紋身 / 纹身
wénshēn
The most common way to say tattoo in Chinese is 紋身 / 纹身 (wénshēn), written 紋身 in traditional and 纹身 in simplified characters. If unsure, use 紋身 / 纹身. Wiktionary also lists 文身 (wénshēn) and 刺青 (cìqīng).
Meaning: an image made in the skin with ink and a needle (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 紋身 / 纹身 | wénshēn | |
| 文身 | wénshēn | formal |
| 刺青 | cìqīng |
纹身 is the most common and neutral word for a tattoo in daily conversation.
What does it mean word for word?
纹身 literally means patterned body. The character 身 (shēn) refers to the human body. 刺青 (cìqīng) literally means to prick or pierce with blue green pigment.
Which one should you use?
文身 sounds the same as 纹身 but is a more formal written variant. 刺青 often carries a slightly more traditional or artistic feel than the more modern 纹身.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
文身 is the formal written variant. 刺青 is also described as a more formal way to say tattoo.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
刺青 can work both as a noun, a tattoo and as a verb, to tattoo. 文身 can also be used as the verb, and 刺 alone can mean to apply a tattoo.
How do you pronounce it?
纹身 is pronounced wénshēn in pinyin, with a rising tone on the first syllable and a high level tone on the second.
Did you know?
- In ancient China, 紋身 was often a form of judicial punishment called 'branding' used to mark criminals for life.
- While most people use 纹身 (wénshēn) for modern tattoos, the term 刺青 (cìqīng) is actually a loanword from Japanese and is not found in ancient Chinese texts.
- In historical Chinese contexts, tattooing was sometimes used as a spiritual practice to ward off evil spirits or illness.
Examples in context
- 我必須把文身去掉。I had to get my tattoo removed.Here 文身 is the tattoo that the speaker had to get removed.Tatoeba #6585416 by verdastelo9604, translation #2916643 by Hybrid
- 湯姆在胸上有個頭骨文身。Tom has a tattoo of a skull on his chest.文身 comes at the end of the sentence, after a description of what the tattoo shows.Tatoeba #6119479 by verdastelo9604, translation #4501225 by CK
- 当然！她的大腿上刺了一朵蔷薇。真美！Of course! She got a rose tattoo on her thigh. It's so beautiful!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tattoo” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 刺青, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
