Dragon Tattoo Meaning and Ideas

For centuries, dragons have become part of our cultures, folks, stories, and even a symbolic identity of the clash between civilizations. No one wants to walk with writing on such mysterious topics, but we will try to give our best shot!

There's no denying that dragons are the most admired mythological creature of all time. Different civilizations have developed their unique association with dragons, like the East considered it a symbol of luck and optimism while the West viewed them as an identity of destruction. But unquestionably, dragons are filled with rich but complex symbolism that we are going to unveil today by considering dragon tattoo meaning's explanation as to our destiny.

Some of the dragon tattoos are related to wisdom, while others have an association with strength; in addition, a few have a relation with prosperity and good luck. These tattoos have no exception from the gender-related struggle in history, so explaining the dragon tattoo meaning on a woman/man will be a mystery revealer for you.

If we start counting the list, it will be long enough to make you off, so very going to become super-specific will all these meanings and their melodious explanations. In this article, we will be starting with red dragon tattoo meanings and then sweeping through Chinese and Japanese Dragon tattoo meanings; we will land on Ouroboros ones with a little sneak peek on Dragon Koi tattoo meanings.

Sounds amazing! Ahh, you are thinking that it's going to be a longer pitch, while in the meanwhile, we have decided to just start it.

Specialty of Dragon Tattoos

Dragon tattoos appear in tens of colors and tons of designs; these are different for different genders, different cultures, nations, and civilizations. The most amazing aspect of these tattoos is that though they are named in cultures like Japanese dragon tattoo meaning or Chinese dragon tattoo meaning, but they have crossed the boundaries. Now you can see a Chinese person with a western style of tattoo and a Japanese with a Vietnamese tattoo style.

The scenario of today's era that predicts that these tattoos have broken the shackles of civilizations, and people have abnegated the clash, all such aberrations are in vain now. You might not under-feeling the depth of these words, but generations to come will definitely feel the warmth of this global era in the prism of dragon tattoos.

Though even every civilization keeps their own meaning of a particular tattoo like west call these dragons as ambassadors of destruction, while eastern call them luck givers, but no one can abscond from the reality that this amazing creature has left their impeccable impression on every society and civilization in one way or the other.         

Let's dive into the depths of every major civilization to determine the dragon tattoo meanings: 

Chinese Dragon Tattoo Meaning

When it comes to dragons, the first word that most people instantly remember is Chinese culture. Dragon, tattoos, and Chinese culture are so engraved in each other that if we say dragon tattoo, definitely someone would immediately speak out about Chinese culture.

For Chinese, yin and yang are the combinations of two halves named as dragon tattoos and Phoenix. Dragon tattoos were once part of the Qing Dynasty flag from the mid-nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth one.

Chinese have associated a lot of optimistic qualities and positive traits with dragons. For the Chinese, a dragon tattoo represents power, good luck, wisdom, peace, and strength. These are not mere drawings on body, but they consider it a symbol to increase skills and prosperity in life.

Although things have their importance especially having dragon tattoos bring good luck for them, but power and strength are the two unique traits that stand out from all other characteristics. Though they seem similar, but they aren't!

A powerful dragon tattoo means great abilities of leadership or simply having great control over others in optimistic terms. That's why during the imperial era in China, the dragon was the symbol of emperor or king, and amazingly he was the only one to represent dragons!

Though dragon tattoo means fortune, but only if you have a tattooed dragon facing upward. If by any means you made it facing downward, it will bring a bad omen for you.

Yin Yang Dragon Tattoo Meaning

Above, we mentioned the two halves of Yin Yang; you might be wondering what it is! Let's find a little more about them before proceeding to the next tier of Japanese tattoos. This usually depicts the tattoo wrapped around the yin yang symbol. Yin yang symbols are the symbolism of the flow of energy.

They also represent the equalization of powers and quantities of the universe. Yang dragons represent courage and motives, while yin dragons symbolize the darker energy full of emotional examination of oneself. Yin marks for the feminine character, while yang is more related to masculine nature.

Along with these symbols, whatever dragon you choose, it will say something deep about the reality of your personality.

 Japanese Dragon Tattoo Meaning

Chinese are not alone in this race; the Japanese are also true lovers of the dragon for centuries. Like other Eastern countries, the Japanese have also taken the optimistic sense of dragons and the tattoos associated with them. Japanese tattoos are usually colorful in nature. A few tales about the ancient time tells that the first Japanese emperor was the heir of the dragon.

For the Japanese, dragons usually represent the protection of multiple things like your family, wealth, power, and even longer life. You would usually notice that the Japanese prefer tattoos with water surrounding them. They consider water as an indication of life and the natural habitat of dragons. Might be their fire-producing ability has made some connection with the water, but there's no such prominent tale of cultural note that depicts such a thing.

They consider dragons as the ambassador of happiness with a strong emphasis on protection. That's why strong people, who are strong enough to protect the people surrounding them, usually prefer these tattoos.

There's are certain kinds of tattoos named Yazuka, which is actually a prominent crime group in Japan. According to their thinking, the dragon depicts the duality of Earth and heaven. They consider there no clear winner or loser in this world, as we all have to reach another point which people usually call as life hereafter.

These are usually made on the upper part of the body because the Yazuka gang believes that dragons are meant to rule the skies. They consider it a disgrace to place them on the lower half of the body.

The further exploration of Japanese dragon tattoo meaning brings us to the revelation of six distinct types of dragons with varying colors depicting their own unique meanings:

Every color of the dragon represents a different meaning; just like we explained the red dragon tattoo meaning, we will now we revealing the other color categories of dragon and the meanings associated with them:

Red dragon tattoo meaning

There are multiple colored tattoos like blue, golden, black, green, and even purple, but the charm of red color is matchless. It's more like Chinese tattoos, but you can make any style with the color depicting toughness and strength.

Just imagine for a moment, isn't red color gives a fierce and stronger feel? Girls have a natural affinity for the red color; that's why red-colored tattoos are pretty common among the tough guys.

Girls also make it to attract the men as it symbolizes pleasures and confidence in overcoming the obstructions. As red color is also a symbol of love, passion, and courage, that's why people opt for it to complete their personalities; usually, people with strong character do this daring work.  

Red color also symbolizes strength, so if you want to showcase your bravery with tattooed style, then there's no better alternative than this one. Dragons are also a symbol of magical powers, so the red color depicts it exactly.

Red dragon tattoo meaning also touches the boundaries of individuality. These meanings are not mere meanings but symbols of real powers in them.    

Black color dragon tattoo meaning

It usually represents wisdom and experience. Black-colored tattoos are very common for centuries due to the uniqueness and attraction of this color. A few people also associate these black colored dragons with a vengeance.

Some believe that black-colored tattoos are more indicative of the dark and feared side of the world. This dark and feared side of the world has very deep meanings engraved in them. It speaks out that either you are an independent person or you are a tough guy who doesn't speak much. Both of these indicate wisdom-filled silent nature.

Green color dragon tattoo meaning 

Green is the nature of color that's why green dragons usually represent life and nature. An interesting fact about these dragons is that they usually have smaller sizes than most of the other dragons.

Some tales refer to the theory of green dragons that they are branches between Earth and heaven, just like green is the combo of blue and yellow. It's also regarded as a dividing line between cool and warm colors. Due to these reasons, green dragons represent life and death. It basically understands the fact that life is something more from worldly life.

People who are usually in life opt-out for green-colored tattoos. 

Blue color dragon tattoo meaning

Blue color has an association from the West, usually lazy dragon but with the abilities of compassion and love. There is a strong co-relation between blue dragon and astrological stars, especially Sagittarius, Leo, and Aries.

You might know or might be unaware of it that these stars themselves convey a very strong message. Like people having Sagittarius are usually independent in nature. Open-minded people have Aries as their astrological star. So usually, people with open opinions on politics, religion, and other such topics usually opt out for blue-colored tattoos. 

Gold color dragon tattoo meaning

Gold color is filled with optimistic qualities such as kindness, wisdom, and helpfulness. These tattoos rarely seem independent means in just one color; most of the time, there are multiple colors along with gold style.

Golden Dragon has been regarded as the king of other dragons as it's the ambassador of life on Earth. During the journey of the unveiling dragon tattoo, meaning, golden dragon tattoo is real gold. For the Chinese, it depicts humans' most valuable traits and characteristics.

Chinese history speaks of the direct relation between gold dragon and emperor; that's why they regard it with much respect. 

Purple color dragon tattoo meaning

A purple shows that you have the power to rule others with kindness and respect. Basically, the purple dragon tattoo has a closer level of interaction with royals in a lot of cultures. Many emperors have kept their flags in purple color and usually a dragon over them.

This tattoo best suits people who have the vision to rule the world for its betterment by bringing rapid change throughout. For the Chinese, the purple dragon also symbolizes heaven.   

Aztec Dragon Tattoo Meaning

Aztec tattoos have once belonged to the Aztec people of Mexico and Central America. Over time, these tattoos became part of their rituals by calling tattooed people as near to God. The artistic view of every tattoo was meant to indicate tribes and their worriers.

Even nowadays, a few people found these tattoos interesting because of their unique, fierce look.

Korean Dragon Tattoo Meaning

Like Chinese and Japanese civilizations, Korean also showed affinity towards the various types of dragon tattoos. There are multiple meanings associated with these Korean tattoos, but the most amazing and widely heard is luck. The tattooed person is also considered as kind and affectionate to others.

Some Korean traditions also associate dragon tattoos with power means the wearer becomes powerful with these amazingly styled tattoos. Korean tattoos are usually engraved in flying positions on bodies. Mostly, Korean see these tattoos in more spiritual terms than most of the Chinese and Japanese. Dragon tattoos are the core part of Korean culture folks and stories.

One tale elaborates the mystery behind joining these tattoos with kindness and affection. It states that there was a Dragon King who was extremely kind and affectionate to others. He used to welcome people wholeheartedly with utmost generosity. This figure of history became a symbol of kindness for the generations to come.

Vietnamese Dragon Tattoo Meaning

For the Vietnamese, especially the Vietnamese farmer's dragon tattoo is the symbol of clouds, rain, thunder, and lightning. Dragon has also been associated with kinship as per the norms of Vietnamese culture and society. The famous Lac Lock Quan, known as the forefather of Vietnamese people, was also called as the son of a dragon.

It was customary in Chinese, Vietnamese, and a few tales suggest in Japanese culture that the powerful most kings were often called as decedents of the dragons. Vietnamese tattoos are often complex and detailed in nature.     

Celtic Dragon Tattoo Meaning

Dragons are one of the powerful entities of Celtic culture. From flags to armors and clothing to weapons, dragons have left an influence on most of their ancient history. Though being close to western culture, these people didn't believe their concepts about dragons. They didn't second the ideas of westerners who think that dragons are the master of destruction and bad omen.

Celtic believe that dragons are the guardians of the universe's secret. Celtic dragon tattoos usually present designs with interwoven ropes-like structures. These designs usually present wisdom and spirituality.

In Celtic's beliefs, the Celtic dragon is more concerned with the mythical powers, like the king author worn it on his helmet.                

Dragon Tattoo Meaning of Various Fascinating Designs

Dragon tattoos have kept no boundaries that can keep them confined; that's why these tattoos became part of every culture; these also became associated with multiple colors and feelings. But the main thing that leads them stand out even among the people of the same culture is their designs.

Tattoo designs usually grew higher and higher over time, and still, there's no chance this trend is going to stop anywhere. Some people tried one design; others preferred another one, while many used the combos to make them look fascinating. Dragon with water or dragon with fire, these also combinations added more mystery to the dragon tattoo meanings.

So now, if you know the Japanese dragon tattoo meaning but unaware of various colors joined with them, then your information is incomplete. Similar is the case with designs of the dragon tattoo. Every design has its own meaning, but when two designs merge, they generate other unique meanings.

Let's dive into multiple designs and their combinations to see what dragon tattoo meanings a particular design conveys:

Snake and Dragon Tattoo Meaning

Dragon tattoos, along with snakes, have left a strong impression over multiple cultures because these two fierce creatures symbolize various distinguished beliefs that clash with the modernity of every era.

These two animals are though fearing, but they also represent power. Dragons and snakes both represent danger but strength as well. Such varying traits developed an association with their names, and it expanded to the limits that people now call them divergence between various realities of the world.

The biggest of all is a divergence between tradition and modernity. It also represents the clash between science and religion. Knowingly or unknowingly, the dragon and snake combo has presented a philosophical side of the universe.

There's no denying that modern generations have adopted these tattoos as a symbol of strength and beauty regardless of who they look and what original meaning they convey.

Such tattoo mostly suits those people who have mysterious nature of seeing the various facets of the universe. Some people call them another form of yin and yang.

Snake tattoo represents more rationale side while dragon symbolizes wild ambitions. These two uniquely powerful creatures create a perfect balance in personalities.

Flowers and Dragon Tattoo Meaning 

Interestingly, this combo has invaded multiple cultures, from Chinese to Vietnamese and from Korean to Japanese. Dragon flower makes the strong foundation of this combo. The roots of dragon flowers go back to esoteric origin. Some people believe that flowers were the origin of tattoos.

So when these archaic creatures combine, they communicate grace. Red rose, along with the dragon, has its tattooed family, which considers roses as powerful as the snake fangs in terms of visuals.

The red rose symbolizes fiery passion, and dragons are fiery in terms of power. Their combination symbolizes extreme passion for love or power. They have a deep association with these terms, like a dragon to power and a flower to love. If we draw its generic meanings, then it would simply call a person who is passionate enough about love that he/she can do anything to make it happen.

Dragon and Tiger Tattoo Meaning

Most of the combinations usually present opposing meanings like yin and yang or, more precisely, snake and dragon present contradiction between science and religion. On the same pattern, this combo also presents contradictory beliefs, especially as per Chinese mythology. But here, the meanings are a bit deep than in the case of snake and dragon. Let's us unroll the mystery for you.

They present contradictory duality, which simply means being the same but different at the same time. It's like something which is true, but if you turn the other side, it will come as false. For instance, both of these represent power and strength; that's their commonality.

But the tiger is naturally powerful, but dragons become powerful due to their creation. You might have grabbed the central idea of real thought behind these tattoos.

As explained earlier, when two tattoos combine, they present an open invitation to philosophy to intervene. And in the above few lines, you would have felt the impacts of philosophy.

There's another myth that Chinese culture has blessed the dragon and tiger tattoo, meanings that the tiger is the guardian of the West. In contrast, the dragon is meant for the East. This creates another proof of the cultural clash between the civilizations.

It also depicts the two energies or forces balancing each other. That's why we earlier called it having brotherly meaning to yin and yang.

Ouroboros Tattoo Meaning

Ouroboros tattoo meaning is very much understandable from its symbol. A circular serpent eating its own tail presents the eternal circle of life.

The circle starting from birth, and then reaching another peak named as death and finally again rebirth. If we give a closer look at the symbol of Ouroboros, it represents a tailed snake dragon eating its own tail. Now again, visualize the meaning of the eternal circle of life.

In philosophical terms, an eternal circle generally means a thing that never ends; birth, death, and rebirth go on infinitely. This symbol is so old that we can found its traces in ancient Egypt on the funeral chamber of the pyramid of unis.  This symbol has been widely used by researchers to present the eternity of their research.

An innovative way of using this amazing tattoo is to wrap it around your finger to give it a more appealing look.

Dragon and Phoenix Tattoo Meaning

Do you remember where we talked about it? Don't worry; we give you a glance at it. While talking about yin yang tattoos under the Chinese dragon tattoo meaning, we called Phoenix as the second half.

Phoenix actually represents rebirth and redemption. The stories about Phoenix indicate that this creature was totally ended up but again reborn from the ashes. This gives tattoo wearer the power to keep up the struggle and try to raise up even you are at the bottom of the journey.

In Chinese mythology, Phoenix and dragon are the two most powerful mythological creatures. For the Chinese, dragon and phoenix tattoo meanings are a bit different from others. They call it as order and stability.

These also have an association with yin yang, as Phoenix and dragon are the elements of fire. This creates a balance that yin yang actually conveys. These tattoos also call for long-lasting relation. People also believe that Phoenix and dragon tattooed person has excellent martial life. These two present the strength between the two lovers.

Overall, Phoenix is an ambassador of struggle and rising from the extreme bottom, so it feels like a rebirth. We can relate this to any particular event of our life where we have felt at the end. Life seems to end there, but a phoenix tattooed person takes it as the start of a new life.             

Tribal Dragon Tattoo Design Meaning

Tribal tattoos are getting popular nowadays due to their unique and more natural styles. These aren't much complicated just consist of dragon illustrations. Amazingly these dragons usually don't have wings.

Most of the cultures see these dragons as evil creatures but still mark their tattoos with the words of strength and protection. They are also often illustrated in which dragons are biting their tails which symbolizes the circles of life.

Dragon Koi Tattoo Meaning

Just like Phoenix, the Koi tattoo also keeps the wearer motived to keep moving in life. Koi tattoo means passing through hardships and struggling to get desired aim to give you all that you need.

Different people use this design in multiple variations; some prefer to make dragons and koi fishing facing each other, while a few others make a combo of them with the body of one and the head of the other. Some others like to keep water in the background, while most like to keep fire and water along with these two creatures.

These tattoos are usually bigger in size. Koi symbolizes struggle while the dragon is the ambassador of luck and power, so these both combine to convey the idea of transformation and rebirth.

In eastern culture, the struggle of Koi is presented as that Koi would have been a dragon if by some means he had reached the highest peak where the dragon was living. That's the real mystery of life; the river is flowing, the peak is in front of us, if we did it, we would be standing victorious if we tried; our struggle would be remembered, but in case if we didn't, then no one remembers the losers.

The people having such tattoos usually prefer to struggle in their life and give their optimal potential to achieve maximum status in life. That's actually the philosophical as well as the generic reality of life.

Fairy and Dragon Tattoo Meaning

Just like others, these two also present opposite energies but uniting to give a perfect blend for all creations. If you are looking for a dragon tattoo meaning on a woman/man, then luckily, here's the answer.

Fairy has more of feminine, while dragon elaborates masculine. Fairy represents the beauty, grace, and power of emotions. The dragon represents strong, powerful and energy. These two tattoos communicate the differences and complementarity among these two genders.

Just visualize how these two utterly opposite creations can be joined under one name of fairy dragon, how delicacy and strength can unite! They present a unique fairy having four legs with butterfly wings like dragons, but least resilient than others of this kind.

According to cultural tales, fairy dragons though being sensitive and delicate, throws gaseous poison over others. These gases are powerful enough to cause memory loss, loss of consciousness, and even sometimes death.

Conclusion

Whatever tattoo you choose, whatever the culture you have, one thing that weighs more than anything else is your likeness to a particular design.

Dragon tattoo meanings are important, and it's better to get them to match with your personality. But even you didn't go for it; even then, these amazing tattoos have always something good for you.