15 Cool Small Tattoo Symbols & Their Meanings

The tattoo that is well-known among sailors as well as tough people is the anchor. The meaning of this tattoo is to stay strong no matter how hard life pushes you. Just like a ship, once it drops its anchor, nothing can take it anywhere.

Here we have the alchemy symbol of copper, looks awesome, doesn’t it? And it has great meaning with the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite as well. The symbol also represents beauty, femininity, and creativity of the goddess herself.

We’re talking about strength, patience, determination, love, and loyalty here. Elephants are the strongest and biggest animal on land, and the tattoo simply indicates your ability to overcome any obstacles. Once you are strong, be strong like an elephant.

Feather tattoo is a classic and beautiful tattoo with a lot of different meanings. The feather shows your free spirit and the desire to achieve anything you want to. It somehow also shows the sweet and soft feminine side as well. The placement of this tattoo is pretty much anywhere you like from your back to your finger or ankle.

You know you like this tattoo if you are a badass. Skull is a cool and powerful tattoo that shows people “thou shall not mess with me”.

This was my very first tattoo, and a swallow tattoo has incredible meaning. In traditional American tattoos, a swallow was absolutely popular among sailors as the meaning of “always find their way”. Swallow also represents traveling, honesty, and love which is why it is one of the perfect tattoo symbols.

Let’s go to this awesome Egyptian symbol of life. Simple but cool, you might like it on your finger or your hand.

Does this look familiar? Yes, it is the symbol in medical places like pharmacies and hospitals. The Caduceus is the symbol of good health, while the wings represent the fastness and wit of the Greek God Hermes. It is pretty awesome, this is a good choice if you are into Greek culture.

This is the Rune symbol back in the fifth century, ancient but gold I shall say. It is the symbol of luck that brings good fortune to those who have it. Since it looks cool and classic, I would have one someday.

If you are a very creative person who always put your heart into something you do, this is your tattoo. The fact that it is written in Greek is one thing, and it represents passion is another cool thing.

“Ad Astra Per Aspera” means “Through Difficulties To The Stars”, and it is meaningful. Life has a lot of hiccups in it, but at the end of the day, we will reach our goal which is the stars.

You can turn the arrow to any destination you like, and this Swedish symbol still says setbacks are a natural part of life.

I wouldn’t call this small since it takes some space on the skin, but you can shrink its size. It is the symbol of the compass in Icelandic culture, which means you will never lose your way. This is such a cool compass to have, I would recommend this. It suits both males and females as well.

It is a tattoo with deep meaning, and it is also a popular symbol among Eastern philosophy as well. As you can see, the two parts complete each other which means you have to balance things to achieve something. This is either good for your first tattoo of yourself or with a best friend.

Sun is already meaningful, but with its ray shining to all 4 directions like that makes it even more meaningful. This tattoo is to remind you that you can shine wherever you go, you just have to believe in yourself. No matter if you are a confident or insecure person, this symbol is just right for both.

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