Rose Tattoo Meaning Changes Across Cultures and Countries

Even though roses have a general, universal meaning and symbolism everyone recognizes and understands, the meaning of a rose tattoo, however, can change from one country/culture to the other. Here are some examples;

• In Central America, rose tattoos often symbolize one’s affiliation with a specific gang or even cartel. Roses in general also symbolize assault, someone being an enemy, death, mafia, and all things similar. Walking around with a rose tattoo around Central America will certainly raise some eyebrows.
• In Japan, a rose tattoo symbolizes one’s hope, love, and passion. Japanese rose tattoos are incredibly beautiful and they truthfully showcase the emotion behind the rose and its symbolism.
• In Ireland, a black rose is seen as a patriotic symbol, dating back to the 16th century. The patriotic symbolism stems from one of the most famous Irish political songs called Róisín Dubh. Even nowadays, the black rose has the same symbolism.
• In Russia, a rose tattoo usually implies one’s affiliation with the mafia or it can have a deeper, more philosophical meaning like fleeting youth, youth being torn away, loss of innocence, etc.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, our insight into the world of roses, rose tattoos and the altogether meaning and symbolism was useful. We’ve gathered a lot of information, but we didn’t want to smother you with too much of them.

Of course, for more information about specific tattoo design meaning, make sure to talk to your tattoo artists. They will know the best what a specific design represents, or what it could represent alongside your unique design addition. And remember, a tattoo will have a meaning you want it to have. Sure, it may trigger some universal interpretations, but by creating a unique design with a tattoo artist, every tattoo design can become your own, even one so common as a rose tattoo design.