LanguageJapanese
Exact wording生きる
What you want it to mean
Free · no card · no accountTo live — a reminder to actually do it, not just get through it.
A LITTLE CERTAINTY. BEFORE FOREVER.
Your tattoo idea.
Made visible.✳
Turn your idea into AI tattoo designs. Explore different directions, preview your favourite on your body and take a clear visual brief to your artist.
3 images from £12 one time Designs, previews & refinements
LESS DOUBT.
MORE YOU.01 — THE BOTANICAL STUDY
MORE YOU.01 — THE BOTANICAL STUDY
+
Inner forearmFINE LINE · BOTANICAL
A little more certain.That’s a good place to start.
✳COMPLETE · £29 ONE TIMEFrom “I have an idea”
From “I have an idea”
to “this is the direction”.
Create several tattoo directions, try your favourite on your body, refine the details and prepare a visual brief for your artist.
Start my tattoo design See Complete & exact contents →Just exploring? Start with 3 images for £12 →
- Explore the designGenerate concepts from your idea and preferred style.
- Picture the placementUse your design and body photo to explore how it could sit.
- Refine and take it to your artistAdjust your favourite, download the artwork and print your brief.
8 image credits shared across concepts, AI previews and refinements, plus 15 AI checks. Each generated image or edit uses one credit. For example: 3 concepts + 2 previews + 3 refinements. AI images require a paid pack.
START WITH WHAT YOU NEED
One idea. A clear next step.
Create a design, explore placement or resolve a question about your wording.
Check tattoo wording
Explore meaning, ambiguity and a translation draft.
Try one free AI check* →Preview a tattoo
Upload your design and photo. Move, resize and compare.
Try the free placement tool →Generate a tattoo design
Turn your idea into visual directions, then refine your favourite.
Explore tattoo designs →*One complimentary AI check for eligible visitors, subject to trial limits. Manual planning tools are free; AI image generation and AI placement require paid credits. See packs and prices →
BEFORE THE NEEDLE, THERE’S THIS.
Design ✳ Meaning ✳ Translation ✳ Placement ✳ Artist pack
01 / FROM WHAT IF TO THAT’S ITFrom your first idea
From your first idea
to an artist-ready brief.
Start with the question on your mind.
Keep your references, wording and preferences together.
An idea worth wearing.
Start with a feeling, a memory, or a design. Explore Black, Black & Grey, or Colour. Find the direction that feels like you.
Find your direction永遠“Forever”MEANING IS IN THE DETAILS.Look beyond the translation. ↗
Look into the wording and meaning.
Wording, symbols, and the nuances in between. Know what to ask before you commit.
Check the details
YOUR SKIN. YOUR CALL.5 cm8 cm12 cm
See it before you ink it.
Try a placement. Adjust the size. Bring a clearer vision into your artist’s studio.
Try a placement02 / A SMALL IDEA. A BIG FEELING.“Something that
“Something that
reminds me to
keep growing.”
Not every tattoo starts with a picture.
Sometimes, it starts with a feeling.
THE IDEA TAKING SHAPEEXAMPLE PROJECT ↗
THE MEANING
Growth, in your own time.
tattooproof ✓ARTIST PREPARATION PACK
A little wild.
A little grounded.
A little grounded.
PLACEMENTInner forearmSIZE8 cm / fine line
YOUR IDEA, READY FOR THE CONVERSATION. ↗MADE FOR
YOUR ARTIST↗
YOUR ARTIST↗
03 / FROM YOUR MIND TO THEIR STUDIOBring a vision.
Bring a vision.
Not a camera roll.
Bring your idea, references, proposed placement and questions together. Print your brief or save it as a PDF to discuss with your tattoo artist.
- Your concept and the meaning behind it
- Placement, size, and visual references
- Wording and questions worth asking
- A printable brief to take to your appointment
BEFORE YOU SPEND ANYTHINGSee a finished one
See a finished one
before you start yours.
See how wording guidance, a printable artist brief and review notes can help you prepare. These are illustrative samples, not customer results or verified translations.
ILLUSTRATIVE SAMPLES · NOT HUMAN-VERIFIED RESULTS
It says “to live”. That is a verb, not the word “life”.
- WHAT IT READS AS
- 生きる is the dictionary form of the verb “to live”. On its own it reads as a statement or a resolution — closer to “to live” than to “life”. It is a verb, not a noun, and that is the distinction most people miss.
- THE FORM THAT CARRIES THE MEANING
- 生 is the kanji; き and る are hiragana. That mixture is exactly what makes it a verb. Keep only 生 and it becomes a different word with different readings. Swap the ending for 生きろ and it becomes a command: “live!”.
- TONE
- Plain and direct. It reads like a decision rather than a poem, which is usually the reason people choose it. It is also a common choice, so it will be recognised immediately.
- LAYOUT
- Vertically, 生 above き above る is the expected order. Horizontally it reads left to right. Both are correct — they simply feel different on skin.
QUESTIONS TO RESOLVE BEFORE THE STENCIL
- Decide with a fluent speaker whether you want the plain verb (生きる), the noun (生命 or 人生), or the imperative (生きろ). They say genuinely different things.
- Check that き and る are drawn as hiragana and have not drifted into a shape that reads as another character at small size.
- Confirm the final stencil at real size. Hiragana has fewer strokes than kanji and loses legibility first.
AI guidance, not human verification. Confirm the exact lettering with a fluent speaker.
This is the shape of an AI check: what the words read as, which form carries the meaning, and what to ask. A fluent speaker still has to confirm the exact stencil.
Try this example in the checkerSEVEN FINISHED CONCEPTSExplore possible
Explore possible
design directions.
Browse illustrative styles, compositions and ink treatments. Use them to describe what you like, then generate your own concept in the studio. Your results will vary with your idea and refinements.
Living, in brushstrokes.
A bare dictionary-form verb. Worth checking whether the phrase reads as a statement or as a heading, and whether every stroke count is right before the stencil.
One flowing line.
A continuous line with no obvious word break. Ask a fluent reader to identify the exact lettering and reading direction before you commit to it.
Growth and resilience.
Detail this fine needs room. Below roughly 8 cm the petal separation closes up and the small stars disappear entirely.
Beauty and renewal.
Black & grey lives or dies on the shading. Ask to see a healed piece from the same artist, not a fresh one — the contrast drops as it settles.
Change and possibility.
Colour settles differently on different skin tones. Ask your artist how this palette will read on yours in five years, not on the day.
A place you keep.
Coordinates are unforgiving — one wrong digit is permanent, and the numbers are easy to misread at stencil size. Read them back character by character.
Words in your own hand.
Cursive thins exactly where the letters join, which is where a stencil loses the most. Approve the lettering at real size, not on a screen.
Illustrative finished concepts, not customer work. The Japanese and Arabic pieces are script studies, not verified translations — the wording in any real project still needs a fluent speaker and your artist to confirm the final stencil.
Design my tattooYour skin isn’t our content.
Photos stay local by default.
You choose when to save or share.
Honesty is part of the process.
AI guidance and human verification are different.
We keep that distinction clear.
Made to work with artists.
Better prepared clients. Better conversations.
The final craft belongs to your artist.
What exactly is TattooProof?
An online tattoo-planning workspace. Check wording with AI, try a design on your own photo and print a brief for your artist. Manual planning tools are free. Paid packs add AI credits and optional human feedback; tattoo appointments are arranged with your artist separately.
Can I bring a design I already have?
Absolutely. Upload a JPG, PNG, or WebP reference in the studio. You can use it in your placement preview and include it in your artist preparation brief.
Is an AI check the same as human verification?
No. Automated guidance can miss nuance, context, and lettering issues. Human verification means an identified reviewer has actually reviewed the wording. Human Review and Concierge include personal human feedback. Your reviewer states their exact language scope and flags wording that needs a fluent specialist.
Will the preview look exactly like my tattoo?
A preview helps you compare composition and placement. It cannot predict your artist’s execution, skin texture, healed appearance, or exact physical scale. Confirm the final stencil with your artist.
Do I need a subscription?
No. The preparation studio is free to explore. Consumer packs are one-time purchases, with no recurring consumer subscription.
What happens to my photos?
Photos stay in your browser by default. You can explicitly save them privately to your account, or separately consent to send them to OpenAI for an AI placement preview. Manage saved photos and comparison links from your account.
GOOD IDEAS DESERVE A SECOND LOOK
Prepare for your tattoo, one useful email at a time.
Six useful emails over ten days: wording checks, placement ideas and questions for your artist. Includes optional TattooProof offers.
Before it’s permanent,
TattooProof it.↗
Design my tattoo Choose your direction. Preview the placement. Bring it to your artist.