your name) or use the meaning of your name and choose characters with the same meaning.
  
  

Poems

• If you want a design with enough individual kanji to create a long line of text, consider using an excerpt of Japanese poetry, or a Japanese translation of a favorite poem of yours from another language. Bear in mind that the longer the poem, the greater the expense, so if budget is an issue, you might want something short, such as a haiku.
  
  

Bracelets and Anklets

• If you've chosen a long line of kanji text, you must next consider how to arrange the text on your body. Consider getting the line of characters wrapped around your wrist or ankle like a bracelet or anklet. Get a single wraparound line of text, or wrap twice or more if the text is long.
  
  

Ancient Characters

• Kanji are characters used in common with the Chinese and Japanese writing system, but which originally came from the Chinese culture. These modern characters have had their origins traced back to ancient oracle bone scripts with etchings more closely resembling pictures than characters. For an unusual twist on the highly popularized kanji tattoos, consider getting characters based on these ancient symbols.
  
  

Tribal Kanji

• If you've had any trouble deciding between a kanji tattoo and a black tribal tattoo design, make the choice easy by combining the two. Get a tribal design with kanji incorporated, surrounding or surrounded by the tribal shapes, or get your kanji done in tribal style with thick, curving lines and sharp, pointed tips.