Semicolon Tattoo Ideas

In recent years, semicolon tattoos have gained popularity, as they stand for resilience, strength and hope. Much of this revolves around the semicolon’s role in grammar and writing.

A semicolon signifies a pause in thought, allowing a sentence to end but also extend beyond this stopping point. In many ways, the semicolon can be a reminder to people that they need to stay the course and never give up, even when they’re facing difficulties in life.

Today, semicolon tattoos have come to represent expressions of personal growth, especially overcoming mental health issues including anxiety, addiction, depression, suicide and other mental health issues.

Semicolons are a tale of survival for many people, yet they tell that story in a very delicate way. They’ve come stand as a very public symbol to raise awareness about mental health struggles and to try to break the stigma surrounding mental health. Through public campaigns such as Project Semicolon, celebrities have used the semicolon punctuation mark as a symbol that you are not alone and that your entire life has meaning.

Semicolon Tattoos: Personal Stories of Mental Health Awareness

Semicolon tattoos often carry very important personal meanings to the people who wear them. It’s widely used today to represent raise awareness for mental health, specifically standing for education around mental illness and suicide prevention for those considering self harm. 

Semicolons also show people’s commitment to never give up, even during life’s toughest times, which is why this tattoo expresses one’s fortitude and survival, and has a lot of personal significance to those who wear it. In essence, the semicolon punctuation mark represents people’s ability to survive through difficult times, when at any point life could have ended — which is one of the messages Project Semicolon touts for those experiencing mental health issues.

Semicolon tattoos also have a wider double meaning; they can represent individual development, while also showing how a person has chosen to keep moving on even as they face challenging situations.

This is why this tattoo is such a major personal symbol that also encourages people to always persevere, no matter what your’e going through — whether it be recovery from addiction, mourning the death of friends or family, or simply feeling like you’re alone in the world without a strong community.

Some Popular Semicolon Tattoo Ideas

You can choose a different style, design and dimension to customize your semicolon tattoo, and even put it on different parts of your body to exude a different meaning. If you’re looking for inspiration, consider some of these concepts for a semicolon tattoo … 

• Floral: Integrating a floral element or a flower’s stem on a semicolon tattoo represents personal growth and symbolize the fact that you triumphed over your own struggles.
• Fine line: Using thin lines can build a delicate and minimalist design that preserves the true meaning of the semicolon punctuation mark, while also giving it a simple yet elegant appearance. 
• Dotwork: If you’re looking for intricate details and a discreet appearance, you can unite dotwork into your semicolon tattoo. 
• Geometric: Shapes and patterns can be perfect for anyone looking for a contemporary design that’s both modern and abstract.
• Wording: Many people accompany their semicolon tattoo with phrases that are special to them and that play along with the general meaning. This could be “strength,” “survival” or “keep going.”
• Joint tattoos: Sometimes, you overcome obstacles with another person. This is why a lot of people get a matching semicolon tattoo with someone else who they’ve survived challenges with. It represents hope, the power of therapy and many reasons why you should want to continue living and have a bright future with friends and family.

Best Placement for Semicolon Tattoos

You can place a semicolon tattoo on various parts of your body — whatever location and visibility is to your liking. Common areas for these tattoos include behind the ear and on the wrist.

The wrist is a very visible area that can allow others to see that you’ve overcome challenges. While it’s a subtle placement for a semicolon tattoo with a simple design, it’s also very powerful.

Behind the ear, meanwhile, is a great placement for people who are looking to hide their semicolon tattoo from normal view. This serves as a daily reminder for the wearer of the challenges they’ve overcome, while still remaining private. And when it’s appropriate, the wearer can show others who they feel comfortable with so they can share in the meaning or act as a conversation starter.

The ankle is also a great placement for semicolon tattoos, especially for women who are going for a more feminine appearance. It’s a delicate location to place this popular tattoo choice, and it’s easy to hide or reveal based on the clothes and footwear you choose. 

The finger can make a strong placement for a semicolon tattoo, since it can be small yet expressive at the same time. If you’re looking to express your feelings of hope all the time, then the finger could be a great location for a semicolon tattoo.

If you’re looking for a larger semicolon tattoo that you can integrate different designs and elements into, you can also consider the chest. In this placement, you can create a complex design with words and/or symbols to bring a lot of meaning to your semicolon tattoo, whether that be mental health awareness or to tell your story of hope to other people in the world who need support like you got from having conversations with someone else.

Gender Considerations for Semicolon Tattoos

There are many different designs that suit gender preferences, but at the same time, you can adapt them to work equally as well with any gender identity in a different context.

Most women will select a semicolon tattoo that is delicate to tell their story of other mental health issues. To accomplish this, they use thin lines paired with simple symbols or floral elements. Typical placements for women include behind the ear, on the wrist or the ankle, as they provide discreet placements, yet they can give them great meaning every time they look at them. 

Men, on the other hand, tend to go for a more powerful statement for what the semicolon means. This includes using geometric forms and dotwork to link the semicolon to other things such as chains or arrows. The shoulder, chest and forearm are all popular male placements for these tattoos, since they provide great visibility and a lot of space for bold, intricate designs.