BTS Jungkook’s 10+ Tattoos And The Meanings Behind Them
Last summer, BTS‘s Jungkook achieved his teenage dream of getting a tattoo. He didn’t stop at just one though. He now has more than 10! Here’s what each of Jungkook’s tattoos might mean, according to fans.
1. ARMY + J
Jungkook has several hand tattoos. “ARMY” is for BTS’s fandom, but it also contains R and M for RM and “Min Yoongi” (Suga). The “A” in ARMY is an inverted “V” for V, and the “J” is believed to represent Jin, Jimin, and J-Hope.
2. Purple heart and 0613
Although Jungkook hasn’t confirmed any of its tattoos’ fan-given meanings, the heart is considered an expression of Jungkook’s everlasting love for his members and fans. “0613” is BTS’s debut date, June 13, 2013.
3. Crown and smiley face
The crown may refer to BTS’s status as Kings of K-Pop. The smiley face could be Jungkook’s favorite emoji, or simply a stylistic detail.
4. Shield
The shield on Jungkook’s hand is ARMY’s logo. It’s interesting to note that he chose to tattoo ARMY’s logo rather than BTS’s!
5. “Rather be dead than cool”
On his forearm, Jungkook has a crossword tattoo. The vertical lettering in the design says, “Rather be dead than cool”, which is a quote from the Nirvana song “Stay Away”.
During a live stream in April 2018, Jungkook mentioned how much he loves this phrase. It’s his life motto!
6. “Make hay while the sun shines”
The horizontal phrase in the crossword is much harder to see clearly, but it made a brief appearance in BTS’s “ON” MV.
“Make hay while the sun shines” is an old proverb that urges listeners to seize the day.
7. Skeleton hand and black stripes
The skeleton hand has its pinky and index fingers pointed up in a classic “rock on” gesture, and it’s believed to be an extension of Jungkook’s “Rather be dead than cool” ink. The stripes next to it closely resemble the stripes on South Korea’s flag, geon (건), which mean “justice”.
8. Tiger lily
According to fans, this tattoo represents Jungkook’s birth flower, the tiger lily.
The words behind it, “please love me”, are the tiger lily’s meaning in the language of flowers.
9. TRUTH
This text was spotted by fans in the “BTS Focus” version of the “Kinetic Manifesto Film: Come Prima” MV.
Although it’s difficult to make out, some believe it says “TRUTH”, which Jungkook’s GOT7 friends Mark and Yugyeom also have tattooed in the same spot.
10. Tiger
Fans spotted this tattoo in BTS “ON” MV. Although it’s difficult to make out, it appears that Jungkook may have a tiger tattooed on his arm. In Korean symbolism, tigers are good luck symbols that represent courage and pride.
11. Mystery tattoo
This tattoo, spotted in BTS’s “Kinetic Manifesto Film: Come Prima”, is far too blurry to make out, but hopefully it will be revealed someday!
SO JUNGKOOK’S TATTOO REACHES UP TO HIS SHOULDER… pic.twitter.com/DeB5UKyYJP
— ﱞ (@rainhoya) February 21, 2020
