Wave tattoo ideas

1,081 photos and flash · 24% Japanese, 20% Fine line · Forearm most common

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Full back tattoo in a Japanese style showing a large red and brown owl beside cherry blossom branches and a pale moon, with a green bird sleeve on the upper arm.
Owl, cherry blossom and moon back piece
Black and grey Japanese style tattoo of a skull, koi fish and peony flowers with waves across the upper arm.
Skull, koi and peony on the upper arm
Close-up of a Japanese style tattoo on a back and upper arm, showing a red and yellow serpent with a dark scaled head and orange eye among black and grey waves.
Japanese serpent and waves across back and arm
Black and grey Japanese style tattoo of a koi fish on the upper arm and a dragon with flowers and waves across the shoulder and chest.
Black and grey koi and dragon shoulder piece
Two tattooed people in a Japanese style: a woman with a grey oni mask on her stomach and a man with a full colour sleeve and an oni mask on his chest.
Two people with Japanese style tattoo sleeves and torsos
Black and grey Japanese style tattoo of folding fans with wave patterns covering the upper arm of a man in a grey top.
Folding fans and waves on an upper arm
Japanese style koi fish with orange flowers and waves covering the upper arm and shoulder, shown in two side-by-side photos.
Koi fish and flowers on upper arm and shoulder
Black and grey engraved-style tattoo of mountains framed by curling waves and rays of light, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Waves and mountains on an upper arm
Colour tattoo of purple and red chrysanthemums with green leaves and grey shading across an upper arm and shoulder, with a real butterfly resting on the flowers.
Purple chrysanthemum tattoo on upper arm
Colour Japanese style tattoo on an upper arm showing a crane in flight, a red sun, grey clouds, waves and orange and red maple leaves.
Crane, red sun and clouds on an upper arm
Colour Japanese koi fish tattoo with white wave swirls and a white lotus bloom, wrapping the shoulder and upper arm.
Koi fish and lotus on upper arm
Woman seen from behind with a full-back Japanese style tattoo of a dragon and waves, extending over the upper arms and thighs.
Full back and leg Japanese dragon tattoo
Five views of a colourful full sleeve tattoo in neo-traditional and Japanese-inspired style, showing birds, swirling clouds and rays across the upper arm and forearm.
Colourful bird and cloud full sleeve
Black and grey Japanese-style tattoo of a wolf with swirling clouds on the upper arm and shoulder, shown from two angles.
Wolf and swirling clouds on upper arm
Black and grey Japanese style tattoo of an oni mask with lotus flowers, waves and chrysanthemums covering the shoulder and upper arm.
Oni mask and lotus flowers on a shoulder and arm
Black and grey tattoo on an upper arm showing a tentacled creature head beneath a full moon and stars, with swirling waves below.
Tentacled creature, moon and waves on upper arm
Japanese style full sleeve tattoo on an arm showing a koi fish, rolling waves, lotus flowers and a skull, shown from three angles.
Koi, waves and lotus full sleeve
Full colour sleeve tattoo in a Japanese and traditional style on a raised arm, showing a rose, clouds, a wave and a script banner on the forearm and upper arm.
Colour sleeve with clouds and script banner
Colour Japanese style tattoo of a maneki-neko lucky cat holding a gold coin, with koi fish and clouds, on the upper arm.
Maneki-neko lucky cat on upper arm
Black and grey Japanese dragon full sleeve tattoo with scales, waves and clouds, covering the shoulder, upper arm and forearm.
Japanese dragon full sleeve
Colour Japanese-style sleeve tattoo on an upper arm, with black and grey waves, green leaves and pink flowers.
Japanese sleeve with waves and blossoms
Three views of a full arm sleeve tattoo in Japanese style, showing a man rowing a boat on blue waves and a red octopus with suckers on the upper arm and forearm.
Full sleeve of a boatman, waves and red octopus
Full body Japanese-style tattoo with green and orange dragons, koi and goldfish over black wave-patterned ground across the chest, arms and thighs.
Full body Japanese irezumi with dragons and koi
Black and grey Japanese-style wave sleeve tattoo covering the shoulder and upper arm of a shirtless man, with swirling water and wind motifs.
Black and grey wave sleeve on a shoulder and upper arm
Full back tattoo in Japanese style showing a geisha holding fans, cherry blossoms, butterflies and wind lines in colour across the back.
Full back Japanese piece with geisha and butterflies
Colour Japanese style tattoo of a koi fish leaping through black and grey waves with pink cherry blossoms, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Koi and cherry blossoms on upper arm
A full colour Japanese style sleeve tattoo of a red koi fish, cherry blossoms and waves on a woman's upper arm and forearm.
Koi and cherry blossom sleeve on an arm
Black and grey tattoo of curling waves, swirling clouds and a stippled sun with rays, on the upper arm, in a linework style.
Waves and rising sun on an upper arm
Black and grey photograph of a raised arm with a Japanese style sleeve on the upper arm, showing clouds, swirling waves, wings and script lettering.
Japanese style arm sleeve with wings and script
Black and grey Japanese style sleeve tattoo with a koi fish on the upper arm and shoulder and wave-like linework on the forearm.
Koi and wave sleeve on a arm
Colour Japanese style tattoo of a red koi fish, yellow and blue flower and grey waves covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Koi fish and flower on an upper arm and shoulder
Three views of a colour Japanese-style half sleeve on the upper arm and shoulder, with teal waves, red blossoms and dark shaded rays.
Japanese waves and blossom half sleeve
Black and grey Buddha face with pink blossoms, a pagoda and a coloured lotus across an upper arm, in a Japanese style sleeve.
Buddha face, pagoda and lotus upper arm sleeve
Woman seen from behind with a colourful Japanese style koi and wave tattoo covering her back and left arm, against a dark red studio backdrop.
Full back Japanese koi and wave tattoo
Side-by-side photos of a Japanese-style swirling cloud tattoo on an upper arm and shoulder, the left before treatment and the right after, with the colour noticeably faded.
Japanese swirl sleeve before and after laser fading
Back of a woman with a black linework Japanese-style lotus and wave design across her lower back, and a peony and flower sleeve on her arm, photographed in a dim studio.
Lotus back piece and flower arm sleeve
Black line drawing of a woman with long hair and closed eyes, showing a Japanese-style sleeve of cherry blossoms, a koi-like fish and a skull on her arm.
Woman with Japanese-style sleeve and skull
Back and arm tattoo in Japanese style showing a fierce warrior with a sword, a koi on the upper arm and peonies, in colour against a black background.
Japanese back and arm sleeve tattoo
Japanese style chrysanthemum tattoo in orange and grey shading covering a forearm, with wave shading above and small script on the wrist.
Chrysanthemum sleeve on a forearm
Black and grey Japanese full back tattoo of a lion dog, tiger, clouds and lotus flowers, with a cicada on the upper arm.
Full back Japanese lion dog and tiger piece
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of a rising sun over teal waves and pine trees, with grey clouds on the shoulder, shown on an upper arm from three angles.
Sun, waves and clouds on an upper arm
Black and grey Japanese-style wave tattoo covering the upper arm and shoulder, with swirling curls and shaded crests.
Black and grey wave sleeve on upper arm
Black and grey tattoo of a breaking wave and a sailing ship, split into rectangular panels, on the upper arm of a person in a dark t-shirt.
Wave and ship on upper arm
Japanese style full arm sleeve with red lotus flowers, teal shading and grey clouds across the upper arm and forearm.
Lotus flowers and clouds on a full arm sleeve
Black and grey Japanese style back tattoo with curling waves, a scaled creature and lotus flowers, extending down the left arm in a sleeve.
Back and arm sleeve with waves and dragon
Full Japanese-style sleeves on both arms and a chest piece, with pink and yellow koi, cherry blossoms and black-grey waves, shown on a shirtless torso.
Japanese koi and blossom full sleeves
Black and grey Japanese style koi fish, flowers, clouds and waves covering a full sleeve from shoulder to forearm, shown from two angles.
Koi and waves full sleeve
Colour Japanese style half sleeve tattoo of red koi fish and pink cherry blossoms over a grey swirl, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Koi and cherry blossom half sleeve