Rihanna Tattoos By Tat Fancy [13 more lists]

Rihanna tattoos number no less than 14 at last count including everything from birth dates, Henna-style tribal designs, weapons and some of the singer's favorite quotes. The recording artist from Barbados uses her tattoos like she does her music, to express herself and show the world what is near and dear to her heart.

Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, Rihanna burst onto the music scene in 2005 after then-Def Jam label head Jay-Z took her under his wing and offered her a contract. Millions in album sales and four Grammy Awards later, the R&B singer is regarded as one of the top in her genre with hits like "Umbrella," "Don't Stop the Music," "Russian Roulette," "S&M," "We Found Love" and many others. As of November 2011, her 11 number-one singles trail only Madonna and Mariah Carey for the most by females on the Billboard Hot 100 chart history.

As impressive as her musical credentials are, her tattoos are equally as notable. The singer admits to having "14-ish" tattoos which are spread from as high as her ear to as low as her ankle and everywhere in between. Among the notable tattoos include stars running down the back of her neck, the birthdate of her best friend in Roman numerals on her shoulder and an intricate design on her right hand.

Rihanna's tattoos both describe her personality and remind her of what's important in life. One in particular that is personal to the singer is a backward tattoo on her chest that can only be read when viewed from her perspective in a mirror. That phrase, which she states is her motto in life, reminds her that experiences are "never a failure, always a lesson."

Similar to other female celebrities such as actress Angelina Jolie and starlet Megan Fox, Rihanna clearly has been bitten by the tattoo bug. And just as we will await her next music release, we'll also keep an eye out for any new ink on the songstress.

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Rank Name

1

Rebelle Fleur

Added at East Side Ink in New York City in August 2010, Rihanna's "Rebelle Fleur" describes the young artist's personality. Once translated from French, the phrase means "rebel flower."
2

Never A Failure

Stating that it's her "motto in life for everything," Rihanna has the quote "never a failure, always a lesson" tattooed across her right chest right between her shoulder blade and her breast. The tattoo is however done in reverse so when she's looking in a mirror the text reads the correct way.
3

Trail of Stars

Starting in the center of the back of her neck and draping down and around to her right shoulder is a trail of small stars. This Rihanna tattoo was added in two parts with a second tattoo artist adding more stars to the original work.
4

Shhh...

As one of two finger tattoos for Rihanna, the side of her right index finger has "Shhh..." inked. This tattoo, which the singer added in 2008, was later copied by other young ladies such as Lindsay Lohan and Lily Allen.
5

XI•IV•LXXXVI

Sitting on her left shoulder, Rihanna has a tattoo of the Roman numerals XI•IV•LXXXVI, which signify 4.11.1986. It's not the date of her birth but rather the birthday of her best friend Melissa Forde, who has a matching tatt of RiRi's birthday.
6

Skull and Crossbones

Though definitely a skull and crossbones, this Rihanna tattoo has a touch of femininity which gives it a bit more personality. In addition to the standard skull and crossbones, this tattoo also features a little bow to add a cute and girly look.
7

Henna-Style Dragon Claw

Added to her right wrist in November 2008 is a geometric tribal tattoo of a dragon's claw and hibiscus flower. Unlike her other ink, this Henna-style tattoo was added in the classic Maori style of tattooing using inked chisels known as uhi (rather than a tattoo gun) to pierce the skin with ink.
8

Handgun

Right under her right arm on her side, Rihanna has a simple image of a blck handgun tattooed level with her chest. Interestingly enough, she added this tattoo around the same time as when she was dealing with a domestic abuse incident with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.
9

Sanskrit Prayer

Stretching from just above her waist down her hips towards her butt, Rihanna has a vertical tattoo of a sanskrit prayer along her right side. Taken from Hindu scripture, the tattoo translates to something along the lines of forgiveness, honesty, suppression and control though the actual meaning is said to differ due to a misspelling.
10

Single Star

Sitting on the upper portion of her left ear, Rihanna has a simple star tattoo. The single star, which features only the outline of the image, reportedly was inked in the Village of NYC.
11

Love

Using script lettering, Rihanna has the word "Love" tattooed on the side of the middle finger on her left hand. This certainly would make for an interesting state of confusion if she decided to flip the bird using this digit.
12

Freedom Is God

Reading as "Al Hurria fi Al Maseeh" in Arabic, this Rihanna tattoo sits just below her left breast along her ribcage. Translated, the ink means something along the lines of "freedom in God" or "freedom in Christ."
13

Pisces Sign

Signifying Rihanna's astrological sign, the pisces symbol sits just behind her right ear. For anyone wondering, the songstress' birthday is February 20, 1988.
14

Music Note

Sitting on the front of her right ankle, Rihanna pays tribute to her love of music with a simple treble clef and music note tattoo. This is believed to be one of her first tattoos as it has been visible since 2006.