The tattoo of the three monkeys covering their eyes, ears and mouth illustrates an old saying, known today mainly as “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” The image comes from a 17th-century carving at the Tōshō-gū Shrine in Nikkō, Japan, and the monkeys’ Japanese names—Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru—hide a play on words that explains why the idea came to be depicted specifically with monkeys. The most common questions about this motif concern a possible fourth monkey and the fact that its message can be read in two almost opposite ways. We’ll clear these up one by one below, before moving on to the practical side of composition and placement.
- The original carving has three monkeys, not four, and is on the stable of the sacred horses at Tōshō-gū Shrine in Nikkō.
- The names Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru come from a Japanese play on words, not from a literal translation of the phrase “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”
- The fourth monkey, Shizaru, represents the “do no evil” part of an older, more complete maxim, but sources disagree about why it is missing from the carving in Nikkō.
- The expression can be read either as personal discipline or—as it is used in the West—as a criticism of someone who deliberately ignores a problem.
Where the image of the three monkeys comes from
The carving that popularized the motif is on the stable of the sacred horses (Shinkyūsha) at Tōshō-gū Shrine in Nikkō and dates to the 17th century; it is the second in a series of eight carved panels (source: Three wise monkeys – Wikipedia). The monkeys appear on the stable specifically because, in East Asian tradition, they were considered protectors of horses against disease and misfortune (source: Nikko Toshogu Shrine – Tabiiro). The philosophy behind the gesture is older than the carving itself, though: its roots probably go back to a maxim in the Analects of Confucius, which reached Japan through the teachings of Tendai Buddhism from China during the Nara period. The carving is traditionally attributed to the artisan Hidari Jingorō, but works associated with this name span nearly three centuries—an indication that the name functioned more like a collective signature for several elite artisans than the identity of a single person (source: The Three Wise Monkeys of Toshogu Shrine – Tourist Japan).
What Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru mean, and the play on words behind their names
The three gestures have a straightforward reading: Mizaru covers his eyes and sees no evil, Kikazaru covers his ears and hears no evil, and Iwazaru covers his mouth and speaks no evil (source: Nikkō's Three Wise Monkeys – Nippon.com). The names are not, however, translations of these gestures, but the result of a play on words: the negative suffix “-zaru” (meaning “not”) sounds identical to the voiced form of the word “saru” (猿, monkey), which is used in compound words. In effect, the expression mizaru-kikazaru-iwazaru naturally took on the form of monkeys because the two sounds coincided, not because monkeys had any original connection with the idea of “seeing no evil, hearing no evil, speaking no evil.”
Why these three gestures, and not others?
The panel with the three monkeys is part of a story told in eight carved scenes at Tōshō-gū, following the stages of a person’s life, and this panel corresponds to childhood—the age when someone is most curious and most exposed to outside influences, so they have the greatest need to be protected from them (source: Nikko Toshogu Shrine – Tabiiro). That explains why the lesson focuses specifically on the three senses through which outside influences reach us: what we see, what we hear and what we choose to repeat.
The fourth monkey and the most common misconceptions
The Confucian maxim behind the image has four parts in its complete form, not three—the fourth is, approximately, “do not make any move contrary to propriety,” usually read as “do no evil.” This fourth idea is sometimes represented by an additional monkey, called Shizaru or Sezaru, usually shown with its arms crossed or its hands on its belly. It does not appear in the original carving in Nikkō, though, and the source that documents this panel in the greatest detail offers two possible explanations for its absence, without confirming either as the correct one: the first links the missing monkey to the superstition surrounding the number four in Japanese culture, where four (shi) is pronounced the same as “death”—reason enough to avoid the number at a shrine; the second says that its gesture, usually read as a reference to improper conduct, would have been considered inappropriate to carve in a sacred place (source: Nikko Toshogu Shrine – Tabiiro). Neither explanation is confirmed as the only correct one, so the most accurate approach is to treat them as competing hypotheses, not as established fact. What remains certain is that the original shrine has exactly three monkeys, in the see-hear-speak order—any version with four figures or a different order is a later adaptation, not the original.
From Confucian maxim to modern symbol: what does it really say?
Although its roots lie in a Confucian maxim transmitted to Japan through Buddhism, the motif has long since become a widely recognized cultural symbol, rather than a practice associated with a particular religious cult, and its interpretations have multiplied as the image has gained international popularity. Its original meaning is about personal discipline: not deliberately exposing yourself to influences, gossip or bad examples, especially during the years when you are growing into the person you will become. It is a lesson about what you choose to look at, listen to and repeat, not about ignoring real problems. In Western popular culture, however, the same image has often come to be used with an almost opposite meaning: to describe someone who deliberately “turns a blind eye” to an injustice or a problem they should acknowledge (source: Three wise monkeys – Wikipedia). If you’re getting a tattoo, it’s worth deciding in advance which of these two interpretations you want to convey, because that changes the emphasis you place on the gestures, the number of monkeys and any text accompanying the design.
How to choose the composition and placement for your own design
The number of monkeys in the design depends first and foremost on the message you choose: the classic version, with three figures, stays true to the original carving and its reading as personal discipline; you can add a fourth monkey, Shizaru, if you want to complete the maxim and emphasize “do no evil,” knowing that it is a later addition, not part of the original carving in Nikkō.
Size and placement matter just as much as the number of figures. A horizontal composition with three small silhouettes and clean lines reads well on the wrist or forearm, where the gestures remain clear even from a distance. A larger version, with more details around the monkeys, fits better on the ribs or shoulder blade, where the surface allows for a more complex composition without making the design feel crowded.
Before making any permanent decision, you can see exactly how your chosen size and placement look by wearing a temporary tattoo—the same approach we recommend in our guide for anyone considering their first permanent tattoo—including with a custom design, tailored to the composition and number of monkeys you’ve chosen.
If you want to focus more on protection than balance, another illustrative design in the catalog builds on the same idea: a deliberate barrier against negative influences.
For other symbols with a similar cultural significance, our A-to-Z meaning glossary explains dozens of motifs, while our guide to Buddhist-themed tattoos goes into more detail about the cultural context behind this kind of imagery, too. If you’re interested in the motif mainly for its religious or cultural aspect, our guide to religious symbols in temporary tattoos explains how we approach these themes respectfully, whatever their origin.
Beyond any jokes about “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” the three monkeys remain a motif with a clear, verifiable story: a 17th-century Japanese carving, a play on words that turned a maxim into an image, and two modern readings that you can consciously choose between before deciding on the composition. You can try out the exact number of monkeys, size and placement you’ve chosen with a temporary tattoo, without any pressure, before considering a permanent version.
