Justin Bieber enjoys using his body art, particularly tattoos, to express himself.
The pop star, 26, started inking himself on his 16th birthday and hasn’t stopped since. So far, he’s amassed more than 60 designs that cover both arms as well as his entire torso and most of his legs.
“If [tattoos] didn’t hurt everyone would have them. Well maybe not [everyone]!! Over a hundred hours of art work on my body and I wouldn’t take back a single one,” he wrote on Instagram in 2018, showing off his body art. “I absolutely love art and I’ve made my body a canvas and it’s so much fun.”
Most of Bieber’s ink boasts spiritual or family significance, but the “Halo” singer also has a few designs that mirror his wife Hailey Baldwin’s, along with some simple, fun tats. Learn about them all below.
Religious
Small cross near eye
Bieber was ahead of the crowd when it comes to face tats. “I did tattoo a small cross near the corner of Justin’s eye,” tattoo artist JonBoy revealed to E! News in 2016. “It was a representation of his faith in Jesus and his journey with finding purpose in God.”
Large cross
One of Bieber’s most unmistakable tattoos is the huge cross in the middle of his chest. “The cross in the middle of my chest is a symbol of my faith, and a reminder of what Jesus endured to rectify all that was broken,” he told Vogue.
“Yeshua”
Both Justin and his dad have the word “Yeshua,” Jesus’ Hebrew name, on their ribs.
Two angels defeating evil
Bieber commissioned celebrity tattoo artist Bang Bang to ink an epic angel battle scene across his stomach that features a huge cathedral, skeletons and more.
“We added two angels, one on each side. Below each one, they’re dominating the evil,” artist Bang Bang told E! News of his handiwork. “Whenever I do an epic piece, there needs to be the positive and negative. There needs to be a balance … visually there needs to be contrast. Below each of the angels, there is a demon that needs to be defeated. The skeleton on one side and the serpent on the other.”
Continued the artist, “It’s symbolic of Gothic art and the struggle between the light and dark, the good and the evil, yin and yang. I wanted to make sure we had contrast in subject matter and imagery. The thing that made the most sense to me was a tattoo describing his spirituality. The animals he has, his spirit animals as well as the angels, his guardians. I was trying to make it super meaningful and not scattered.”
Psalm 119:105
In 2013, Bieber added a quote from Psalm 119:105 across his back. It reads: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path”.
Jesus Christ
In 2012, the pop star added a depiction of Jesus Christ to the back of his right leg.
Justin Bieber shows off the Jesus Christ tattoo on the back of his calf, which is placed above two praying hands.Getty Images
Prayer hands
Around his left ankle is a pair of praying hands with roses.
“Chi” symbol
Nestled in his arm sleeve is the “Chi” symbol, which represents Christ. But Bieber also told GQ that the “X” could hold a deeper, more mysterious meaning: “‘X’ means unknown. They might know the shell of me or might know the artist but not necessarily me.”
Angel wings
On the back of his neck, Bieber has angel wings.
“Son of God”
In 2016, Bieber declared his devotion by tattooing this phrase under his ribs.
Music
“Purpose”
In 2015, he confirmed the name of his new album by getting it tattooed above his belly button.
“Believe”
To mark the release of his first album in 2012, Bieber had its title tattooed on his forearm.
Owl
One of the recurring motifs of his “Believe” era was an owl, which he also had tattooed in 2012. He told GQ it symbolizes wisdom.
Crown
In 2012, Justin added a small crown symbol on his chest, which fans believe is a tribute to Michael Jackson.
Treble clef
This musical symbol can be found behind his left ear, on his neck.
Boombox
Bieber nodded to old-school music with this design.
Japanese Kanji character for “music”
Bieber expressed his love for music in all languages with this lettering.
Diamond
The diamond on his wrist also features in the album artwork for his “Confident” collaboration with Chance the Rapper.
Peach
To celebrate the third single off of his “Justice” album — appropriately titled “Peaches” — Bieber tattooed a peach on the side of his neck.
Family
Bird
Justin’s very first tattoo was this tiny outline of a bird in flight on his hip. This tattoo symbolizes the seagull from the fable “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” and is a tradition for members of his family, most of whom have matching ink. “The book is about a seagull who wanted to be more than just a seagull. I’m trying to be more than just a regular person. I’m trying to be extravagant,” Bieber told GQ.
He had his done in Toronto in March 2010, on his 16th birthday.
Roman numerals
In 2013, Bieber inked Roman numerals representing his mom Pattie Mallette’s birth year, 1975.
Stratford Culliotons mascot
Justin got the Canadian junior ice hockey team’s logo tattooed on his shoulder blade in honor of his grandfather, who used to take him to their games.
Justin Bieber has his mom’s eye inked in his elbow above the word “believe” and below a tiger. On his forearm, there is a castle and a knight, as well as a bleeding globe on a cross with a thorn crown.Getty Images
Mom’s eye
This eye — inked right where his elbow folds — symbolizes that his mother is always watching out for him.
Words of inspiration
“Forgive”
In 2014, when the singer was publicly struggling with a DUI and other scandals in the tabloids, he sent a message by getting “forgive” tattooed on his hip.
“Patience”
In 2014, during his on-again, off-again relationship with Selena Gomez, Bieber had this word inked down his neck.
“Trust”
This reminder is located in the crook of his arm.
“LL”
The acronym stands as a reminder that when your head is low, you should lift it up.
Justin Bieber went a more subtle route with this tattoo, getting the word “grace” in barely-visible script above his eyebrow. Tattoo artist Bang Bang created the Bible-inspired ink.Getty Images
“Grace”
As exclusively reported by Page Six Style, Bang Bang gave Bieber his second face tattoo in 2018, inking the word “grace” above his eyebrow. Wife Hailey Baldwin has a matching “style” tattoo in an undisclosed location.
Sparrow and “forever”
In 2019, Bieber mirrored Baldwin’s “lover” neck tattoo with his own, which reads “forever” underneath a sparrow.
The bird has a very fitting meaning for Bieber; “It’s a reminder to use the gifts God has given me and give it all I have—to fly above all of the bulls—t,” he told Vogue.
“Better at 70”
“I look back at a lot of things in my life, mistakes, insecurities, and although I have felt I’ve wasted a lot of time it also makes me want to be better faster and longer!” Bieber wrote on Instagram while debuting this thigh tattoo. “For me personally I want to work everyday to be BETTER AT 70.”
Miscellaneous
Justin Bieber adapted Selena Gomez’s 2012 Elle photoshoot into an angel tattoo on his wrist while the two were dating.Getty Images ; Elle Magazine
Selena Gomez portrait
Perhaps Bieber’s most infamous tattoo is a portrait of ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez on his wrist, inspired by an Elle magazine photoshoot with added angel wings. He’s since attempted to have the face altered, but fans still know this tat’s true origins.
Bear, lion and eagle
One of Bieber’s largest tattoos done in a single shot is the torso-spanning portraits of an eagle and a bear. Just a week after getting the bear and eagle, the star completed his animal kingdom with a lion, inked on the opposite side of his chest from the bear. The king of the jungle was fittingly integrated with Bieber’s crown tattoo.
The animals are more symbolic than they may seem; the bear represents rest, the pop star told Vogue. “As tough and resilient as a bear is, it always hibernates, which is so important,” he said. “We as humans go, go, and go without resting and it can leave us exhausted and drained.”
He added that the lion is a reminder to be “bold, courageous, strong!’”
Eagle, tiger and koi fish
On his left upper arm, Justin has a second, larger eagle. Below is a large tiger as well as a koi fish, adding to his menagerie.
Castle and knight
These two designs can be seen in Bieber’s sleeve.
Mismatched sleeves
While both of Bieber’s arms are entirely covered with ink, the themes don’t always mesh. Across both arms, you’ll find an eight ball, legendary artist Banksy’s “Balloon Girl,” Boo from Super Mario Brothers, a compass, a Korean mask, fish scales, the letter “G” — in honor of his friends Chad and Julia Veach’s daughter Georgia, who suffers from lissencephaly — a bleeding globe being crucified on the cross and wearing a crown of thorns, a shooting star, a graffitied star, an angel wing and more.
Most of Bieber’s right outer arm is covered with a depiction of an angel holding a clock with a large rose motif underneath, which he had done in 2018.
Joker
Fans believe this jester was meant as a jab at the press for painting Bieber in a negative light.
“Make ’em pay”
In 2018, Bieber cemented his friendship with Hillsong Church pastor Carl Lentz by matching his tattoo of two guns and the words, “make ’em pay,” which the pop star inked on his inner bicep.
Laurel wreath
Earlier this year, Bieber added this ink around his neck.
Rose
The star’s most recent tattoo? A huge rose rising from his collarbone up his neck. “The rose on my neck from Dr. Woo reminds me that even though I’m flawed, beauty shines even through our rough edges,” he said.
