These days it seems like almost everyone has a tattoo, including most A-list celebrities. While red carpet regulars like Angelina Jolie and Justin Bieber love to flaunt their ink, we’re often left wondering about the significance of the words, symbols, and designs they choose. Well, we poked around the Internet and dug up the hidden meanings behind the tats worn by some of your favorite celebs...and some of them might surprise you!
1. Angelina Jolie
It’s no secret that Angelina has lots of tattoos (who can forget the ‘Billy Bob’ dragon she had lasered off a few years later?), but one in particular has stumped fans for a long time.Located on her left deltoid muscle, the tattoo appears to be a random collection of letters and numbers, but they’re actually not random at all.
They’re the latitudes and longitudes where her husband (Brad Pitt) and six children were born. Isn’t that cool?
2. Nicki Minaj
Prominently displayed on her left arm, this series of Chinese symbols is Nicki’s first and only tattoo, something she paid for herself around the age of 16.
Roughly translated it means “God is always with you,” in English.
3. Adam Levine
Since hitting the bigtime this Maroon 5 singer has acquired many new tattoos, especially on his left arm, but all of them center around three numbers, “222.”
You might guess that it’s a date or address that’s special to levine Levine, but you’d be wrong! The “222′′ on the sexy singer’s forearm is actually the name of the studio where Maroon 5 recorded their first demo tape.
4. Rihanna
Rihanna is another celebrity that isn’t shy about her love for body ink, but one tattoo —positioned across the left side of her ribcage—has fascinated fans.
It turns out the tattoo is written in Arabic and means “Freedom In God.”
5. Justin Bieber
As all true “beliebers” know, Justin is covered in tats. The meaning behind some of them, like the word “patience” or the angel wings he got late last year, is pretty easy to guess.
But what about the capital ‘G’ all by itself on the underside of his arm? Apparently, Justin had the letter inked in honor of a little girl named Georgia, the daughter of Seattle Megachurch Pastor Chad Veach and his wife Julia, who was born with a rare brain disorder called Lissencephaly.
6. Katy Perry
Hidden among the sticky sweet tats that decorate Katy’s body (like the peppermint candy and strawberry on her feet) is something a little more serious.
Tucked under her right arm are the words “Anuugacchati Pravaha,” which means “Go with the flow” in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India.
7. Pink
Thanks to her oftenshort hair, many fans feasted their eyes on the barcode tattoo that lives on Pink’s neck.
The numbers read “1 9879112001 3”: the one and the three on either end represent ‘13’ which is her favorite number. Sandwiched between those digits are her birthdate (9/8/79) and the release date of her sophomore album “Missundaztood” (11/20/01).
8. Drew Barrymore
Looking like something that might have just been scrawled there with a pen during a particularly boring moment, the tiny bird on the inside of Drew’s forearm actually refers to the way she thinks about herself, “Free As A Bird.”
9. Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp has said that “My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story,” and with a long and winding career like his, it’s no wonder that tats cover much of his body. So what story is represented by the crow on his right hand?
Depp says the crow tattoo was done in support of the documentary West of Memphis, which is about the fight to stop the state of Arkansas from executing an innocent man. The tattoo is the same one worn by Damien Echols, onethird of the original West Memphis Three.
10. Miley Cyrus
Known for her outrageous sense of fashion, it’s no surprise Miley has more than 20 small tattoos (and counting) on her body.
Underneath her left breast the words “Just Breathe,” serve as a tribute to her friend Vanessa who died of lung disease and her grandfathers who both died of lung cancer.
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