22 Funny Matching Tattoo Ideas for You and Your Partner-in-Crime
Matching tattoos are a great way to celebrate friendships, relationships, or even sibling bonds. But why go for something serious when you can make it funny, quirky, and downright ridiculous?
Here are 22 funny matching tattoo ideas that will keep you laughing for years, plus the colors, placements, and one planning detail most people skip that decides whether your pair actually looks matching a year from now.
Color & Style Guide
| Style | Best For | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Black Linework | Any design on this list | Cheapest, ages best, easiest to match exactly |
| Bold Cartoon Color | SpongeBob & Patrick, cat & dog, ghost & skeleton | Needs a touch-up sooner than black-only work |
| Minimal Black & White | PB&J, puzzle pieces, spelling bee | Clean, subtle, forgiving for a first tattoo |
| Red Accent | Hot sauce, “Boom” and “Pow” bubbles | Adds punch to an otherwise plain black design |
Best Placements
Wrist or Inner Forearm: The easiest spot to line up for a side-by-side matching photo.
Ankle: A low-key option that still shows off the joke when you want it to.
Finger or Behind the Ear: Perfect for the smallest icon-only designs, like the loading bar or Wi-Fi symbol.
Ribcage or Upper Arm: Better suited to designs with more detail, like the SpongeBob and Patrick pair or the cat and dog fight.
Getting the Pairing Right: Why Matching Tattoos Need a Little Planning
A lot of matching tattoo pairs end up looking mismatched a year later, usually because the two people went to different artists, or got tattooed at different times with different linework thickness. For the joke to actually land, both halves need the same line weight, the same scale, and ideally the same artist in the same sitting, so the pair reads as intentional rather than coincidental. It’s also worth deciding beforehand who gets which half, especially for the lopsided pairs on this list. Nobody wants to realize after the appointment that neither of you actually wanted to be the dead battery, the drowning stick figure, or the one holding the “HELP” sign.
22 Funny Matching Tattoo Ideas
1. Peanut Butter & Jelly
You’re inseparable, just like PB&J. A cute peanut butter jar on one person and a jelly jar on the other makes a perfect match, simple enough to read instantly even as a tiny design.
Meaning: Inseparable in the most delicious way possible, one half never quite complete without the other.
Placement: Wrist or inner forearm keeps both jars easy to line up for a photo.
Pain Level: 4/10
Moderate
Nobody asks for just one of you anymore.
2. Avocado Half & Pit
One of you is the avocado half, and the other is the pit, because you complete each other, even if one of you is a little nutty.
Meaning: Completing each other, one soft half and one very solid center.
Placement: Forearm or ankle gives both halves room to actually look like they fit together.
Playful
Simple
One of you is definitely the pit, and you both already know which.
3. Wi-Fi Signal & Loading Bar
One of you gets a strong Wi-Fi symbol, while the other has a never-ending loading bar, a hilarious way to joke about who’s always connected and who’s constantly buffering.
Meaning: A running joke about who actually shows up on time and who’s perpetually still loading.
Placement: Wrist or ankle suits the design’s small, icon-only scale.
đź“Ť Ankle
đź“Ť Behind the Ear
One of you arrived. The other is still buffering.
4. “Ctrl + C” & “Ctrl + V”
Perfect for twins, best friends, or couples, this tattoo idea is a geeky way to show that one of you is the original, and the other is the perfect copy.
Meaning: Being cut from the exact same cloth, one original and one very faithful copy.
Placement: Forearm or wrist keeps both commands legible side by side.
Pain Level: 4/10
Moderate
Copied, pasted, and somehow still an upgrade.
5. Taco & Hot Sauce
One of you is the taco, the other is the hot sauce, because things just aren’t as good without the perfect spicy pairing.
Meaning: A pairing that only really works together, plain without the other and a little too much alone.
Placement: Forearm or calf gives both the taco and the hot sauce bottle room to stay detailed.
Bold Color
Food
Neither of you is complete without a little heat added.
6. Lock & Key… But with a Twist
Instead of a serious version, make it a cartoonish lock with an expression of panic and a key with an evil grin, ready to unlock trouble.
Meaning: Trouble waiting to happen, one nervous and one clearly the instigator.
Placement: Wrist or ankle keeps the small cartoon expressions legible.
đź“Ť Ankle
đź“Ť Forearm
One of you is always about to cause a problem.
7. SpongeBob Running Meme & Patrick Confused
One gets SpongeBob in full panic mode, and the other has Patrick looking blankly at nothing, a perfect representation of how you react in every chaotic situation.
Meaning: Two very different reactions to the exact same chaos, panic and total confusion.
Placement: Forearm or calf gives both cartoon poses room to stay expressive and detailed.
Pain Level: 5/10
Moderate
One of you is panicking. The other has no idea why.
8. Battery Full & Battery Low
The always-energetic person gets the full battery, while the perpetually exhausted one rocks the nearly dead battery symbol.
Meaning: An honest, permanent status update on who’s actually running on fumes.
Placement: Wrist or forearm keeps both battery icons small and easy to compare.
Bold Line
Relatable
One of you never needed a nap. The other one still does.
9. Spider & Screaming Stick Figure
One tattoo has a tiny spider, and the other has a stick figure running away in terror, capturing that classic “kill it” moment.
Meaning: A shared memory of exactly who screams first and who has to deal with it.
Placement: Wrist or ankle keeps both small figures easy to read at a glance.
đź“Ť Ankle
đź“Ť Forearm
One of you saw it first. The other one is still running.
10. Salt & Pepper Shakers
You’re a duo that adds flavor to life. One gets a salt shaker, and the other rocks pepper, because what’s one without the other?
Meaning: Two things that only really make sense as a pair, adding flavor together rather than apart.
Placement: Wrist or inner forearm keeps both shakers small and easy to line up.
Pain Level: 4/10
Moderate
Salt without pepper is just half a story.
11. Shark Fin & Drowning Stick Figure
A shark fin swimming ominously on one person and a panicking stick figure in the water on the other. A little dark humor, but definitely funny. Our ocean themed tattoos for women cover more designs built around the ocean if you want something from that world with a little less panic involved.
Meaning: A shared joke about exactly who’s the predator in this friendship.
Placement: Forearm or calf gives both the fin and the panicking figure room to stay legible.
Dark Humor
Bold Line
One of you is circling. The other one already knows it.
12. Toilet Paper Roll (Full & Empty)
One of you has a full roll of TP, and the other has that dreaded empty roll, because we all know the struggle.
Meaning: A very specific, very real household struggle, immortalized permanently.
Placement: Wrist or ankle suits the design’s small, icon-only scale.
đź“Ť Ankle
đź“Ť Forearm
One of you restocks. The other one never does.
13. Puzzle Pieces That Don’t Fit
Get matching puzzle pieces, but make sure they don’t actually fit, because life’s too short to take everything seriously.
Meaning: A joke on the whole “puzzle pieces fit together” clichĂ©, refusing to take the metaphor too seriously.
Placement: Wrist or ankle keeps both mismatched pieces easy to compare side by side.
Pain Level: 4/10
Moderate
Two pieces that were clearly never meant to fit, and got tattooed anyway.
14. Rock, Paper, Scissors
Each person gets one element of the game, but let’s be real, paper is always the unlucky one here.
Meaning: An ongoing, permanent rivalry, settled the same way it always gets settled.
Placement: Wrist or forearm keeps each small icon clean and easy to read.
Bold Line
Playful
Someone has to be paper, and it’s usually the same person.
15. Stick Figures in a Tug-of-War
A stick figure pulling a rope on one person and another figure pulling from the opposite end, because your friendship is a constant battle of wills.
Meaning: A permanent record of exactly who never backs down first.
Placement: Forearm keeps both stick figures and the connecting rope legible.
đź“Ť Wrist
đź“Ť Ankle
Still pulling, and neither one’s letting go first.
16. Cartoon “Boom” & “Pow” Speech Bubbles
Channel your inner comic book duo with these classic action bubbles from old-school superhero comics.
Meaning: Pure comic-book energy, loud and unapologetic about it.
Placement: Forearm or shoulder gives the bold speech bubble shape room to stay crisp.
Pain Level: 4/10
Moderate
Two sound effects, and no explanation needed.
17. UFO & Beamed-Up Human
One of you gets a UFO, while the other gets a tiny person being abducted, because let’s face it, one of you is bound to get taken first.
Meaning: A running joke about who’s clearly getting left behind if things go sideways.
Placement: Forearm or calf keeps both the ship and the tiny figure legible together.
Playful
Sci-Fi
One of you is already gone. The other one’s still watching.
18. Fork & Spaghetti
One of you is the fork, and the other is a whirl of spaghetti, because together, you’re a mess, but a delicious one.
Meaning: A mess that somehow still works, exactly the way it’s supposed to.
Placement: Forearm gives the spaghetti’s swirl room to stay detailed.
đź“Ť Wrist
đź“Ť Ankle
A mess, and clearly a good one.
19. Cartoon Cat & Dog Fight
A grumpy cat swiping its paw on one person and a silly dog dodging it on the other, a hilarious way to show love through rivalry.
Meaning: Love expressed the way it actually feels most days, a little bit of chaos included.
Placement: Forearm or calf gives both animals room to stay expressive and detailed.
Pain Level: 5/10
Moderate
Still fighting, and clearly still choosing each other anyway.
20. Skeleton & Ghost Whispering
One of you gets a skeleton holding a string phone, while the other has a cute ghost listening on the other end, because you still chat even in the afterlife. Our creepy gothic tattoo ideas cover more designs built around this same spooky, playful register.
Meaning: A friendship that’s apparently built to outlast literally everything, including death.
Placement: Forearm or shoulder gives both the skeleton and the ghost room to stay detailed.
Whimsical
Dark
Still talking, even after everything ends.
21. “Help” & “Hold My Beer”
One person has “HELP” written in bold, while the other proudly sports “HOLD MY BEER,” because you know how this ends.
Meaning: An honest warning label for exactly how your dynamic actually plays out.
Placement: Forearm keeps both bold phrases fully legible.
đź“Ť Wrist
đź“Ť Ankle
One of you already knows how this story ends.
22. Spelling Bee & Misspelled Word
A tiny cartoon spelling bee on one person and a deliberately misspelled word on the other, because grammar is hard, okay?
Meaning: A permanent, good-natured jab at exactly who needs the grammar help.
Placement: Wrist or inner forearm keeps the tiny bee and the word legible together.
Pain Level: 4/10
Moderate
One of you is the bee. The other one clearly needs it.
Final Thoughts
Matching tattoos don’t have to be serious, sometimes, they’re just about having fun, sharing a laugh, and showing off your goofy side. Whether you’re best friends, siblings, or partners, these hilarious designs will make sure you never regret getting inked together. So, which funny tattoo speaks to your relationship dynamic?
Frequently Asked Questions
Do matching tattoos need to be identical?
No. Most of the designs on this list are actually two different halves of one joke, like the taco and hot sauce or the full and empty battery, rather than the exact same image repeated twice.
What’s the best placement for a small, icon-only matching design?
Wrist, ankle, or behind the ear work well for tiny designs like the loading bar or Wi-Fi symbol, since they don’t need much detail to read clearly.
Should both people go to the same tattoo artist?
It’s strongly recommended. Getting matched designs done by the same artist in the same sitting keeps the linework, scale, and style consistent, which is what actually makes a pair look intentional.
What if the friendship or relationship ends later?
It’s worth having an honest conversation about that possibility before booking, the same way you would with any tattoo tied to another specific person.
Are funny matching tattoos a good choice for a first tattoo?
Yes, especially the smaller, simpler designs like the salt and pepper shakers or the rock, paper, scissors set. They’re low-commitment in size while still being personal and meaningful to your relationship.
