The largest of all the big cat species, tiger tattoo meaning is linked with power and ferocity, courage, longevity, nobility, and strength. In Eastern cultures the tiger wards off bad luck, evil, and illness, while the white tiger offers protection and spiritual guidance.

This deeply spiritual and metaphorical significance, along with their beautiful coats and fearsome visage, help make tigers striking subject matter for a variety of different tattoo styles, ranging from American traditional ink and tribal tattoo through to large, colorful Japanese tattoos.

The tiger’s historical range stretched from the Indonesian Archipelago through Southeast Asia and India, all the way to Eastern Turkey. 

While declining numbers have put the tiger on the endangered species list, the symbolic power that the tiger holds in Asian culture remains as strong today as it did a thousand years ago.

The article below outlines the different meanings ascribed to various tiger tattoo ideas across a range of application styles and techniques. You’ll be able to source information and inspiration that you can apply to a feline design of your own.

Tiger Tattoo Symbolism

1. Tiger Meaning in Traditional Japanese Tattoos

In Japanese-style tattoos, tiger symbolism is linked to courage, longevity, and strength. While they appear ferocious, the tiger animal tattoo is thought to ward off bad luck, evil, and illness.

The Japanese tiger tattoo might also symbolize the North of Japan, and use the different colors depicting autumn in design.

The usual bright orange and black striped tiger is popular but so too are yellow tiger depictions and even the blue tiger eyes of the white tiger tattoo idea.

Traditional Japanese tattoo tigers flow naturally, possessing bright color designs augmented by popular secondary (keshoubori) images such as cherry blossom or koi fish, and filler pictures (gokoubori) of the elements.