The three dots can be accompanied by a crucifix or other religious iconography to make the intention of the tattoo clear although the additional imagery should be clean and simple so that the three dots are emphasized rather than hidden. Moons or stars work well with the dots to create a minimalist constellation design.

Interestingly, some people combine three dot tattoo meanings to make this tattoo even more personal. It’s not uncommon at all for someone to get a three dot tattoo to represent both their “crazy” side and their religious side. After all, plenty of prisoners find religion while they are behind bars so it makes sense that they would find the three dot tattoo to be the perfect tat for them.

In a literary sense the three dots represent the ellipsis, a grammatical element used to indicate the incompletion of a thought or phrase. The ellipsis alludes to something that is not stated but possibly implied, a sentence that trails off and leaves question. The ellipsis tattoo is a symbol of continuation, a path or journey that leads to something more for better or worse. It represents something that does not necessarily need to be said or written but it better left unsaid.

What’s interesting is that people often think that someone has a three dots tattoo when they actually have the five dots tattoo. These two tats have different meanings, though they can look quite similar. With the five dot tattoo, the owner is trying to show that they are the fifth dot trapped inside of the other four dots, representing their time spent in prison.

When looking at a three dots tattoo, it is important to look at the shape of the dots before coming to any conclusions about the meaning of the tattoo. If the dots are in the shape of a triangle, they could represent any of the things we mentioned above. If they are in a straight line, there’s a pretty good chance that the owner is not in a gang. Because the three dots tattoo can make someone seem like they’re in a gang even though they aren’t, it’s always a good idea to get other designs around the three dots to make the meaning a bit clearer.