A "half-sleeve" tattoo typically covers the upper or lower half of the arm, but sometimes the term gets loosely used. If the tattoo doesn't extend from the shoulder to the elbow (or elbow to wrist), it might be referred to as a "partial sleeve" instead. In contrast, a "full sleeve" tattoo covers the entire arm from the shoulder to the wrist (example). So, if the tattoo doesn't fully cover the defined half of the arm, it might not be considered a true "half-sleeve."