If you’re a fan of BTS and ever wondered what Park Jimin, Taehyung or Min Yoongi’s name meant, here is an explanation on BTS members real names, their meanings and the origin stories behind them.
As a fan of the Kpop group BTS I always want to know more about my favorite idols, and I know you do too.
So today I thought I’d list out all the real names of the BTS members and explain what they mean and how they originated.
I’m sure most of you must know this already (especially if you’re a part of the BTS army!) that V, RM, Suga, etc. do not go by their real names and have opted for stage names instead.
Here I’ve also explained why that is so and why Jungkook and Jimin chose to use their original names instead.
So read one to know more about the names and their meanings of the most popular Kpop group in the world.
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Table of Contents
BTS Members Real Names, Meanings And Origin
Ever wondered what the names of your favorite BTS members mean? And why did they choose the stage names they did? Well, I have explained it all below. Check it out!
V – Kim Taehyung – 김태형
Now Kim Taehyung lucked out in the naming department as the person who named him, his grandfather, was a professional naming master.
In Korean culture, these naming masters decide a baby’s name keeping in mind the child’s future and destiny.
So Taehyung’s name means “all wishes will come true” or “everything will work out in the end”. It’s written in Hanja as 金泰亨 and in Hangul as 김태형.
Kim Taehyung looks amazing in new pictures 🤍🔥#kimtaehyung #taehyung #v #tae #bts pic.twitter.com/Ol96yFzcHQ
— Clout News (@CloutNewsMedia) June 22, 2022
Now coming to his stage name, Big Hit Entertainment wanted him to choose a stage name that was out-of-the-box as he was the last member of BTS to be introduced, and they wanted a novelty factor.
So Taehyung chose the stage name which stands for “Victory”. Good choice I’d say!
RM – Kim Namjoon – 김남준
RM’s real name is Kim Namjoon which is written in modern Korean Hangul as 김남준 and in traditional Hanja as 金南俊. According to him, the letter “南” in the name is supposed to mean South Korea.
And so the whole name translates to something like “the genius from the South”.
Namjoon is BTS’s frontman and lead rapper and in his trainee he wrote a song called “Rap Monster” which quickly became his stage name.
However, since BTS dabbled in diverse music and not just rap, he shortened it to RM.
Jungkook – Jeon Jeongguk – 전정국
Jungkook or Jeon Jeongguk has revealed in an interview that he was named by his grandfather. His name is spelled as 전정국 in Hangul and as 田柾國 in the Hanja alphabet.
Big Hit Entertainment and Jungkook had looked at several possible stage names for Jungkook, with him even suggesting the name “Seagull”. But eventually they decided to go with the name Jungkook itself.
グクーーーーっ🥹😂💜
— kao ꕤ*.ﾟᵖʳᵒᵒᶠ ✽.｡.:*・ﾟ (@kaokook_7191) June 21, 2022
大好きだよ🫰#JUNGKOOK #BTS#ぎゅってしたいJungkook pic.twitter.com/EFL7HCYroL
The only change that they made was that they changed the spelling from Jeongguk to Jungkook to make it easy for international fans to pronounce his name.
As his grandfather has passed away Jungkook doesn’t really know what his name means. However, he does think it can be translated to something like “Pillars of the nation” or something similar.
Suga – Min Yoon-gi – 민윤기
Suga’s real name is Min Yoon-gi which can be written in Hangul as 민윤기 and in Hanja as 閔玧其.
He has revealed that the “Min” or more accurately the letter 其 is his family name as has been so for generations.
And as for his first name Yoongi, it’s translated as “shine” or “gloss”. Fitting for someone who shines so bright on stage, I’d say!
Now if we take his stage name Suga, there’s a real interesting concept behind it.
Yoongi is a HUGE basketball fan and even played the sport in the position of “Shooting Guard”.
So to pay homage to this sport, he chose the name Suga which combines the first two syllables of “shooting guard”.
Jin – Kim Seokjin – 김석진
In Korea it is traditional for the elders of the family to name the baby. So Jin was also named by his grandfather, just like Jungkook and Jimin.
His name is written as 金碩珍 in Hanja and 김석진 in Hangul. The meaning of the name is “a great treasure”. Which is true, because BTS members are Korea’s pride and the national treasure!
He decided to use a shortened version of his first name “Jin” as his stage name.
Jimin – Park Ji-Min – 박지민
Jimin is one of the BTS members who chose not to have a stage name and prefers to go by his real name instead. It’s written in Hanja as 朴智旻 and in the modern Korean Hangul alphabet as 박지민.
His name, his bandmate Jungkook’s, was also selected by his grandfather. It means “one who’s wisdom reaches higher than the skies”.
Oh and if you’re wondering why Jimin doesn’t use a stage name, here’s the real scoop on it.
In an interview he revealed that he did originally receive a stage name from Big Hit and that it was Baby G. Cute.
But apparently Jimin didn’t think so, because he then decided he will use his real name instead. Oh well, ARMYs love it either way.
J- Hope – Jung Hoseok – 정호석
If you have ever wondered if names have power, then you will be utterly amazed by Jung Hoseok’s story.
His name was chosen by his parents who decided on it after visiting a temple. It is written as 정호석 in Hangul and 鄭號錫 in Hanja alphabets.
Do you know what it means? The name Jung Hoseok roughly translates to “a name that spreads throughout the nation”. And isn’t that exactly what happened with BTS’s rise to fame?
I’ve got chills. Haven’t you?
Oh, and his stage name J-Hope has a great story behind it too. Hoseok was apparently inspired by the Greek myth of Pandora’s box.
In the myth every bad thing spreads through the world when a woman named Pandora opens a mythical box, but still “Hope” remains inside.
Hence, the name J-Hope, where J stands for his family name “Jung”.
FAQs about BTS Names And Their Meanings
There are always a lot of queries from Kpop fans about their favorite idols. And since BTS is so popular, everyone wants to know the tiniest details about their lives.
So today, I’ve answered a few frequently asked questions about BTS’s names and their meanings.
— Jungkook SNS✨️ (@Jungkook_SNS) January 21, 2021MEDIA | BTS’s Golden Maknae Jungkook Was Born To Be A Star Since The Beginning. A legend has been born.
BTS' Jungkookis a jack-of-all-trades. The meaning of his full name, Jeon Jungkook Named by his grandfather, the Chinese characters mean 'to be a pillar of a nation'. pic.twitter.com/D5pDjk8yzL
What is the meaning of Jeon Jungkook?
Jungkook has spoken in interviews about how he was named by his grandfather. However, his grandpa has now passed away and so he doesn’t exactly know the real meaning of this name. But has speculated that “Jeon Jungkook” could be loosely translated to the phrase “Pillar of the Nation”.
Why does Taehyung from BTS go by “V”?
Kim Taehyung goes by the stage name “V” in BTS as he wants this to symbolize his “Victory”. He has opened up about how he has had a hard childhood, being raised by his grandmother. So he wanted V to be his name as he claims victory in everything.
Also, when BTS was first revealed, Taehyung was a mystery member and Big Hit Entertainment wanted to reveal him at the very end. So they encouraged him to use a mysterious sounding stage name. So ultimately he chose V.
What is the meaning of Jung Hoseok?
Jung Hoseok has revealed that his name translates to the phrase, “A name that spreads throughout the nation”. He also said that his parents selected this name after visiting a temple.
Why did Min Yoongi choose the name Suga?
Min Yoongi is a huge basketball fan and also used to play the sport before joining BTS. He used to play the “shooting guard” position in basketball and when time came to choose a stage name for BTS he decided to pay homage to his favorite sport.
The name Suga is derived from the first syllables of the word “shooting guard”.
Why is Kim Namjoon called RM in BTS?
Kim Namjoon is not just the leader of BTS, he’s also the lead rapper. And this is the reason why he chose the name RM as his stage name. It stands for Rap Monster, which is also the name of one of the songs he wrote as a trainee with Big Hit Entertainment.
Summary On BTS Real Name Meanings And Origin
BTS is one of the most popular Kpop groups in the world.
They have made a Grammy appearance, visited the White House to speak against Asian hate crimes in the US, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart globally.
And all this in the 9 years since they have been active!
Although recently we have received the news that BTS is taking a hiatus and focusing on their solo careers, ARMYs will be eagerly waiting for the news of their reunion!
Also Read:
What Are BTS Members Height And Weight
Where Does BTS Live (BTS’ Home)
BTS Net Worth By Individual Members
Meet The Siblings of BTS Band Members
