Red string tattoo on hand: Here’s what it means

January 2, 2026 by salah

One that I’ve seen a good many times over the years – and, until now, never thought to research, I might add – is that of the so-called ‘red string of fate’.

It’s highly likely that some of our readers will recognize the small, red tattoo, but there’s every chance that its symbolic meaning is not known to many of those who have seen it before.

As I said, I’d seen the tattoo on a number of people. Enough, certainly, to notice a pattern. This mark had to mean something, I just had no idea what.

So I did a little digging – thanks, internet – and found that the red string tattoo in question is known in Asian cultures as the ‘red string of fate’. Most commonly appearing on the thumb of a man and the pinky finger of a woman, the tattoo looks like a simple bow with tails, not unlike a tied shoelace.