A Korean tattoo lasts a lifetime, so two things matter more than anything: the spelling and the font. This guide helps with both — and shows you how to make a transparent PNG your tattoo artist can work from.
Pick a style first
Hangul looks completely different depending on the font. Decide on the feeling you want before you pick words.
Brush calligraphy — expressive and artistic
Brush fonts imitate ink on paper. They look striking on forearms, ribs and the back.
East Sea Dokdo 동해독도
사랑
Dry-brush Korean calligraphy with visible ink texture — dramatic for titles and tattoo designs.
Nanum Brush Script 나눔손글씨 붓
사랑
Expressive brush-pen Hangul calligraphy. Popular for tattoos, posters and quotes.
Dokdo 독도체
사랑
Rough, energetic brush lettering with a bold, rebellious feel.
East Sea Dokdo has the most visible dry-brush texture. Nanum Brush Script is smoother and easier to read, which helps if you want Korean speakers to recognize the word instantly.
Handwriting — personal and delicate
Handwriting fonts feel like a note from someone you love — popular for small wrist, finger and ankle tattoos.
Nanum Pen Script 나눔손글씨 펜
엄마
The most popular Korean handwriting font — natural pen strokes, like a real handwritten note.
Nanum Handwriting Garamyeonkkot 나눔손글씨 가람연꽃
엄마
A free handwriting font from Naver’s Clova Nanum Handwriting project, made from the real handwriting of a Korean writer. Full Hangul (11,172 syllables).
Hi Melody 하이멜로디
엄마
Light, sing-song handwriting that feels like a letter from a friend.
Clean serif and traditional — timeless
Serif (myeongjo) fonts are elegant and stay legible as a tattoo ages and the lines soften.
Gowun Batang 고운바탕
영원히
A delicate batang (serif) with a calm, handcrafted feel. Lovely for poems and quotes.
Song Myung 송명
영원히
A traditional-looking Korean serif inspired by old woodblock printing.
Noto Serif KR 본명조
영원히
The elegant counterpart to Noto Sans KR. A complete Korean serif for books, editorial design and invitations.
Meaningful Korean words for tattoos
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 사랑 | sarang | love |
| 희망 | huimang | hope |
| 가족 | gajok | family |
| 엄마 / 아빠 | eomma / appa | mom / dad |
| 자유 | jayu | freedom |
| 용기 | yonggi | courage |
| 행복 | haengbok | happiness |
| 영원히 | yeongwonhi | forever |
| 꿈 | kkum | dream |
| 별 | byeol | star |
| 나답게 | nadapge | (be) true to myself |
Short phrases
How to make a stencil-ready PNG
- Open any font page or the Korean font generator and type your word.
- Set the color to black and keep Transparent PNG checked.
- Press PNG on the font you like — you get a high-resolution image with a transparent background.
- Bring two or three font options to your artist; they can adjust thickness and spacing for your skin.
Names in Hangul
Want a name instead? Foreign names are written phonetically — Emma becomes 엠마, Sakura becomes 사쿠라. The name converter does this for English and Japanese names.
Are these fonts okay to use for a tattoo?
Yes. Every font shown here is released under the SIL Open Font License or a similar open license, which allows any use of the letter shapes — including tattoos, prints and merchandise. You can download each one for free from its font page.