Every day we choose accessories that emphasize our style and catch people’s attention. They can reflect our mood and even our personality. 

One of the most striking attributes of your style can be a tattoo. However, the choice of such an accessory is much more important, because you can’t change it every day. Most likely, it will become your constant companion in life.

Here we come to the main topic of our article. The tattoo on the leg for men is a universal accessory. Even a large drawing on the entire leg, if necessary, can be hidden behind pants or jeans, and vice versa can be exposed to others when wearing short clothes. 

There are a huge number of ideas for men’s leg tattoos. To facilitate their search, we collected 50+ the most trendy and unique men’s leg tattoo ideas, explained what part of the leg they can be applied to, does it hurt, and listed the cautions and contraindications.

😎 Well, let’s get to choosing your accessory!

Why Is a Tattoo on the Leg a Good Choice?

Before we look at the 50+ most popular and trending ideas, let’s find out why we should consider a male leg tattoo. 

The surface area of men’s legs is approximately 36% of their total body surface area. Therefore, you can get a tattoo of any size and shape. In addition to this advantage, several others benefit from tattoos on the legs compared to other parts of the body.

• 💪 A tattoo on the leg can visually elongate your body, emphasize muscle relief, and expand your narrow calves or thighs.
• 💊 There are a lot of blood vessels in the foot area, so the healing process can be much faster than in other parts of the body. With additional care and the use of healing ointments, this process will go even faster.
• 📌 You can realize any idea for a tattoo on the leg – from inscriptions or quotes to large full-fledged compositions.
• 💉 Stimulation of biologically active points on the thighs will help you get rid of back pain and improve circulation. The needle of the tattoo machine activates biological processes when in contact with them.
• 😍 Tattoo on the legs + shorts = you’re always in the spotlight!

On Which Part of My Leg Can I Get a Tattoo?

Leg parts

The entire surface of your legs is available to you for tattooing. You can do it on the whole leg, on the thighs, knees, calves, and shins. But what can influence the decision?

• ⟷ The size of the tattoo. If you want to make a large and voluminous drawing, you should choose the thighs. For small and medium-sized ones you can choose any part of the leg. In this case, you can consult with the tattoo master, he will prompt you where your idea will look more advantageous.
• 🔭 Visibility of the tattoo. If you do not want your tattoo to be seen by other people, it is better to do it above the knee. This point is important in the context of the dress code. Not all companies have a dress code that allows you to have tattoos in visible places.
• 😷 Damaged areas of skin. If you also have scars or skin diseases, you can shift the emphasis from them to the tattoo. You can apply it next to or even combine it with the problem area, thus turning it into your highlight.

50+ Unique and Trend Leg Tattoo Ideas for Men

Any tattoo idea can be realized on the leg. To make your search easier, we have highlighted the 9 most popular categories of male tattoos on the leg with 50+ ideas: 

• 🐅 Animals;
• 🙨 Mandalas & Ornaments;
• 🧭 Marine-themed;
• 👺 Japanese themed;
• 😀 Portraits;
• 🎥 Movies, Comics & Video Games;
• 💀 Skulls;
• 💭 Inscriptions & Quotes;
• ☄ Small & Simple.

Animals

Tattoo animals on the leg usually involve a large volumetric drawing, which is applied to the entire surface. The most popular animals among men are wolf, bear, tiger, lion, falcon, and owl. Below we will list the meanings of such tattoos.

🐺 Wolf	🐻 Bear	🐯 Tiger
⦁ Endurance⦁ Strength⦁ Leadership⦁ Intelligence⦁ Bravery⦁ Loyalty ⦁ Independence	⦁ Courage⦁ Strength⦁ Power⦁ Confidence ⦁ Justice	⦁ Modesty⦁ A sense of dignity⦁ Power⦁ Strength ⦁ Beauty
🦁 Lion	🦅 Eagle	🦉 Owl
⦁ Justice⦁ Wisdom⦁ Greatness⦁ Power⦁ Ferocity⦁ Courage ⦁ Nobility	⦁ Power⦁ Influence ⦁High position in society	⦁ Wisdom⦁ Knowledge⦁ Life experience ⦁ Judgment

Mandalas and Ornaments

Mandalas and ornaments are beautiful and complex compositions made of simple geometric figures. Often the center of such a tattoo is the knee, around which the symmetrical pattern diverges. 

Men’s tattoos with ornaments are a talisman and symbolize the following:

• 🙨 Masculinity;
• 🙨 Power;
• 🙨 Infinity of being;
• 🙨 Happiness;
• 🙨 Harmony with yourself and the world around you. 

A mandala is a complex geometric structure that symbolizes world order and is a model of the universe 🌌🪐. It consists of a central figure around which a symmetrical pattern diverges.

Marine-themed

Tattoos with a maritime theme contain ships, compasses, maps, and wind roses. In addition to forming a beautiful composition, such tattoos have a semantic load. Below we have listed the meanings of each element.

🛳 Ship	🧭 Compass	🗺 Map	⍅ Wind Rose
⦁ The desire to travel⦁ The pursuit of one’s goal⦁ Willingness to come to the rescue in a critical situation⦁ Dedication to the cause	⦁ Loyalty⦁ Equilibrium of mental peace⦁ Stability ⦁ Following the path of life	⦁ Pursuit of heights⦁ Self-development⦁ Desire to travel ⦁ Creativity	⦁ Purposefulness ⦁ A clear direction in life and a desire to follow your path in all circumstances of life

Japanese themed

The popularization of Japanese culture has led more and more guys and men to get Japanese-style tattoos on their legs. Hieroglyphics, samurai, and Tengu masks are the most popular. As for the last one 👺, these are mythological creatures that appear in the form of a demon with red skin and a long nose.

Portraits

The most popular place on the leg for a portrait tattoo is the calf muscle. It allows you to apply a fairly large detailed drawing. As an idea, such tattoos are based on portraits of celebrities, cultural figures, musicians, mythological and religious characters, and loved ones.

Movies, Comics & Video Games

Tattoos with characters from movies, comic books, and games are also most often applied to the calf muscle. This idea became especially popular with the creation of the Marvel and DC movie universes. As for the games, you can often see Geralt, Kratos, Mario, Vault Boy from the Fallout universe, and other iconic characters.

Skulls

A tattoo with a skull is one example of a brutal drawing that emphasizes masculinity and courage. As for the meaning of such a tattoo, they were borrowed from the Christian canons and mean the following:

• 💀 The bitter truth that will destroy everything around it;
• 💀Sacrifice;
• 💀Forgiveness.

Inscriptions & Quotes

An interesting inscription or a symbolic quote can be a great idea for a tattoo on the leg. Such a drawing will look neat. If you choose an inscription or quote in another language, carefully study its translation and meaning to avoid embarrassing situations. Below we offer you a list of 10 interesting quotes for men’s leg tattoos.

• 💭 Never let your fear decide your fate.
• 💭 And in time, this too shall pass.
• 💭 That, which does not kill me, makes me stronger.
• 💭 Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.
• 💭 Pain is temporary, pride is forever.
• 💭 It is not length of life, but depth of life.
• 💭 Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.
• 💭 If you want peace, prepare for war.
• 💭 …let your years go.
• 💭 Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.

Small & Simple

If you don’t want a big tattoo, you can choose a small symbol or pattern. It can be anything related to your hobbies, outlook, or lifestyle. These tattoos are most commonly applied on the shin, calf, and ankle.

Cautions & Contraindications: Don’t Let Going to the Tattoo Parlor Turn To Hell

A visit to the tattoo parlor is an important event, so it is important to prepare for it with special attention. We offer you to get acquainted with the main cautions and contraindications. Take into account and observe them, so the session at the tattoo master will not turn into hell.

Cautions	Contraindications
	Temporary	Permanent
❕ Don’t come hungry. Hunger can make the pain worse, and the session lasts up to 10 hours.	❗ Colds in various forms, cause increased body temperature: ARI, acute respiratory infections, etc;	❌ Chronic diseases with blood clotting disorders: hemophilia, thrombocytopenia, fibrinopenia;
❕ Don’t come in without enough sleep. Fatigue increases the painfulness of tattooing.	❗ Acute allergic skin reactions;	❌ Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus type 1 or a complicated form of type 2 diabetes;
❕ Do not drink alcohol. It raises your blood pressure, and that’s why the pigment will be assimilated worse.	❗ Temporary immune system weakening;	❌ Cancer and chronic acute inflammatory diseases;
❕ Do not strain the tattoo site with exercise. Your skin will become firmer, which will make the pigment less absorbable.	❗ Exacerbations of chronic diseases;	❌ Severe viral diseases: HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis, Syphilis, etc;
❕ Do not take blood-thinning medications. You will increase the chance of bleeding.	❗ Drug intoxication;	❌ Severe skin diseases: psoriasis, atopic dermatitis (eczema), etc;
	❗ Physical damage to the skin area where the tattoo is planned.	❌ Chronically high blood pressure: hypertension.

Does It Hurt To Get A Tattoo On My Leg?

Tattoo pain chart

One of the factors that affect the decision on which place on the leg to apply a tattoo is pain. The least painful places are those where the muscles are mostly concentrated, and the most painful are those where there are many nerve endings and the bone is close to the skin. Below we give you a table, which will help you to assess your strength and make an informed decision.

How much does it hurt?	Where?
Acceptable	Outer thigh
Side parts of the shin
Hurts a little	Inner surface of the calves
Mid-thighs
Hurts	Ankles
Back of the thigh
Hurts a lot	Knees and knee bend at the back
Sugarbone
Inner thigh

Summary

Choosing the idea of male tattoos on the legs you should not worry about the size of the desired image, because on this part of the body you can make great compositions. Small tattoos will also look favorable and attract the attention of others.

In this article, we have explained why you should get a tattoo on your legs, gathered 50+ ideas for male tattoos on the legs, explained how to choose which part to apply and how much it hurts, and listed the main cautions & contraindications.

🤩 Be bright and stand out from the crowd!

FAQ