Tattoos of Chinese symbols have maintained their popularity over a long period of time. There are a number of reasons: a wearer can express an idea or an emotion with one or two characters; to a non-Chinese speaking person it is different and exotic, with an air of mystery; there are thousands of symbols from which to choose to make it easier find the right one. Some characters have changed little over several thousand years, which links the wearer to an ancient people who have one of the earliest forms of writing.

Many ladies are of the opinion that their tattoos should not be too visible with the emphasis being on it being smaller and somewhere more intimate, whereby men will opt for bigger bolder tattoos that run either down their legs, arms, back or across their chest.