When you think about anything related to love, you tend to think about flowers. In particular, roses are thought of more than any other type of flower. In the American culture, it is common to deliver roses to a loved one during special occasions such as anniversaries, birthdays or Valentine's Day. Therefore, it has become a universal symbol for love and this meaning holds true in the tattoo form as well. However, there are several alternate meanings of a rose tattoo depending on the design of the flower itself.

As mentioned already, the main interpretation of a rose tattoo is to symbolize love. To display this meaning through ink, the flower is drawn on a stem without thorns. Thorns on a rose change the meaning while serving as a warning to people that they should proceed with caution because love hurts. People who choose a rose tattoo with thorns typically want to present the meaning of exhilarating love that can be both risky and agonizing at the same time.

Besides love, a tattoo of a rose can also symbolize beauty. Many people believe that a rose is a representation of a persons' inner and outer beauty. In this case, a rose tattoo with thorns symbolizes two things; that the person does not care much about their physical beauty or that others can only look but not touch.

Did you know roses are not strictly red and have many shades of colors? As a matter of fact, the color of the rose can symbolize different meaning as well. To start off, a red rose signifies true love, passion, romantic love and respect. Pink roses signify grace and gentleness. Coral roses show desire, while orange roses represent excitement. Light peach and yellow roses symbolize friendship. White roses are commonly known to show purity, innocence, youth and secrecy, whereas black roses represent death and darkness. Purple roses represent love at first sight, while blue roses signify impossibility or fantasy.

Not only that, rose tattoos can be combined with different shades to alter the meaning slightly. The colors red and white combined represent mercy, unity and justice. Red and yellow colors are a symbol of congratulations, and yellow and orange colors combined are equivalent to passionate thoughts. Although there are multiple symbolisms behind a rose tattoo, you do not need to relate to any of the following to get one. Rose tattoos will always look amazing and never fails to impress.