Justin Bieber likes tattoos. A lot.
The Canadian star has just added a Koi Carp image, which is an ornamental fish, to his rapidly growing collection of body art. Reportedly, it’s his 13th tattoo.
Spotted on Bieber’s left arm while backstage at his Copenhagen, Denmark show on Saturday, the Koi is tucked beneath a six-months old tattoo of an owl and a cross representing the Greek letter ‘Chi,’ meaning ‘Christ.’
While it’s not known exactly when the singer got his new tattoo, it’s understood to have been in the last few days.
As anyone who has a tattoo will tell you, they usually mean something to those who wear them. For this reason, it’s likely the Koi has a deeper significance for Bieber that may relate to his recently rekindled romance with Selena Gomez.
The Spring Breakers actress jetted to Oslo, Norway on Thursday specifically to see Bieber, who was performing at his last show of a three night run at Telenor Arena.
Sources said the pair were seen kissing, hugging and holding hands in Oslo . The Believe tour — and Gomez — then moved on to Copenhagen, Denmark, where Bieber played on Saturday.
De facto confirmation of the couple’s reunion, or at the very least, very friendly discussions, came Saturday when Bieber posted a photo of himself and Selena to his Instagram account. He deleted it shortly after.
In addition, last week widely circulated pap shots of Bieber’s iPhone revealed a screensaver of Gomez on it’s front display. This, and the prearranged meet for the 20-year-old actress on landing in Oslo suggests that she was, and is, on the singer’s mind.
So what does all that have to do with a Koi fish tattoo? Here comes the non-science bit.
Strictly speaking “Koi” means carp when it’s translated into English. Hop over to China and carp symbolizes good fortune. However, in the Japanese culture — which is where the word origins — the meaning of the vividly colored fish goes a lot deeper than that.
In Japan, the word “Koi” is a homophone, which basically means it has different meanings . It can be substituted for another Japanese word meaning “love that is affectionate,” and is associated with qualities of loyalty, friendship and love.
So does this mean Bieber and Gomez have decided to just be friends, or that the pair have decided to let their relationship develop on mature grounds and see how things go?
Who knows? But one thing is certain. Bieber has previously said that each of his tattoos has a personal meaning, so it’s likely his new tattoo marks the dramatic return of Selena to his life — in whatever form that may be.
The 19-year-old’s collection of tattoos, includes a native Indian head, the word ‘Believe’ marking the release of his same named album, the word ‘Yeshua’ on his chest, the image of Jesus Christ on his left calf — and now six more.
But, it seems Bieber found skin room for one more — the Koi fish . If you think about it, “love that is affectionate” could well have been the unwritten caption underneath that Instagram of Bieber and Gomez.
[ Image via Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com ]