Home » Wave Tattoos – Get Inspired by These Amazing Designs

Wave Tattoos – Get Inspired by These Amazing Designs

Last update: February 21, 2020

Wave Moon tattoo on Collarbone by Siihee — So delicate and feminine, waves and the moon
Tattoo by Siihee

A wave of moving water made permanent by inking it in to your skin. Amazing to look at, so calming to hear them roll in. Waves can symbolize strength, a moving spirit but also life itself.

The ocean is never still, and neither are you. The movement, strength, life and all the meaning hidden under the surface that can be represented in a single wavy line of ink is overwhelming. Water is the symbol of life itself, and it’s no wonder that humans have decided to mark their skin with symbols of moving water since the early days.

Wave tattoos are deeply-rooted in the native cultures of the pacific islands. From Hawaii to the islands of New Zealand, tribal patterns depict different forms of waves and movement of the sea.

Polynesian leg sleeve tattoo on a woman — Polynesian leg sleeve tattoo featuring waves
By Buda Salmon

Noways, wave designs vary, from simple, outlined, small symbols, to fully realistic and colorful imagery, wave tattoos are a pretty common sight. They hold different meaning to different people, but their simple aesthetic makes waves one of the most popular tattoo subjects.

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Wave Tattoo Designs and Placements – 60+ Images

If you’ve been combing the Interwebs hoping to find the right wave tattoo design to get inspired by, you got yourself quite a task. We know, because that’s exactly what we did!

From simple, outlined and delicate waves gently placed on a girl’s wrist or the ankle, to more ‘masculine’ designs of heavy, crushing waves, to colorful, geometric, minimalist… any style, any placement and more, waves offer endless inspiration to tattoo artists and we have sorted the out below.

Wave Tattoos on the Wrist

The wrist is a great placement for a delicate and minimal wave tattoo, but as you can see below, you can be brave and go bigger and more colorful.

Wave and Moon tattoo on - Fine Line style by tattoo_zitae — Tattoo by tattoo_zitae

Wave tattoo on - Linework style by Eduardo De Souza — Tattoo by tattoo_zitae

Wave Tattoos on the Ankle

Also a common placement for wave tattoos, the ankle. Again, different styles, more or less realistic, simple or shaded, anything goes.

Wave and Writing tattoo on Foot - Linework style by Ocean tattoo — Tattoo by Ocean tattoo

Wave tattoo on Ankle by Shirohebi Julia — Tattoo by Ocean tattoo

Geometric Wave Tattoos

The combination of free flowing waves and strict, angular geometric form, surprisingly or not, works perfectly.

Wave tattoo on Forearm (inner) - Fine Line style by Amaia Arriaga — Tattoo by Amaia Arriaga

Wave tattoo on Sternum - Linework style by saraevetattoo — Tattoo by Amaia Arriaga

Wave Tattoos on Shoulder

There’s something about delicate tattoos placed on the shoulder that just works. Same goes for wave tattoos.

Wave Star tattoo on - Fine Line style by olive_forestink — Tattoo by olive_forestink

Wave Sun tattoo on Shoulder by Vinicius Rosa — Tattoo by olive_forestink

Forearm Wave Tattoos

Another placement on you body that works great with wave tats is the forearm. Inner forearm or the back of your arm work just as well with this subject in different designs.

Wave and Writing tattoo on Forearm (inner) - Linework style by Lize Schmidt — Tattoo by Lize Schmidt

Matching Wave Tattoos

If you’re a couple, friends or siblings, you might be looking to get some waves on you. Here’s some inspiration:

Wave and Couple tattoo on - Linework style by Daniel Moreno Giron — Tattoo by Daniel Moreno Giron

Wave Couple tattoo on - Linework style by Eliza — Tattoo by Daniel Moreno Giron

Waves with a message

A wave can do more than just have hidden meaning, you can just say what you wanted with waves.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Japanese woodblock print artist Hokusai created The Great Wave off Kanagawa print about 200 years ago. Still, this image has many admirers and is often featured on tattoos, sometimes slightly altered.

Wave Constelation tattoo on Forearm (inner) by Alina — Tattoo by Alina

Wave tattoo on Arm (inner) by Kirk Budden — Tattoo by Alina

Colorful Wave Tattoo Designs

Wave tattoos are not always just black ink and fine lines, we found a bunch of amazing color tattoos, all on the subject but some pushing the definition a bit – something we always enjoy!