Lifestyle

33 Popular Hidden Tattoo Meanings in 2025

by: Kristy Bowen

Last Updated on Jan 7th 2025

With a rise in popularity, inking yourself has become a practice but do all ink fiends understand their hidden tattoo meanings? Getting a tattoo has a rich cultural heritage that originated in the ancient world, and many of its most popular symbols remain significant to this day. While newer symbols, like the semicolon tattoo, hold additional meanings. The art and significance of body art can manifest in many ways, from tiny symbolic tattoos to large pieces of full body work that dazzle in detail and color.

Which tattoo symbolizes what? What is the most meaningful tattoo? While options for tattoo meanings are limited to the imagination, we’ve created a guide to some of the most popular and widely used, all of which make excellent tattoo ideas if you’re looking to add some ink. They are perfect for your first tattoo or as an addition to an already wide selection. Tattoos are also meaningful for celebrations and commemorations, like the rise of wedding ring tattoos as a small wedding idea or matching tattoos as a gift for best friends.

Symbol Tattoos With Secret Meanings

1. Trinity Knot

This distinctive formation, a series of overlapping circles and ovals, is also known as the “triquetra.” It's often used to denote a sign of love and unity and is a popular shared tattoo for couples, family members and friends. It can also represent the Christian Holy Trinity or the Triple Moon Goddess of pagan cultures. These popular symbol tattoos with secret meanings can also show connections between mind, body, surface or the past, present and future.

2. Lotus Flower

Lotus flowers have many meanings in the ancient world of various cultures, sometimes associated with inner peace, new beginnings, beauty and spiritual awakening. They can also mean purity and rebirth. Lotus flowers are sometimes included in more elaborate designs, often alongside imagery like birds and koi fish in Buddhist and Hindu traditions. It can also represent hardship and the duality of existence — as the beautiful lotus flower can only be grown is ugly mud. Out of struggle, comes beauty.

3. Infinity Sign

This popular tattoo that looks a lot like a figure eight turned on its side can represent endless possibilities, as well as regrowth and renewal and the interconnectedness of all things. It can also mean eternal love and connection, so it can make great symbol tattoos with secret meanings for couples.

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4. Yin and Yang

This round design, known as the “taijitu” in Chinese, is constructed of two curved teardrop shapes formed into an interlocking circle. The symbol for these tattoo meanings represents the balance and unity of opposing forces and elements. Typically one side is shaded and the other left unshaded, which reflects the balance of light and darkness.

5. Teardrop

Teardrops are one of the simplest shapes with the widest variety of tattoo meanings. In general, they can indicate loss of many kinds, including loved ones and loss or the loss of a formal self. They can also represent triumph over illness or violence. One of the most popular interpretations include those used in gangs and prison culture, where teardrops, often on the face, can signify memorializing the dead, committing a murder or years of time served.

6. Koi Fish

Koi fish, across many cultures, hold tattoo meanings of perseverance and personal growth, as well as good fortune. They often appear alone or as part of more elaborate designs with many symbolic elements or as part of large sleeves, chests and back pieces.

7. Owl

Owls show tattoo meanings of wisdom and intuition, as well as protection and luck. These tattoos can be rendered in a fun retro vintage owl style as a nod to the 60s and 70s or more naturalistic photographic images of owls in nature, either perched or in flight. They can also be associated with secret knowledge and femininity.

8. Flowers

Like birds, flower tattoos can vary in meaning depending on the flower. They may be richly colored or spare and sketch-like. They may be highly detailed or rendered in a more traditional vintage tattoo-lined style. Common popular flowers include roses, peonies, lavender, daisies, poppies and violets. Whole roses, particularly red ones, and lush peonies often represent passion. Smaller flowers can represent joy and happiness, though some can serve as a memorial for lost friends and loved ones. Flowers can also take their tattoo meanings according to what they surround and are in proximity to.

9. Arrow

Arrows as tattoos usually represent direction and personal journeys, but can also mean strength, freedom, peace and triumph. Meaning can vary according to direction as well as how they are rendered. An arrow in a bowl with the string pulled back, for example, can mean tension, while an arrow resting in its bow or quiver can mean calm and peace.

Tattoo Meanings for Mental Health

10. Semicolon

Gaining popularity in the past decade, the semicolon tattoo is a popular suicide prevention and awareness tattoo. Semicolon tattoo meanings draw from the punctuation mark’s role in any grammatical sentence, indicating a pause and then continuance. It is often used to show a period of hardship and poor mental health followed by a sense of perseverance.

11. Butterfly or Moth

Butterflies are usually associated with transformation and rebirth due to their life cycle, starting as caterpillars. They can also represent beauty, love and resilience, with certain butterfly varieties encompassing more specific meanings. The monarch butterfly can represent a connection between the living and the dead. Moths can represent similar principles, with added meanings of intuition and inner awareness associated with the moon and their attraction to light.

12. Broken Chain

Chain tattoos with a broken segment or link can often be a single tattoo or part of a larger multi-image design. Historically, they have tattoo meanings for breaking free from hard circumstances like slavery, addiction or toxic or abusive relationships.

13. Barbed Wire

These tattoos usually wrap around parts of the body like arms or legs. They represent strength, endurance or overcoming a sense of hardship in life. It can also be associated with imprisonment, injustice or oppression.

14. Phoenix

Phoenix tattoos, whose imagery usually involves a bird rising from ashes or flames, often are used to symbolize change and rebirth. This could be from personal challenges or marking new chapters in life. They can also represent resurrection and immortality.

Tattoo Meanings for Women

15. Moon Phases

A tattoo representation of the moon phases connects to the celestial world and the divine feminine often associated with the moon’s natural cycle. Lunar tattoos can be as simple as a line of moons in various phases or as part of a larger image with other related symbols like luna moths and renderings of the sun. Moons and other celestial objects provide many tattoo meanings for women.

16. Birds

Bird tattoos come with many tattoo meanings depending on the variety of bird, as well as how its rendered. For example, the bird could either be perched, caged or flying. A tattoo of a raven or a crow may find its symbolism as a representation of cleverness or the dark side, while a swallow may indicate a connection to the afterlife as psychopomps, creatures who help ferry spirits. Hummingbird tattoos can represent a passion for love and sweetness or represent fleetingness and beauty.

17. Stars

Star tattoos often represent our connection to the spiritual world and can be rendered as the traditional five-sided variety or in constellation form, often associated with birth signs and horoscopes. Many people also use stars as a symbol for other things, like matching stars shared with friends or family members, as memorials for pets or lost loved ones or as a representation of patriotism.

18. Feather

Feather tattoos usually represent meanings similar to birds, including transcendence, flight, beauty, strength, freedom and individualism. They can also represent a connection to angels and spirituality or as a symbol of connection with others who share matching tattoos. A feather tattoo’s meaning for women is often related to self-actualization.

19. Dragonflies

Dragonfly tattoo meanings usually center around luck, transformation, hope and positive energy. They can manifest in various sizes, from larger pieces of spots like the back or as part of a tattoo sleeve or as small mini-tattoos on a wrist or ankle. Dragonflies can also represent strength, grace and intelligence.

20. Fairies

Fairy tattoos often represent a connection to nature or the magical world. They can also symbolize youth, innocence, wonderment and childhood. They are sometimes associated with Celtic heritage and legends, as well as characters like Peter Pan’s Tinkerbell.

21. Mandala

Mandala tattoos often take their meaning in a sense of balance and symmetry evidenced by their design. They are associated with meditation and spiritual development and divine patterns. On the skin, they can often be found on people who practice Hinduism or Buddhism, as well as Native American and indigenous cultures.

Tattoo Meanings for Men

22. Anchors

Anchor tattoo meanings usually center around concepts like stability, hope and strength. They are also very popular in the design of vintage Sailor Jerry tattoo styles that often appear on sailors and those connected to the sea. They could represent personal connection or affiliation with the Navy or similar maritime bodies.

23. Compass

Compass tattoos can vary in design, but most represent themes of guidance and direction, as well as adventure, exploration and safe travel. They can also show life transitions and spiritual direction. Popular compass tattoo meanings for men include journey and return.

24. Lions, Tigers and Leopards

Lions typically represent strength and courage, as well as loyalty. They can also refer to power, mastery and dominance. Other big cat tattoos often have similar meanings, like tigers and leopards. Black panther tattoo meanings include stealthiness, cleverness and survival, along with grace, beauty and mystery.

25. Wolves

Wolves can represent strength, loyalty and protection, as well as spiritual pathfinding. They can also represent survival. The meaning can vary according to placement on the body, with a wolf tattoo on the arm representing strength, while back or shoulder placement can be associated with responsibility and protection. Popular wolf tattoo meanings for men include connection with elements of strength and survival.

26. Snake

Snakes can represent a number of concepts, including a connection to the cosmos, fertility and temptation often found in some religious mythologies. They can also represent protection and transformation, as well as personal power, balance, intuition or strength.

27. Dragon

Dragon tattoos usually show strength or protection, since dragons were often charged with guarding secrets or treasures in many cultural traditions. They can also signify luck, independence and transformation, as well as a connection to Asian cultural heritage, where dragons make a frequent appearance.

28. Scorpion

These many-legged and harp-barbed creatures usually represent power and protection, as well as resilience and transformation. In some cultures, they can represent sexuality and potency or reflect the Scorpio astrological sign.

Tattoos With Deep Meaning

29. Pets

Pet tattoos can come in a variety of styles, including detailed renderings of specific pets or more symbolic pieces that are meant to represent current or memorialized pets. These images show personal connection, favor of a specific breed or love and appreciation of animals in general. Many people choose to memorialize pets with a simple footprint design as a tattoo with deep meaning.

30. Eyes

These striking tattoos can reference protection, perception, wisdom and spiritual enlightenment. They can look more like actual eyes or be rendered symbolically. Popular eye tattoos with deep meaning include the eye of Horus and the Third Eye, which are references to self-actualization and spiritual development in ancient cultures.

31. Sacred Heart & Christian Religious Imagery

While many opt for simple cross tattoos to represent and reference their Christian beliefs, the sacred heart can represent suffering and renewal with its flaming heart, crown of thorns and other elements like swords and flowers (usually roses). They can often be quite large and elaborate in design.

32. Skulls

Usually associated with death and the afterlife, skull tattoos can also represent strength and rebellion. Often the meaning is further reinforced by other objects in proximity, such as flowers, that vary the symbolism into horror or beauty. Skull tattoos can also represent fear or embrace of mortality.

33. Angel Numbers

This tattoo subject matter gained even more popularity when actress Jennifer Anniston revealed on her wrist that it was simply 11:11, numbers significant to the actress’ birthday and a favorite pet. Others have boasted a similar design, with numbers that are special to them for different reasons, including spiritual journeys, luck or the law of attraction. Another popular angel number is 444, with 4 being a number in numerology associated with new opportunities, good fortune, wealth and protection.

Tattoo Meanings FAQs

What does (;) mean in a tattoo?

This popular grammatical element has gained recent popularity as a tattoo design in the mental health community related to suicide prevention. The significance comes from the symbols' role in a sentence. A semicolon is used as a pause, but not an ending to the sentence. It's used to show continuation after difficult trials and times of hardship or failing mental health.

How to find meaning for tattoos?

Tattoo artists are often well versed in the meanings of many tattoos, but you can also perform research into the meaning of various symbols, signs and figures online and/or in books like The Language of Tattoos by Nick Schlonberger or Conscious Ink by Lisa Barretta.

These tattoo meanings are sure to spark creativity and ideas for your next piece of ink, whether it’s your first or one of many.

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