Tattoos are meant to be personal and meaningful, but when people choose designs in languages they don’t understand, the results can be both surprising and hilarious. Whether it’s a mistranslation, incorrect characters, or a complete misunderstanding of a foreign script, these tattoo fails often leave their owners—and everyone else—laughing. From Chinese characters that don’t mean what was intended to misspelled phrases in languages like Arabic, Latin, or Japanese, these tattoo disasters highlight the importance of double-checking before committing to permanent ink. In this article, we’ve gathered 30 of the funniest and most cringe-worthy moments when people got tattoos in languages they didn’t understand, resulting in epic fails that will have you both laughing and cringing at the same time. Prepare for a wild ride through some of the most outrageous translation blunders in tattoo history!
#1 Why Human Translation Is Valuable
This one has been making the rounds. Apparently, this young lady wanted to surprise her boyfriend with a tattoo that reads “I love you”. Instead, it reads “Babylon is one of the world’s leading dictionary and translation programs”
#2 I Meeeeeean…
Image source: hanzismatte
#3 Much Appreciated
This is a particularly cruel prank. What this actually says is “ana mu’affan”, “I am rotten”.
#4 Well That’s Just Unfortunate…
Image source: hanzismatte
#5
Image source: hanzismatte
#6
Image source: hanzismatte
#7 Her Tattoo Says “Fresh Spring Rolls” In Thai
Image source: bolthead88
#8 They Certainly Were “Taken Advantage Of”
Image source: hanzismatte
#9 Chinese Tattoos Gone Wrong
Image source: reddit.com
#10 Never Use A Hungry Tattoo Artist…
Image source: altonwang
#11 Shout Out To This Mexican Tattoo Artist
Image source: hanzismatte
#12
Image source: hanzismatte
#13 “A Queef Perhaps”, Indeed
Image source: hanzismatte
#14 Maybe She’s Into Grilling…
Image source: hanzismatte
#15
Image source: hanzismatte
#16
Image source: Ryan__Hyman
#17 Today I Learned That My Friends Chinese Tattoo Literally Means “Turkey Sandwich”
Image source: rebeccalmighty
#18
Image source: hanzismatte
#19 This Person Will Never Need To Struggle Ordering In A Chinese Restaurant Again
#20
Image source: hanzismatte
#21 Heavily Smitten, I Guess?
Image source: hanzismatte
#22 Boastful Rice Village (He Thought It Was His Daughter’s Name)
Image source: fail_tattoos_kek
#23
Image source: hanzismatte
#24 Supportive Spouse
This one reads “husband head empty”.
#25 Ooh, Yolanda Sounds Like A Freak
Image source: hanzismatte
#26
Image source: hanzismatte
#27 It Like Literally Says This Is Tattoo Hahaha
Image source: fail_tattoos_kek
#28 Carbs Are Important
So, supposedly this was supposed to be Qi, a primal force of life in eastern philosophy. What it says is “rice”. How did that happen? If we were to guess, it’s because in traditional Chinese, the lower component of the Qi character 氣 is similar (but not identical) to rice 米
#29
Image source: hanzismatte
#30
Image source: hanzismatte
