Small Tattoos for Women that are Big on Meaning

by Tattooed Women May 25th, 2021
When it comes to tattoos, small doesn’t necessarily mean insignificant – some of the teeniest tattoos tell the biggest stories. Plus, small tattoos for women are great. They don’t require hours in the chair, they’re inexpensive, and they’re easily hidden if your job or family demands it. Tiny tattoos are good for first-timers, those with low pain tolerance, or anyone who just loves delicate ink.

Whatever your reason may be for getting a small tattoo, we’re here for it. In fact, we’ve rounded up a ton of small but meaningful tattoos to inspire you for that next little bit of ink.

Small Tattoos for Women
Photo by Dmitriy Nushtaev on Unsplash

Little Tattoos with Cultural and Religious Significance

One of the most obvious ways to infuse your tattoo with meaning is to draw on the symbols of religious and cultural traditions from around the globe. The all-seeing eye, lotus flower, Malin, unalome, and cross are popular symbols for tattoos with rich histories and significance.

 

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Small Tattoos for Women Who Embody Strength

A tiger is perfect for the fierce woman who’s not afraid to show her stripes. Snakes are another symbol of strength, also representing knowledge, wisdom, and danger.

 

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Tiny Tattoos with Numbers

Number tattoos might detail your 8th-grade locker combination or the coordinates of the exact spot where you and your significant other met. They’re like a deeply personal code that only you can interpret.

 

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Small Tattoos for Women to Honor Life and Love

General Love

Tattoos have long been inspired by love. Big or small, they’re a powerful way to permanently represent your feelings on your body.

 

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Self-Love

These beautiful tattoos honor the self and serve as a reminder to cherish and love yourself first.

 

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Love of Life

Project Semicolon was launched in 2013 as a movement to encourage mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Since then, the semicolon has emerged as a popular tattoo among those who struggle with mental health, honoring their survival.

 

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Understated Tattoos With Words and Phrases

These tattoos don’t need to shout; they whisper. A tiny tattoo can communicate your mantra, set words of intention, or clearly state your identity. They are powerful and permanent reminders to yourself and others, expressed in various scripts and languages.

Dainty Tattoos that Symbolize Growth

Flowers aren’t just pretty; they symbolize growth and life along with beauty. Individual flowers also hold their own meanings, like cherry blossoms, representing the renewal and new life that come each spring. However, the beauty of these stunning flowers is fleeting; the blooms last only a couple of weeks.

 

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Though totally different, this tattoo of a rearview mirror with the words “don’t look back” is a unique symbol of growth. It’s a reminder not to dwell on the past but to keep moving.

Tiny Tattoos for Adventurers

For the nomads, adventurers, and the wild at heart, airplanes, compasses, and even a tiny VW bus are fun pieces to represent your wanderlust.

Tiny Tattoos Take Flight with Birds and Insects

Wings and winged creatures represent freedom and transcendence. Often as delicate in nature as they are in art, they translate beautifully in miniature, whether realistic or stylized.

 

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Other Small Tattoos for Women

A tattoo that means nothing to one person may be profound to someone else. That’s the best part of tattoos; they are uniquely representative of the skin they’re on.
These last few tattoos include everything from the chemical composition of serotonin (the happiness chemical) to a slice of cake. They don’t exactly fit in any category, but they were too good to leave off the list.

 

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For more ideas for tattoos both big and small, visit the Tattooed Women gallery!
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