Arabic tattoos are definitively in fashion in the world of the rich and the famous. And I don’t mean temporary tattos done with henna. This is perhaps surprising, because there are hardly any tattoos to be seen in the Arab World. In the West, however, tattoos have come a long way from the time when they were essentially associated with sailors and soldiers. Nowadays, having a permanent inking on your skin is no longer a sign of low class.
Recently, celebrities like actress Angelina Jolie, football player Zlatan Ibrahimović, and pop star Rihanna have been getting Arabic phrases and words tattooed on their bodies. But, do they really know the meaning of the words they are eternalizing on their skin? Let’s take a look at the tattoos and their meanings:
Angelina Jolie: the firm will
First off is Angelina Jolie who it seems has already filled every inch of her skin with some writing or other. Her latest addition is this Arabic tattoo:
Angelina Jolie's Arabic Tattoo
Taking a closer look we can make out the Arabic word العزيمة (al-‘azeema), meaning “the determination” or “the firm will” on her right forearm. Jolie certainly strikes me as a woman who knows what she wants – so it seems that this tattoo is quite fitting. However, the word can also mean “the incantation” or “the spell”.
While the Arabic script chosen for the tattoo is pretty plain, Angelina (or one of her assistants) has at least done enough research to ensure that the word is spelled correctly – no slipups here.
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Moving on to Zlatan Ibrahimović, the top football player:
Zlatan Ibrahimović's Arabic Tatoo
For those learning Arabic, the tattoo might be pretty confusing. Fear not, the solution is simple: the inscription is simply a transliteration of Ibrahimović’s surname – in Arabic إبراهيموفيج (ibraaheemoofeedj).
Since the Arabic letters don’t correspond one-to-one with our English letters, the tattooist (or someone who speaks fluent Arabic) had to choose something that is as close as possible to the actual pronunciation of the name Ibrahimović. For example, there is no “v” in the Arabic alphabet. The next best thing is the “f” sound.
Maybe the egocentricity demonstrated by Ibrahimović’s choice of word is not to everyone’s taste. But, at least the tattoo is spelled and written correctly.
Rihanna
Finally, let’s see what singer Rihanna has engraved on her waste:
Rihanna's Arabic Tattoo
The Arabic reads الحرية في مسيح (al-horriya fi maseeh), or in English “the freedom in Messiah”. Huh? Seems like Rihanna is quite a religious one, but why hide the message of salvation in Arabic rather than show it off to her (supposedly) bigger English-speaking audience? Perhaps her religious convictions are more of a private thing for her after all?
Well, be that as it may. What is certain, is that the phrase should have read correctly الحرية في المسيح (al-horriya fi al-maseeh), or “the freedom in the Messiah”. Not all is lost, though, since there still is ample space to insert the Arabic article AL before the word Messiah. So, Rihanna, another visit to the tattooist?
If you want to follow the celebrities’ example and get an Arabic tattoo yourself, then make sure that you know exactly the meaning of the words you are engraving for life. Better yet, why not learn the Arabic alphabet yourself so that you can be sure that the words are written correctly?
Watch out for my next post to be published soon on embarrassing errors to avoid when you are getting an Arabic tattoo.
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If you’re looking for accurate and unique Arabic tattoo designs, then you need to check out my all new Arabic Tattoos collection.
Update: The second article about Arabic tattoos is up.
Update: If you want to see some good examples of tattoo templates, check out my two blog posts where I fulfill reader requests:
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Hi i was wondering if you could send me a picture of “The Determination” in different fonts so i could take a proper look at it! I am thinking of getting this as a tattoo but i dont want to make any mistakes?!? Thanks very much xx
Hi Rachel!
You can find the picture containing “the determination” in different fonts in the comments section of my post here.
Enjoy!
Hi I wanted to get a tattoo in arabic script saying “BELOVED”……can you help me with that?
Hi Milena this is beloved in arabic just copy and paste it into wordpad and change the font to something bigger and you can have a good look at it الحبيب
Thanks for trying to help out Dean! However, I would like to point out that “beloved” has more than one translation. The one you gave – الحبيب – translates as “the beloved” and often has a religious meaning to it as a honorific title of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad. Other variations such as حبيبي (“my beloved/darling” for a man) and حبيبتي (“my beloved/darling” for a woman) might be better suited in some cases. If “beloved” is used as an adjective in conjunction with something else, it’s also possible to use محبوب (for a man) or محبوبة (for a woman).
Additionally, it’s not a good idea to simply copy and paste Arabic text if you aren’t familiar with the Arabic alphabet and have ensured that your PC can handle the Arabic script properly.
There are 6 designs each for the male and female version of “my darling” in my Arabic Tattoos eBook and 4 designs each for “beloved”. There are also designs included for “my beloved husband” and “my beloved wife” as well as 3 designs each for “beloved of my heart”.
Can anyone help with the translation for “Just Breath” as in to take a breath.
مجرد التنفس would this be correct and is any other ways that it could be understood?
So I wanted to just find the arabic translation and writing for “Free Spirited” or “hope.” Ive found a few translations for these but i wanted to make sure they are correct.
i want one that goes kind of similar to “posh’s”. the one that goes down her neck, but is it correct? someone contact me?
thanks.
ArabicGenie: I removed your e-mail address from this comment. Otherwise you might receive a lot of spam e-mails in the future.
MDR, are you referring to Victoria Beckham (“Posh Spice”)? I’ve taken a look at her tattoo that goes down the neck and to me it looks like Hebrew not Arabic. Or were you referring to someone else?
hi is there any way i could get the translation of NO STRUGGLE NO PROGRESS IN ARAB script
i’m looking into getting a Arabic tattoo. However, everyone is giving different versions of my tattoo. Please help I would like it to read….MY LIFE MY LOVES JOHN AMANDA WILLIAM
I’m thinking of getting an Arabic tattoo and would like it to say “Float through the chaos”
have tried some translation sites but when I have checked the results on other sites it hasn’t matched!! Which (if any) is right??? Help!!
تطفو من خلال الفوضى
فلت ثرغ ذي شوس
Hi, this is a brilliant site!
Can you help me with the translation of the question:
Will I know when I am living?
Many thanks!
can you help by translating Free as a Butterfly..
thanks
i was wondering if you could translate “Reach for the Sky” in Arabic. I want to get it as a tat.
thanks
hello, i really want to to get a tatto in Arabic, and i honestly do not want something spelled wrong on my body FOREVER. i’d love to be help , and have
” There is a light that never goes out”
- translated in a Arabic ; pleaseee ?, i’ll appreciate it with all my heart
.
Hello Arabic Genie, one of my friends here in Mexico found this tattoo that she would like to get, but dooesn’t know the meaning. Could you please help? The text is أمي قلبي
Hi Rakesh! The Arabic text you provide is:
أمي قلبي
which translates as “my mother, my heart” or “my mother is my heart”, meaning that the speaker’s mother is very dear to him/her.
“there is a light that never goes out ; would this be it ? هناك ضوء أبدا أن يخرج
Hi there, I am looking to have “Grace” as in Grace of God tattoed in Arabic. I seem to have found a million variations. Grace of God seems easier to find and I wouldnt mind that if it is less likely to be the wrong context. Any help appreciated!
Thanks
Hi Christine! I recently did a blog post about “compassion” in Arabic. As it so happens, that same Arabic word I chose also means “grace”, as in grace of God. You can find the blog post with three designs for the word here. If you require more choice, better quality and a pronunciation guide, then please consider ordering a custom tattoo design.