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From the quote on her neck to the letter on her finger, each of Ariana Grande’s tattoos has a meaning. It’s no secret that the 25-year-old singer has been through a lot since her rise to fame a decade ago. She’s been engaged, lost a boyfriend to an accidental overdose and been the target of a bombing at one of her concerts. Grande is the definition of strength and resilience, and many of her tattoos are an example of that.
Though the “Thank U, Next” singer has had her fair share of tattoo typos (like the Japanese characters on her palm that mean “BBQ finger” instead of “7 Rings”, like she wanted them to), the majority of her collection is still inspo-worthy. According to Insider, Grande has 37 tattoos—and counting, so, of course, she will have some regrets. (The tattoos she’s changed or covered after her breakup with Pete Davison are countless.) Still ,the “Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” singer’s tattoo collection is one to be in awe at. From teeny-tiny marks on her fingers and ankles to deep quotes with significant meanings, the “No Tears Left to Cry” singer’s tattoo collection can only be described as eclectic and quintessentially Ariana. Check out what her tattoos mean ahead.
Heart on Her Toe
Grande’s heart on her toe is the first tattoo she ever received in 2012. She inked it while recording a duet with 8Sky for her album, Yours Truly. The song never made it to the album, but fans believe the track, “Tattooed Heart”, represents the tattoo. Grande documented the tattoo process in a YouTube video, with the caption: “This year has been 1 of the happiest and most enlightening years for me and I felt like I wanted to do something special to remind me of this time…Writing my 1st album, working with my castmates & best friends on victorious, being young, having fun and being surrounded by love.. so..I wanted to do something permanent to remind me to always be grateful and not take anything for granted so.. I got a little tattoo.”
“Mille Tendresse” on Her Neck
Grande’s next tattoo came in 2014 when she inked “Mille Tendresse”, French for “one thousand tendernesses”, on the back of her neck. The phrase came from the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn, which Grande has said is one of her favorite films of all time.
“Bellissima” on Her Side
In 2014, Grande tattooed the word “Bellisima” on her side. The tattoo is the feminine word for “beautiful” in Italian. According to fans, “bellisima” is what Grande’s late grandfather would call her.
Moon Behind Her Ear
Grande tattooed this crescent moon behind her ear in 2015. It’s a matching tattoo with one of her close friends and backup dancers, Brian Nicholson. Many fans believe that the tattoo is a nod to Grande’s song “Moonlight” off her third album, Dangerous Woman.
“Honeymoon” on Her Finger
Grande tattooed this while on tour for her second album, My Everything. The tattoo was an obvious nod to the title of her tour, The Honeymoon Tour, as well as her song, Honeymoon Avenue, off her first album, Yours Truly.
“Baby Doll” on Her Finger
This “Baby Doll” tattoo, which Grande received in 2016, refers to the nickname Grande’s maternal grandmother, whom she calls Nonna, gave her, according to fans.
“Dalet Lamed Aleph” on Her Finger
In 2014, Grande converted to the Kabbalah sect of Judaism because of the Catholic church’s historic treatment of homosexuality. In honor of her conversion, she tattooed “אלד” on her finger, which reads” dalet lamed aleph.” According to INSIDER, the tattoo translates to “guard and protect from the evil eye and bad dreams.” Grande’s brother Frankie also has the same tattoo on his finger.
“Hi” on Her Toe
While Grande was dating her backup dancer, Ricky Alvarez, in 2015, the two inked matching “hi” tattoos. Grande’s is on her toe.
Heart on Her Finger
Grande’s next heart tattoo came in 2015 when she tattooed the outline of a heart on her ring finger.
“A” on Her Thumb
In 2016, Grande tattooed the letter “A” on her thumb in honor of her friend Alexa Luria, who she has been friends with since they were 10 years old. Luria has also starred in the music videos for Grande’s songs, “7 Rings” and “Thank U, Next.”
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Venus on Her Middle Finger
On the same day as her “A” tattoo, Grande tattooed the Venus symbol on her middle finger. Along with the planet Venus, the mark is also the symbol for the female gender, as well as the alchemical symbol of copper.
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Bee Behind Her Ear
A year after the bombing at her concert in Manchester, which took the lives of 22 of her fans, Grande tattooed a bee behind her ear in honor of the fans who lost their lives that night. According to the Manchester Evening News, the bee is a symbol of the city’s hard-working legacy, starting from the Industrial Revolution. Many Manchester residents also tattooed bees on themselves after the terrorist attack.
“Lumos” on Her Hand
Soon after she and Pete Davidson started dating, Grande tattooed the word “Lumos” on her hand, which is a spell used in the Harry Potter novels to produce light. Grande and Davidson are well-known for bonding over their love of Harry Potter and even dressed in Harry Potter costumes while dating.
Cloud on Her Finger
The cloud on her finger of the first matching tattoos Grande inked with her ex Pete Davidson. Both tattooed the symbol on the middle finger of their left hands. The cloud symbol also has a significance for Grande. She has a perfume named Cloud, as well as a Starbucks drink called the Cloud Macchiato.
“Court” on Her Knee
In honor of her close friend Courtney Chipolone, who appeared in her “Thank U, Next” and “7 Rings” music videos, Grande tattooed “Court” on her knee.
“H2GKMO” on Her Hand
Grande and her friends tattooed the acronym “H2GKMO” on their hands in 2018. In response to fans who criticized her for inking a matching tattoo with her then-boyfriend of a month, Grande tweeted: “”it makes me so happy i can’t wait to be 90 and remember how happy my life was & how few fucks my friends and i gave,”
“Always” on Her Rib Cage
One of Grande and Davidson’s other matching tattoos is the word “Always,” which Grande has in Davidson’s handwriting on her ribcage. Davidson has a version in Grande’s handwriting on his upper back.
Leaves on Her Rib Cage
Months after her and Davidson’s breakup, Grande tattooed leaves over her “Always” tattoo. She made it clear to fans that she wasn’t covering Davidson’s too, but “evolvin” it.
“561” on Her Thumb
In 2018, Grande tattooed the number “561” on her thumb. The number is the area code for Boca Raton, Florida, where Grande was born and raised until she was cast in a Broadway show at 14.
“Reborn” on Her Hand
Another of Grande’s matching tattoos with Davidson was her “Reborn” tattoo on her hand, which was a reference to Kanye West and Kid Cudi’s song of the same title.
Olive Branch on Her Hand
After Grande and Davidson broke up, Grande covered her “Reborn” tattoo with an olive branch.
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“Pete” on Her Hand
One of the most well-known tattoos Grande had for Davidson was the “Pete” tattoo on her finger in cursive.
Black Heart on Her Hand
After her and Davidson’s breakup, Grande covered the “Pete” tattoo with a black heart.
“8418” on Her Ankle
Another tattoo Grande had for Davidson was the number “8418” on her ankle The number was the badge number of Davidson’s late father, who was a firefighter who died in 9/11.
“Myron” on Her Ankle
After Davidson and Grande broke up, Grande covered the “8418” tattoo with a tattoo of the name “Myron”, in honor of her late ex Mac Miller’s dog. Miller died in September 2018 to an accidental overdose.
Lightning Bolt, “R.E.M.” and Black Heart Behind Her Ear
Grande’s “Breathin’” music video in 2018 revealed several tattoos behind her ear, including a black heart, a lightning bolt and the acronym “R.E.M.”, which is the title of one of her songs on Sweetener.
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“9 3/4” on Her Finger
Another Harry Potter-themed tattoo, Grande has the number “9 3/4” on her finger, which references Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station, which serves as the gateway to the Hogwarts Express.
Chihiro on Her Forearm
In 2018, Grande tattooed the Spirited Away character Chihiro on her forearm. Spirited Away tells the tale of a 10-year-old girl who accidentally travels to the spirited world and comes back brave and mature.
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Crescent Moon, Sun and Stars on Her Hand
In December 2018, Grande tattooed a crescent moon, a sun and some stars on her hand. That same day, Grande’s 93-year-old grandmother received her first tattoo of the word “Ciccio”, the nickname for Grande’s late grandfather, on the inside of her ring finger. Grande documented the process of her grandmother’s first tattoo on Instagram.
Japanese Characters on Her Elbow
Right before the New Year, Grande tattooed the Japanese characters “うたいましょう” on her elbow. The tattoo translates to “Let’s sing”—fitting for her profession.
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Eevee on Her Arm
In January 2019, Grande tattooed the Pokemon Eevee on her arm. “I’ve wanted this for so long,” Grande wrote over a photo of the tat.
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Japanese Characters on Her Palm
Grande was roasted on the internet when she tattooed the Japanese characters on the palm of her hand “七 輪.” Grande intended for the characters to mean “7 Rings”, the name of her song, but when put together, the phrase actually translated to “BBQ grill.” Grande later revealed that she left out the characters in the middle because the tattoo was too painful. After the backlash, she tried to fix it, but the tattoo then translated to “BBQ finger” because of the placement of the characters.