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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

My £100 tattoo is the wrong tattoo ...aibu to complain?

180 replies

Llisadfd · 17/02/2018 10:21

About 7 years ago I got a tattoo on my wrist of the Chinese symbol “mother”
My mum died when I was a teenager so I had this idea that it would be nice.
A few months ago I started a new job and made friends with a lady from China...she informed me my mum tattoo wasn’t the correct symbol for mum and in fact it didn’t mean anything.
I’m so upset,would you go back to the shop?

OP posts:
WeAllHaveWings · 17/02/2018 10:58

Where did you get the "writing" from? Internet, tattoo parlour?

It still your responsibility to check you are 100% sure of something before permanently marking your body.

Original poster
Llisadfd · 17/02/2018 10:59

When I went in the shop they had big boards with patterns/tribal /symbols etc.
Under mother was this symbol.

OP posts:
SistersOfPercy · 17/02/2018 11:01

What would your mum think? I know mine would laugh, if yours would look at it that way.
DH has a Chinese tattoo, he's good friends with a Chinese guy though so he checked it with him first.

MayFayner · 17/02/2018 11:01

But you got the tattoo to remind you of your mum. What it means to other people doesn't matter, it's meaning to you is the important thing.

Zaphodsotherhead · 17/02/2018 11:05

I agree - that symbol represents your mum to you, even if it doesn't say 'mother'. If your mum loved daisies and you had a tattoo of a daisy and some bugger said 'but daisies only have x number of petals, that's not really a daisy!' would you want it changed? It is what it represents to you, not what it says.

And how big is it? Most wrist tattoos you can either cover with a sleeve, a big watch strap or a plaster.

UgandanKnuckles · 17/02/2018 11:05

Did you pick the symbol or did the shop tell you that's what it meant? A tattooist friend of mine would only do foreign language tattoos that the customer had brought in examples of themselves for this reason.

HostaFireAndIce · 17/02/2018 11:07

I'm afraid that, according to the urban legends about Chinese symbol tattoos, you're lucky that it doesn't mean something rude...

UgandanKnuckles · 17/02/2018 11:08

Sorry, cross post.

I think after seven years you'll be onto plums in any case.

abigailsnan · 17/02/2018 11:08

My half Chinese DIL says symbols are different depending which area of China you visit maybe the tattooist was using a dialect different from the one your Chinese friend was brought up with.

Els1e · 17/02/2018 11:08

This is annoying but I can see how it happened as there may be different ways of representing mother. I don’t think you can go back after 7 years. Is there anyway you can get a new tattoo to adjust the symbol? Did your mum have a favourite flower? Perhaps apply to the tv programme tattoo fixers to see if they can come up with something more meaningful.

DotCottonDotCom · 17/02/2018 11:08

Does your tattoo remind you of your mum? Then to me thats what matters too?

Is the actual symbol much different from what you have? Is it worth fixing?

The cost of your tattoo i dont think means much - depends on the artist and how long you were in for/how big the tattoo is.

SoupDragon · 17/02/2018 11:09

Does the tattoo remind you of your mother? If yes, there is no problem, especially as it is apparently meaningless.

Original poster
Llisadfd · 17/02/2018 11:12

It does yeah ..I think about her everyday.
I know people might think it’s pointless as she wasn’t Chinese etc but it does mean something to me.

OP posts:
monkeywithacowface · 17/02/2018 11:13

If you like the look of the symbol and it still reminds you of your mum then just leave it be. A cover up is possible but unlikely you would be able to cover it with the right symbol as I imagine it would need to be something bigger that the original can be blended into?

I imagine there are hundreds of people wandering around with meaningless chinese symbols tattooed on their bodies.

PenelopeFlintstone · 17/02/2018 11:14

One Chinese website lists three ways to express 'mother' in Chinese characters. This one seems to have four! Look at this, OP. Your tattoo might be on here.
dictionary.hantrainerpro.com/chinese-english/translation-mama_mother.htm

monkeywithacowface · 17/02/2018 11:14

Sorry that last sentence sounded mean. I just mean if you attribute meaning to the symbol then to you it represents your mum and doesn't really matter what the actual meaning of the symbol is to anyone else.

iBiscuit · 17/02/2018 11:15

Style it out. When people ask what it means, tell them it was meant to say "mother", but doesn't. Think of it as an amusing typo.

I know what it's like to lose your mum though. It's shit, isn't it Flowers

PhelanThePain · 17/02/2018 11:17

When I went in the shop they had big boards with patterns/tribal /symbols etc.

Ive never understood why anyone would walk into a tattooists and pick a tattoo off a board. You’re putting that on your skin!! Permanently! Give it a bit of thought, research etc. I also wouldn’t trust a tattooist that would just tattoo someone who walked in and picked off a board.

I like the idea of having a tattoo of improved song lyrics

Me too! imagine meeting the artist and having to say “I think my way is better” Grin

ReanimatedSGB · 17/02/2018 11:18

After seven years, the tattooist who did your original tattoo may have moved on, and it's unlikely that they will have any record of your custom. TBH they will very probably tell you to sod off because they percieve you as a chancer wanting free or discounted work.

You can, however, get your tattoo covered up if you want - consult any good tattooist.

Mind you, have you tried Googling the symbol you actually have? It might mean 'mother' in a different dialect'. Or it could mean 'gullible cultural appropriator'...

strawberrypenguin · 17/02/2018 11:19

Sorry I think you would be unreasonable. It was 7 years ago and you really should have checked before getting it done. If it reminds you of your mum does it really matter?

NewYearNewMe18 · 17/02/2018 11:19

People mention canton and Mandarin but there are 8 major languages in China and thousands of dialects, each wit their own symbols.

Exactly which language did you pick your tattoo in because 'Chinese' is like saying 'English' when you mean the runic alphabet.

Leilaniiii · 17/02/2018 11:20

Oh, look! A Working Class person with tattoos! Let's all sneer at her!

Seriously PP's, how can you be so mean? The OP thought she was doing something nice to remember her mum by. It is ridiculous to suggest she learns Mandarin before having the tattoo. OP, please check with another Chinese person. And ask them what it DOES mean.

And no, you can't really go back, but I would wait to see what the tattoo actually does say before you make any rash decisions.

BookHelpPlease · 17/02/2018 11:20

It doesn't really matter what it technically means does it? You can't read it so to you it reminds you of your mother which is what its for.

Besides there are so many different dialects in China you can just say its a very rare one.

Bufferingkisses · 17/02/2018 11:21

The symbol you have has no meaning in a language sense but it means your mother to you. Ignore your colleague, tattoos are about what they mean to you not anyone else.

YoloSwaggins · 17/02/2018 11:21

I've heard this so many times....people thinking their Chinese tattoo mean "love" or "hope" but actually it says "fat slag" or "noodle soup"