die Tätowierung
tattoo
A design, image, or lettering that is permanently applied into the skin with ink or other coloring agents.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat eine kleine Tätowierung eines Ankers am Handgelenk.
She has a small tattoo of an anchor on her wrist.
die Tätowierung
tattoo
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Meanings
die Tätowierung
tattooing
The process of giving a tattoo, in which color is applied into the skin.
EXAMPLE
Die Tätowierung dauerte mehrere Stunden und war ziemlich schmerzhaft.
The tattooing took several hours and was quite painful.
Usage tips
Word family
'Die Tätowierung' (the tattoo) belongs to the word family around the verb 'tätowieren' (to tattoo). A person who does this as a profession is 'der Tätowierer' (the male tattoo artist) or 'die Tätowiererin' (the female tattoo artist).
EXAMPLE
Er ließ sich von einem berühmten Tätowierer ein Kunstwerk stechen.
He had a work of art tattooed by a famous tattoo artist.
Context clue
You distinguish the two meanings by context. If people are talking about the design, the size, or the place on the body, they mean the image. If it is about the duration, the pain, or the cost, they mean the process of tattooing.
EXAMPLE
Ihre neue Tätowierung zeigt einen bunten Schmetterling.
Her new tattoo shows a colorful butterfly.
Typical verbs
When 'die Tätowierung' (the tattoo) is meant as an image on the skin, it is often combined with the verbs 'haben' (to have), 'tragen' (to wear), 'zeigen' (to show), or 'entfernen lassen' (to have removed).
EXAMPLE
Er hat eine große Tätowierung auf dem Rücken.
He has a large tattoo on his back.
Sentence structure and usage
To describe the process, the construction 'sich eine Tätowierung stechen lassen' (to get a tattoo) is often used. Here, 'sich' is in the dative.
EXAMPLE
Nächste Woche lasse ich mir eine neue Tätowierung stechen.
Next week I'm getting a new tattoo.
Compare with
Tätowierung vs Tattoo
tattoo
Both words refer to a permanent design on the skin. “Tattoo” is more common in everyday speech and sounds more casual, while “Tätowierung” sounds more formal. “Tattoo” is usually appropriate in a personal conversation, while “Tätowierung” is more suitable in a factual or formal text.
Tätowierung
Im sachlichen Bericht wird die neue Tätowierung am Arm genau beschrieben.
The factual report describes the new tattoo on the arm in detail.
Tattoo
Im Urlaub zeigte mir Lara stolz ihr neues Tattoo am Arm.
While on vacation, Lara proudly showed me her new tattoo on her arm.
In real life
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