文身

An old ethnographic practice of decorating the body with markings, documented in China among the 高山, 黎, 独龙, 傣 and other southern peoples - figures, totems, and 八卦 diagrams marking identity, belief, or beauty. The character 文 itself originally depicted a body with markings.

usage

文身 is the older written form; 纹身 (with the thread radical 纟) is the common modern variant. Both are correct; mainland signage more often uses 纹身.