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tätowieren
to tattoo
To put a permanent picture or symbol under the skin with ink. This is done with a special needle.
example
Er hat sich einen Drachen auf den Rücken tätowieren lassen.
He had a dragon tattooed on his back.
tätowieren
to tattoo
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Meanings
Usage tips
Getting tattooed
When you get a tattoo, you say 'Ich lasse mich tätowieren' (I'm getting tattooed). The construction with 'lassen' (to have something done / to let) shows that another person (the tattoo artist) performs the action. The person getting the tattoo is in the dative when the tattoo itself is named as the accusative object.
EXAMPLE
Ich lasse mir bald ein neues Tattoo stechen.
I'm getting a new tattoo done soon.
Active and passive
The verb can also be used actively, but then the tattoo artist is the subject of the sentence. If you want to say that you are the person getting the tattoo, the formulation with 'lassen' is the most common.
EXAMPLE
Der Künstler tätowiert sehr feine Linien.
The artist tattoos very fine lines.
Preposition for body parts
To name the body part where the tattoo is located, the preposition 'auf' (on) is used with the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Er möchte sich eine Rose auf den Oberarm tätowieren lassen.
He would like to have a rose tattooed on his upper arm.
Compare with
tätowieren vs stechen
to sting / stab
'stechen' and 'tätowieren' can both have to do with tattoos. 'ein Tattoo stechen' describes the process in which ink is put under the skin with a needle. 'tätowieren' means more generally to give someone, or yourself, a tattoo. The words are therefore easy to confuse. It is natural to say: 'Der Tätowierer tätowiert eine Kundin' (the tattoo artist tattoos a female customer) or 'Er sticht ein Tattoo' (he does a tattoo). 'stechen' goes especially well with 'Tattoo', while 'tätowieren' directly names the action as a whole.
tätowieren
Sofia lässt sich im Sommer von einer bekannten Künstlerin tätowieren.
Sofia is getting tattooed by a well-known artist in the summer.
stechen
Der Tätowierer sticht ein kleines Symbol auf ihren Arm.
The tattoo artist tattoos a small symbol on her arm.
In real life
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