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19 Best Hand Tattoo Designs And Their Meanings

8 Mins read

Hands have been a favorite spot to get a tattoo on, especially among tribal people, and it is pretty common for most people to get inked on them. Since hands are a relatively less painful area to get tattooed, you can show off your hand tattoo and take care of it easily, making your hands even more perfect for getting inked. There are numerous hand tattoo designs that involve many patterns and styles for the fingers, forearms, wrist, and inner arms. Hence, we have curated a list of the best hand tattoo designs that you can take inspiration from for your next tattoo. Scroll down.

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1. Skull Hand Tattoo

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The skull hand tattoo is a fairly common tattoo among teenagers and young adults. You can design your skull tattoo with your favorite quote, a bunch of flowers, or other interesting patterns to make it more personal. This skull tattoo covers your entire upper palm and is shaded beautifully.

Placement: This tattoo design can be sported on the back of your hand.
Ink Color: You can go for the basic black ink for this one.
Skin Tone: This tattoo looks great on fair-skinned people.

2. Traditional Hand Tattoo

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Traditional designs are also a great idea for your upper palm. They are especially popular among women who go for small hand tattoos. This sailor girl tattoo is ideal for anyone who loves traveling and symbolizes that the wearer will navigate through the stormy seas of life with ease.

Placement: This is a tattoo design for the back of your hand.
Ink Color: Get it done in bold colors like black, red, and yellow.
Skin Tone: It looks best on fair to medium skin tones.

3. Small Hand Tattoo For Women

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Many women prefer going for small tattoos on their fingers. This design is pretty, experimental, and minimalistic, making it one of our top choices for hand tattoos.

Placement: Get this pretty tattoo inked on your fingers.
Ink Color: Black ink will make this small design pop and look mesmerizing.
Skin Tone: This tattoo will look gorgeous on pale and fair skin tones.

4. Henna-Inspired Hand Tattoo

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These stunning tattoos take design inspiration from traditional henna/mehendi art. Henna designs featuring mandalas, semi-circular motifs, and other abstract patterns look great when done down the length of your arm.

Placement: This is an appealing tattoo for your forearm.
Ink Color: Choose either brown or black ink for this tattoo.
Skin Tone: People with medium and dusky skin tones can sport this tattoo.

5. Fierce Hand Tattoo

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Fierce tattoos are perfect to be sported by badass women. Get this rough tiger portrait on the back of your hand if you want to give off a “Back off!” vibe to all your haters.

Body Placement: Best suited for the back of your hand.
Ink Color: Use any ink color that you please.
Skin Tone: Best for people with fair or medium skin tone.

6. Heart Hand Tattoo

elnegrodeltattoo / Instagram

A minimalistic line drawing of a heart looks delicate and neat. Such tattoo designs are ideal for both men and women of all ages as they look really cool and quirky.

Placement: Get this tattoo on one of your fingers.
Ink Color: Use jet black ink for this tattoo.
Skin Tone: This tattoo looks great on all skin tones.

7. Dragon Eye Hand Tattoo

hometowntattoos / Instagram

Since time immemorial, dragons have been a symbol of power and magic. These mystical fire-breathing creatures make for a great hand tattoo, especially for people with a bold personality that oozes confidence.

Placement: Get this tattoo inked on the lower half of the back of your hand.
Ink Color: Use vibrant colors like teal blue and electric green.
Skin Tone: Best for fair to medium skin tones.

8. Star Tattoo For The Hand

fahripiroglu / Instagram

Stars are one of the most common and cute tattoo designs of all time. You can get this tattoo with your BFF as a testament to your friendship. It oozes feminine energy, and you can play around with its design to suit your personal style.

Placement: Your fingers and the sides of your hand are the best places for these tattoos.
Ink Color: Black is the most preferred color for this tattoo.
Skin Tone: This tattoo looks great on dusky skin tones.

9. Floral Hand Tattoo

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If you are looking for a tattoo that is cute yet meaningful, consider getting a floral tattoo. When it comes to picking the flower you want to get inked on your hand, there are endless options to choose from. You can go for the flower associated with your birth month or your favorite flower as well.

Placement: Place this tattoo on your thumb or fingers.
Ink Color: You can go for simple black or a stunning watercolor effect in pastel hues.
Skin Tone: People of all skin tones can get this tattoo.

10. Snowflake Hand Tattoo

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The palms are a unique area of your hands to get tattooed. Any design you get tattooed on them is bound to look absolutely amazing. Consider getting a snowflake tattooed on your palm to show the world that you are a winter baby at heart.

Body Placement: This design is suitable for your palms.
Ink Color: This will look great with black, brown, or maroon ink.
Skin Tone: This tattoo looks great on all skin tones.

11. Scary Hand Tattoo

baji_tattoo / Instagram

Scary tattoo designs have been trending for a while now, with many young adults getting characters from horror movies tattooed on their body. You can get Pennywise from the movie It inked on your hand to grab attention wherever you go.

Placement: Get this tattoo on the lower half of your hand.
Ink Color: Go for black ink with subtle pink and white highlights.
Skin Tone: This tattoo is suitable for all skin tones.

12. Sparrow Hand Tattoo

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Whether done with a bunch of enchanting colors or as a simple line drawing, a tattoo of a sparrow can look really pleasing. You can customize this design any way you like to add your personal touch to it.

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Placement: The area under your thumb at the back of your hand.
Ink Color: A combination of black and gray will suit this tattoo.
Skin Tone: The design is best suited for fair to medium skin tones.

13. Feather Hand Tattoo

nerea.tattoo / Instagram

Simple, graceful, and easy – a feather tattoo is a popular tattoo design amongst people of all ages. While you can use any color for this tattoo, shades of black will make it shine delightfully.

Placement: You can place this cool tattoo on the lower half of your thumb.
Ink Color: Go for black ink.
Skin Tone: This tattoo looks good on all skin tones.

14. Butterfly Hand Tattoo

bodyartbyah / Instagram

Butterflies signify hope, optimism, freedom, and happiness. With its unique shades and strokes, this design can be a pretty choice for anyone looking to get a hand tattoo.

Placement: Place this creative tattoo on the back of your hand.
Ink Color: You can play around with a bunch of colors.
Skin Tone: It is suitable for all skin tones.

15. Marine-Inspired Hand Tattoo

hundertfarben_tattoo / Instagram

The oceans are filled with majestic creatures that are often used as inspiration for tattoos. There are a number of marine-inspired tattoos you can get, including sea horse, octopus, turtle, or a whale. Get it done in vivid colors to make it look surreal.

Placement: Any area of your hand is great for a marine tattoo.
Ink Color: Go for bright and vivid colors.
Skin Tone: Ideal for all skin tones.

16. Illuminati Hand Tattoo

aurore_jagua_tattoos / Instagram

Standing out while making a style statement has never been easier than with this tattoo. A mysterious Illuminati hand tattoo is a sure shot way to showcase your fascination with conspiracy theories.

Placement: Place this tattoo bang in the center of the back of your hand.
Ink Color: This symbol will look good in either black or brown.
Skin Tone: This piece will look best on fair skin tones.

17. Artsy Hand Tattoo

blackthirteentattoocompany / Instagram

Art is subjective. Be it something you have designed on your own or a piece of art by a famous artist, you can never go wrong with an artsy hand tattoo. Just remember to go wild when designing it!

Placement: You can cover the entire back of your hand with one of these tattoos.
Ink Color: Go for any color your heart desires!
Skin Tone: This kind of tattoo will look good on any skin tone.

18. Stick-and-Poke Hand Tattoo

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Stick-and-poke is a traditional form of tattooing that involves using a needle to manually deposit ink onto your skin. Such tattoos are usually small and don’t have much detailing as the process is tedious and the strokes are quite rough.

Placement: Your fingers are a good place for such tattoos.
Ink Color: Black brings out this sort of design in the best way.
Skin Tone: Suitable for fair to medium skin tones.

19. Heartbeat Hand Tattoo

mariavittoria_tattoo / Instagram

This is the perfect tattoo to get along with your partner. You can design the heartbeat pattern with a quote to add your personal touch to it. It is a pretty popular design when it comes to small hand tattoos for women.

Placement: Get this inked on the side of your hand.
Ink Color: You can go with black or any of the primary colors for this tattoo.
Skin Tone: People with fair as well as dark skin tones can opt for this design. 

Are Hand Tattoos Good?

Short answer: Yes. No tattoo is easy to do, especially when it comes to intricate and detailed designs. Therefore, you need to look out for many pointers before you make an appointment. A skilled tattoo artist, a clean studio, and sanitized tools are some of the things that you need to look out for when getting any kind of tattoo.

Getting a tattoo can be extremely exciting. However, you need to take some safety precautions before and after getting a tattoo to prevent it from getting infected.

Getting a tattoo is a thrilling experience as you can express your personality through it. These hand tattoo designs with meanings can help you get started on the journey to get inked. You can add your own spin to them and personalize these designs. Use your hand as your canvas to paint your personality, ideals, and style. However, you should take some safety measures before and after getting a tattoo to keep your skin from becoming inflamed and infected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do hand tattoos affect jobs?

No, in recent years, hand tattoos have become more acceptable and do not affect an individual’s chances of getting a job.

How long do hand tattoos last?

Hand tattoos may fade within the first 6 to 12 months due to constant exposure to sunlight and daily usage. You can go for touch-ups to keep your tattoo new.

Are hand tattoos expensive?

Yes, hand tattoos can range between 100$ to 500$ depending on the size and complexity of the tattoo.

Do hand tattoos swell?

Yes, hand tattoos can stay swollen upto a week depending on the location and size of the tattoo.

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Jyotsana Rao

Jyotsana Rao is an engineering graduate from NIT, Nagpur, who discovered her love for writing during her undergraduate days. She… more

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