55 Bold Wrist Tattoo Ideas for Men – Masculine & Meaningful Ink
Inside: 55 wrist tattoos for men that are perfect for every style.
Wrist tattoos for men are a niche style of tattoos, usually a blend of light and masculine. Finding something bold and cool that fits on the tiny expanse of your wrist is a challenge, but it’s going to add such cool details to your tattoo collection when you do!
I know I sometimes have a hard time trying to come up with ideas to fill a space I know I need to fill or add to, and I hear this all the time from people with sleeves– reaching down to the wrist and finding just the right inspiration strikes a chord.
Especially for men. I know plenty of women that add something soft and sweet like the location itself, but we’ve got to think outside the box for you guys.
Whether this is your first, you have a sleeve, or you’re totally covered up elsewhere, there are some great pieces to make the wrist tattoo everything you want it to be.
Wrist Tattoo Pain Levels
It’s not new knowledge to you that my hand tattoos are my whole personality and that they were my first tattoos. That being said, I always say I have a low pain tolerance, but that’s questioned immediately when people ask about the pain level of the hand and wrist tattoo location.
Anywhere with soft and thin skin is pretty high on the pain level, and I think the wrist is some of the thinnest skin that there is.
If you’re new to tattoos, just know that your pain tolerance has more to do with the answer to this question more than anything else, but just know that the underside of your wrist is going to be quite delicate and sensitive in comparison to the top of your wrist.
The style of tattoo, thickness of the piece, and detail all play major factors into this too, so if it’s a script or small icon, you’ll be just fine. A thicker, more detailed image… Well you’ll still be just fine but the pain level does go up a bit there.
If I can do it, you can do it though, and that’s all there is to it.
Cross Wrist Tattoos
There are some classics that just never get old. That’s true for everything but especially in tattoos. Cross wrist tattoos are one of those classics I always love to see, and there are always new ways to make it unique and different.
No matter the style or size of it, a cross tattoo will always do the job.
These always make for a great first tattoo. Religious symbols and reminders always do! And these range from simple to interesting to give you a variety of ideas for a cross tattoo.
With the serifs on the end of each line, this cross wrist tattoo is still so simple but it has a little bit more of an old school feel to it.
5. Loop Details
The smallest details can make the biggest difference with your minimal tattoos.
This one is one of my favorites.
This and the cross of nails really are symbolic of the meaning of the cross. If this piece is more than a minimal symbol to you, this might really be a cool style to consider for your cross wrist tattoo.
Masculine Wrist Tattoos
Again, wrist tattoos tend to lean towards something a little more light and elegant, and while these traits can be masculine as well, there are some more bold and daring ideas if you want something a little more on the manly side.
Here are some of my favorite more traditional and masculine wrist tattoos that will be the perfect pieces for any guy.
10. The Eagle
This one has been circulating Pinterest and Instagram for a while now, and I still think it’s my favorite wrist tattoo I have ever seen.
11. Elegant Fontwork
12. Tribal Black Out
14. Skeleton Hands
This is a hand one that extends to the wrist, but I just think this is such a cool, masculine wrist tattoo idea.
15. Americana Stack
16. Attacking Snake
This one is so fierce.
17. Realistic Eagle
Clearly animals and eagles are popular themes here, but a realistic eagle is about as classic and masculine as it gets in my opinion.
18. The Trident
20. Mountain Range
Small Tattoos
Large or small, simple or detailed, there’s always a cool tattoo idea for you.
I feel like most of the men in my life don’t pay much attention to the small tattoos you could have that would just enhance your vibe, but I think they’re way cool, and there are too many possibilities to ignore them
Even beyond this post, check out these small tattoos for men for a larger list that I think would be a cool addition to whatever ink you’ve already got going on.
All of my personal favorite tattoos are music references.
22. Elemental
23. Olive Branch
24. Chinese Symbols
Symbols like this are always a classic and look so clean. Perfect for small wrist tattoos.
25. Cool Florals
26. Random Scripts
I’m obsessed with this look for hands/wrist tattoos. Adding various fonts and script pieces is a really cool look when you curate the perfect mix of small tattoos.
27. Angel Numbers
28. Arrows
29. Tiny Symbols
Guy Wrist Tattoos
When you shake hands, you tell people a lot about your personality.
The same is true when you show them your tattoos.
And a wrist tattoo is the exact combination of both of these actions. Let them know who you are and what you stand for when you shake hands and your wrist tattoo shows off a little bit. It’s cool to have so much of who you are on display.
Let these speak for you.
30. Tribal
32. Third Eye
The third eye tattoo has become really popular, and it has a really ominous and masculine vibe to it, making it a great guy wrist tattoo if this is your style.
33. Ninja Stars
34. Swallows
35. Book Font Names
A book font looks so cool to me in guy wrist tattoos, it’s classic but still minimal.
36. Tribal
37. Icarus
Simple but still speaks volumes.
38. Sacred Heart
Wristband Tattoos
Wristband tattoos are cool, especially if you like the idea of bracelets but aren’t too keen on keeping jewelry on like that all of the time.
These wrap around your wrist or arm all the way, and can be fully filled in or patterned, they can be thin or thick, and they can be a stand alone or you could “stack” multiple on top of each other.
There are so many ways to do tattoos like these, here are just a few.
The thorn band climbing up the arm is way too cool. A unique take on wristband tattoos!
40. Mind The Gap
41. Brush Stroke
42. Compass
44. Solid Black
Go big or go home. I also love the way that this guy has the same ones further up the arm. It’s not just a wristband tattoo but also an arm band.
45. Thorn Band
46. Misty Band
48. Eye Of The Tiger
This is no simple tattoo, but it’s so cool and perfect way to incorporate a realism image without committing to the whole image.
Male Wrist Tattoo Designs
A male wrist tattoo design has a wide range of styles.
They can be simple, structured, design heavy, intense, or light. There’s no particular style for it like traditional or Americana tattoo styles, but anything that speaks to you and feels right for you and your tattoo collection.
49. Birds
This is a piece of art, right there on your wrist.
51. Tiger Face
Clearly my favorite guy wrist tattoos include those of animals and those that extend to the hand. It’s just such a hardcore look, I can’t recommend it enough for male wrist tattoo designs.
52. Tribal
53. Life Goes On
54. A Rose
Roses are a common men’s tattoo piece, because the style of it is so classic and can be make masculine when paired with other really cool tattoo pieces.
Male wrist tattoo designs are so cool when you think about how they work with the rest of your pieces. And having a piece to flash from under a shirt sleeve is hard core.
I love when they’re small and light, but I also love when it’s something big and bold. There’s a place for every style and when they’re all unique and personal, it’s even better. We all need an inspirational quote or a reminder of what’s important, but we could also use something like a tribal wristband tattoo to show our personality.
Expanding your ideas of what you want to get in permanent ink on your body is a really neat part of this tattoo journey that we’ve all found ourselves on.
Once upon a time I told myself no script pieces, but that didn’t last long, and now it’s my favorite.
Have fun with playing with different ideas and thinking outside of your own box! If you’ve chosen to go with the wristband tattoo idea, here’s a post that elaborates on the meaning of armband tattoos and a few extra ideas for you.
