Gaara's tattoo is a Japanese kanji symbol for 'love'. It represents his internal struggles with love. He has the kanji of love tattooed over his left eye as a visual reminder of his purpose and being.

Later, Gaara decided that, after losing everything he cared about, he would live up to his namesake by loving only himself. To that end, he used his sand to etch the kanji for "love" onto the left ...

Fuuma may have been the Naruto creator’s first choice, but fans are glad Gaara is what made the final cut. When you break the name down into its kanji, the Sand Shinobi’s name is rather telling.