Tattoos that commemorate friendship are popular for two people or a larger group. They allow friends to proudly show off their friendship to the world with designs that represent their relationship. If you’re thinking about getting a friendship tattoo, you’re in the right place!
On this page, we will take a look at why people decide to get friendship tattoos and some of the best friendship tattoo ideas out there today.
Most often, friendship tattoos match or correspond, although some are more obvious than others. For example, it’s easy to tell when friends have friendship tattoos when they both have infinity symbols on their arms, but it’s much harder to decipher when they have two different characters on the same parts of their bodies. Some friends want everyone to know that they have friendship tattoos, while others want them to keep them private.
These friendship images serve as a reminder of the commitment that two or more friends have made to one another and the relationship that it is based on. Sure, many people decide to get friendship tattoos without putting too much thought into it, but many recognize that they are getting their friendship tattoos because they truly feel like they will be friends for life. It’s a bonding experience unlike any other since you are willing to put an image or two on your skin simply to celebrate your relationship with that other person.
Most friends unite in commonalities and traits or qualities that are shared between them. For example, if both people have a shared love for a cartoon, they might both get the same character tattooed on their skin or they will get their two favorites. The key here is for both parties to be in full agreement over what friendship tattoos will mean the most to them for the rest of their lives. It’s vital that the images don’t mean more to one person than the other since that is a potential recipe for disaster.
Friendship tattoos are created and designed to bond people even more closely, as well as celebrate the relationships that have been shaped. This is why many people decide to get their friendship tattoos after a life-changing moment they share, such as getting into college or when they go on a memorable vacation together. When those moments pop up, friends often recognize just how important they are to each other and they decide to get their friendship tattoos to celebrate their kinship.
“Best Friend” necklaces and bracelets make a nostalgic symbol of friendship that draws back to the conjoining jewelry that was shared by friends as children. These necklaces feature a pendant that breaks into two or more pieces and can be put back together again to create the whole image.
Often, hearts, puzzle pieces, lock and key, or yin yangs are used as they break into two pieces in an aesthetically pleasing way. It’s important that both people think about the full meaning that they want in their friendship tattoos to make the designs that much more special.
Another friendship tattoo option is the image of two halves, one on each friend, or more if necessary. These look kind of odd when the other parts of the image are nowhere to be found, but that’s kind of the point since it shows that the owners aren’t complete without their friends in their lives. If you do decide to get one of these types of friendship tattoos, make sure you work with an artist who can make the images pop on their own while also lining them up with the other parts of the image.
Butterflies are common “halved” friendship tattoos with female friends who each choose to get a half on the hand or foot where the tattoos can be brought together to create the whole butterfly. The butterfly represents both freedom and transformation, so when two friends get this type of friendship tattoo they are saying that even though they are changing, they will always be there for their friends and will grow up with them.
The key and lock or broken yin yang also work well as halved tattoos. The key and the lock design is simple: one person will get the key on their body, such as on the back of their neck, and the other will have the key. The yin yang, which represents perfect balance, is a fantastic halved friendship tattoo since it shows that the two people need one another to feel complete, or “in balance.”
No matter the halved image chosen, the symmetry of the pieces of the symbol serves as a means of bonding two or more people in their relationship. Some people see these friendship tattoos as having extra meaning since the owners are willing to only get half of an image in order to show how strong their bonds are with their friends. Many of them also look pretty cool and mysterious on their own, too, and they usually don’t look like incomplete tattoos.
Many people also choose to incorporate the words “best” and “friends” into the tattoo, having each person receive either word. It symbolizes the unity and feeling of completion that is conjured when the pieces are brought together. It’s not usually advised to get the words without images, though, since either word by itself looks a little odd. Having one of the words going along the lines of one of the other friendship tattoos mentioned on this page can work quite well, though.
Receiving the same image as another is also a way to cement a friendship with someone. While it is not advised to get a friendship tattoo to “save” your relationship with a friend, it sometimes is a good idea to get a friendship tattoo when you both recognize that you need that relationship in your lives.
Sometimes friends take a voluntary or involuntary break from each other and it takes that time apart to recognize how important they are to one another. Many, many friendship tattoos have been designed and inked for this reason.
Anchors, hearts, or identical passages are popular friendship tattoo images. However, the particular symbol chosen is irrelevant as long as it is a representation of friendship.
Most of the time it is recommended to take your time to find the most meaningful tattoo designs out there, but in the case of friendship tattoos, it’s far more important that the friends all agree on the design. Ideally, the friends all agree on a very meaningful tattoo that is both personal and relates to the friendship, but that’s not totally necessary.
That being said, you will want to sit down with your friend before committing to a design. Talk long and hard about if it’s a good idea and, if it is, what images best represent your friendship. Do you have a favorite song and want to get matching lyric tattoos? Do you both eat a lot of the same fruit? Is there a particular symbol that you have both always loved? Ask a lot of questions and be very honest in your answers. No one who plans on getting a friendship tattoo should simply accept a design because one or more other people like it.
Once you have come up with a friendship tattoo design that you love, then it’s time to figure out where to have it placed. If you want it to be private, then you should be thinking about cool designs that work on the back of the neck, the back, the leg, or anywhere else that isn’t always visible. If you don’t care where it’s placed, then you’ll just have to figure out the areas of your body where the friendship tattoo will look best.
If you take your time on the design, find a great place to put it, and work with a great artist, there’s a very good chance that you will end up with meaningful friendship tattoos that you will love for the rest of your life.