When you're getting a new tattoo, the location of your tattoo is just as important as the design. The inner wrist is one of the most intimate yet visible parts of the human body, a place where the heart's blood pulses close to the surface.
As with all other tattoos, the depth and significance of the design are entirely up to you. Your wrist tattoo can be full of meaning or it can be used like a permanent bracelet - an accessory that accentuates your forearm and beauty.
Bands Around the Wrist
An armband is an obvious choice for a wrist tattoo. Although they are not very original, they can be classy and elegant. Patterns in the Celtic or tribal style used to be a popular choice, but are lately being replaced by some more-inspired ideas.
Keep It Light
Less is more when it comes to wrist tattoos. The wrist is a small place that doesn't require a big and complicated design. Small designs such as flowers, stars or hearts for example, work best.
Do wrist tattoos hurt?
The closer the skin is to the bone, the more a tattoo hurts. So, yes, a tattoo on your wrist hurts more than on most other places...
Here's a gallery with wrist ideas for your inspiration:
Words, Quotes & Names
Single words and quotes are popular as a wrist tattoo. Your wrist is a place you look upon a lot, that's why it's an ideal place for a motivational quote, Biblical quote or other life wisdoms.
Owing to the connection between the wrist and the heart, some couples choose to have the names of eachother tattooed upon the underside of the wrist. This form of tattoo represents a bond, and states a lifetime devotion to one's soulmate. It acts as a virtual form of marriage, not a form of ink to be taken lightly. I don't recommend these types of tattoos, ink is forever, marriages usually not...
Here are some examples of short quotes that are ideal for a wrist tattoo:
If you are religious, short scripture tattoos can be a good choice. If your favorite verse is too long, you can use the reference:
- Love is patient (left) - Love is kind (right)
- I fear (left) - No evil (right)
- Blessed
- Lest ye
- A time to be born (left) - And a time to die (right)
- Proverbs 3:5
- A time to weep (left) - A time to laugh (right)
- A time to rip (left) - A time to sew (right)
- Jesus wept
- Matthew 7:15
- Philippians 4:13
If you know some other great quotes for a tattoo, let us know in the comment box at the bottom...
Another idea is using the translation of a word or quote that is meaningful to you. Kanji (Japanese characters) have been very popular, but nowadays you see more and more tattoos in Sanskrit, Tibetan or Hebrew (especially Bible phrases).
Here's an example of a Tibetan wrist tattoo:
Here are some more examples that show you that simple words are ideal for the wrist:
Celebrity Wrist Tattoos
Wrist tattoos seem to be popular among celebrities as well. Here's a list:
- Eminem: has a tribal armband around his left wrist. On his right he has a tattoo that says 'Slit me", with an arrow to a scar.
- Jessica Alba: has the Sanskrit word padma (lotus flower) on the right. Get your own Sanskrit translation here...
- Eva Longoria: has the date 7 7 2007 in Roman numbers (VII VII MMVII) tattooed on her inner wrist. It's the date she married Tony Parker. The tattoo has been removed after her divorce.
- Victoria Beckham: has her husband's initials DB, together with Hebrew words that mean "Together forever, eternally". On her other side she's got a Roman date (May 8, 1997), apparently the date she and David Beckham first became intimate. Underneath the date is a Latin script tattoo saying "De Integro", which means "afresh" or "again, from the start".
- Demi Lovato: has the words "Stay Strong" on her wrists, accompanied by red lips and a heart.
- Orlando Bloom: has the Elvish words for "The Nine" on his right wrist, referring to the 9 members of the fellowship of the ring.
- Keyshia Cole: has a flaming black rose together with her initials KC, done by tattoo artist Mister Cartoon.
- Gisele Bundchen: has a star on her left inner wrist.
- Kelly Clarkson: has a cross tattoo on her wrist.
- Selena Gomez: has a small music note on her right side. The left one that says 'Justin' is fake.
- Rihanna: has a Maori tribal on her hand and wrist, done in New Zealand in the traditional way. She says it represents strength and love and that it hurt like hell.
- Marc Jacobs: has a tattoo that says "Perfect"
- Kate Perry: has the word Jesus tattooed.
- Tia and Tamera Mowry: they have matching wrist tattoos saying "Jumelles", the French word for twin.
- Miley Cyrus: has an om tattoo on her left inner wrist and an anchor on her right one.
- Keith Urban: originally had a matching tattoo with his ex wife Niki Taylor that read "Amor vincit omnia" (Latin for "Love conquers all"), but changed this to a tribal band and the initials of his new wife, Nicole Kidman.
- Cher Lloyd: her first wrist tattoo was a question mark. Later the question mark got incorporated into a partial sleeve with butterflies, a swallow and a peace sign. On her right side Cher's got a crying eye, also incorporated into a sleeve. Next to it is the text "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine", in dedication to her boyfriend at that time, Craig Monk.
- Anne Hathaway: she's got an M or W tattooed, I'm not sure what the meaning is.
- Miranda Kerr: has a small star tattoo in white ink.
- Nikki Reed: has a tattoo in the Cyrillic alphabet. It is supposed to be the surname of her ex-boyfriend, and also means "Proper" in Russian. I'm not sure of both though.
- Adele: has a One Penny tattoo on her wrist. Underneath it are three dots. The Penny is dedicated to her mother (who's called Penny).
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