72 Dragon Tattoos: Designs, Ideas, Meaning You Need To Know

Dragon Tattoos

Dragon tattoos are a trendy choice of tattoo designs. Dragons are mythical creatures, which appear in many cultures throughout the world. The popularity of Dragon tattoos is easy to explain. Dragons are commonly depicted as spiritual beings combining beauty and intelligence with strength and power.

In western culture, dragons were initially regarded as malevolent – The evil beast that the gallant knight had to slay to rescue his fair maiden. Whereas, in China and Japan, they could be benevolent. This fusion of western and eastern ideas has probably led to dragons still being so popular today.

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From an artistic viewpoint, Dragon tattoos are visually striking, and very colorful. They give a chance for a skilled tattoo artist to showcase his talent. The design of a dragon tattoo can also be any size, making it possible to place a dragon tattoo on any body part. It is also possible to combine a Dragon tattoo design with other styles. Tribal Dragon tattoos can be very striking.

Types of Dragon Tattoos

Japanese Dragon Tattoos

Japanese dragon tattoo designs are very popular with men and women. Maybe the stunning detail in the single dark ink is what appeals or the multiple colors.

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Japanese tattoos are known for symbolic and rich in myths and folklore. Japanese dragons are seen as water deities, and a Japanese dragon tattoo design will often include waves and clouds. They are usually serpent-like and have a carp’s scales, paws of a tiger, eagle claws, and long whiskers.

Men and women often wear dragon tattoos to represent meanings of freedom and fearlessness. Other popular symbolisms associated with Japanese dragon tattoos are strength and power.

Chinese Dragon Tattoos

These designs can be very similar to Japanese dragon tattoos. Chinese Hanji script can look very attractive when incorporated with a Chinese dragon tattoo design.

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Dragon Tattoos for Women

Dragon tattoo designs are trendy among girls. With the recent release of the Hollywood take on the Swedish Novel: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, their popularity is sure to continue.

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Dragon Tattoos for Men

The options for dragon tattoos for men are wide and vast and can be inked in tribal, Celtic, traditional, abstract, or blend different styles. If you consider yourself to be a minimalist, go with tribal. The tribal style gives the design a simple, minimalist, primal look.

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Tribal Dragon Tattoos

Because of their sinuous nature, dragons lend themselves well to the tribal design.

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Small Dragon Tattoos

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Full Sleeve Dragon Tattoos

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Placements

Dragon tattoos can be extremely versatile. It is possible to have a Dragon tattoo on pretty much any part of the body. It means that a talented tattoo artist should have little trouble drawing a cool design to fit any part of your body you choose.

A detailed dragon design can also look very striking over a large surface. For instance, a large and highly detailed dragon tattoo can look simply breathtaking and awe-inspiring covering a person’s entire back.

It is also possible to combine a Dragon tattoo with other styles and designs. Many people incorporate Koi and Chinese Hanji or Japanese Kanji text and writing to their tattoo design.

Great places to put Dragon Tattoos

Arm
Back
Wrist
Leg
Hip
Neck

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History of Dragon Tattoos

Dragons are legendary creatures, usually of a serpentine or reptilian nature, and featured in many myths. There are two distinct types of dragons. Firstly, the European Dragon was passed down in European folklores, initially borrowed from Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies. The Chinese Dragon has also been borrowed by many other East Asian countries, such as Japan and Korea. Both kinds lend themselves very well to striking tattoo designs.

The English word “Dragon” comes from the Greek Drakon – meaning a serpent or water-snake of enormous size. The stereotypical European Dragon is a large lizard with wings, which can breathe fire. Whereas, Chinese dragons are more like large snakes.

The two traditions probably evolved separately, but have influenced each other to some extent, significantly more in recent times. Despite differences in appearance, in Europe, dragons were initially depicted as vicious and evil, whereas they could be entirely benevolent and helpful in the east.

Dragons have made it onto many flags and have even made it into the bible. In the new testament, the devil takes the form of a great red dragon with seven heads to battle the Archangel Michael.