Beginner's mind — the openness you had before you knew anything. Outstanding.

What a Japanese person actually thinks
Widely admired, and it says something genuinely humble — a rare thing for a tattoo. Every Japanese person knows the Zeami phrase, so the two characters carry the whole proverb.

Meaning

Literally: first + heart/mind
Actually: The mindset of a beginner: unassuming, curious, without the arrogance of expertise. 初心忘るべからず ('never forget the beginner's mind') is Zeami's line about Noh, and it's proverbial.

Scores

Naturalness●●●●●

Common word with a well-known classical source.

Coolness●●●●●

Two simple characters that will still be crisp in fifty years, carrying a proverb everyone recognises. Close to ideal.

Watch out

low初心者 (with 者) means 'novice' — a beginner-level driver or player. Alone, 初心 is the philosophical sense.

On skin

初心

Orientation: either

Brush. Two clean characters give a good artist room to be careful.