You Might Be Surprised by How Many Tattoos BTS Have

Updated on 5/30/2023 at 7:05 PM

The members of BTS go all out with their beauty and fashion looks, but one thing this K-pop group doesn't do a lot of is tattoos. The boy band has seven members — although each of them are currently on a brief hiatus — and only two of them are heavily inked. That's right: while Jimin and Jungkook have a handful of known (and hidden) tattoos, Jin, J-Hope, RM, V, and Suga only have one piece of body art each.

Still, they one design they do all share is matching friendship tattoos of the number "7" in various locations, which the group has been slowly revealing since their album "Proof" dropped in June 2022. RM, for example, got the tattoo etched on his ankle, which he shared to his Instagram Stories, whereas Jungkook got his inked on the back of his left ear, according to his tattoo artist. J-Hope also posted a photo of his "7" on the back of his right ankle. V later showed off in his design located on his left thigh.

As for why the rest of BTS has kept their ink to a minimum? Everyone has personal reasons for getting — or not getting — tattoos. In an interview with Grazia, Suga explained why he's currently on the fence about getting inked. "I might want to do something else in the future," he said, according to a translated version of the interview. "I want to do charity work. It might not look good, so I'm refraining myself."

While Jimin only has a couple tattoos so far (most recently a crescent moon on the back of his neck), Jungkook, on the other hand, has quite a few. In fact, he has so many pieces of body art, we're not entirely sure we can ID them all. The BTS ARMY definitely can though, so with their help, we nailed down as many BTS tattoos as we could — as well as their meanings — ahead.

Does Jungkook Have Tattoos?

Jungkook keeps getting more and more tattoos, so we're not even sure that we know of all of them. He has several hand tattoos, including the word "ARMY" across his knuckles for the BTS fan base. He also has a "J" over the "M" of "ARMY," and fans have concluded that this tattoo has more than one meaning. The "A" in "ARMY" is an upside-down "V," making all these letters add up to the names of the members of the group. "V" for V, "RM" for RM, "Y" for Yoongi (Suga), and the "J" for Jin, J-Hope, and Jimin. He also has plus signs between the letters and a heart on the same hand. Jungkook got the number "7" inked on the back of his left ear, according to a photo posted by his tattoo artist, which was one of seven BTS friendship tattoos. All together, these seem like a lovely tribute to the band.

This hand also has the ARMY logo, which is similar to the BTS logo, and a crown tattoo on another finger. On his thumb, he has "0613," which fans think means June 13, when BTS debuted in 2013. That hand (the middle finger to be exact) also has a woozy face emoji on it.

Jungkook's other tattoos are a little more of a mystery because they're up his arms and shoulders. On his right arm, he has a tattoo that reportedly says, in part, "Rather be dead than cool," which he's proclaimed is his life motto. He also has a skeleton-hand tattoo, as well as another tattoo on his shoulder that was peeking out in the "On" video. Fans surmise that it's the landmass of Korea expressed as a tiger: an animal that plays a strong role in Korean culture and tradition. The "On" video also revealed three black stripes on that arm (the first part of the Korean National flag), as well as a tiger lily — the birth flower of his birthday month (September). There's wording underneath the tiger lily that reads, "Please love me."

Jungkook has more words tattooed on this arm, though they're hard to decipher in the small glimpses we've seen. Some fans believe one on his inner arm says "Truth," which his K-pop artist friends, Mark and Yugyeom, have in the same location. He also seems to have recently gotten a red eye tattooed on this arm, as well as the phrase "the most beautiful moment in life" in Chinese characters.

Does V Have Tattoos?

V only has one tattoo, which is the matching number "7" he got with the rest of the BTS group. His tattoo artist, who goes by @polyc_sj on Instagram, revealed V's design located on his left thigh. V later showed off the tattoo in an Instagram carousel.

Does RM Have Tattoos?

RM was the first to reveal his BTS friendship tattoo, showing off his "7" ink in an Instagram story, where you could see the number etched on his ankle. He has since kept the design relatively hidden.

Does Jimin Have Tattoos?

Jimin only has a few tattoos that we know of, but because they're largely hidden, we haven't seen much of them. He has "Nevermind" tattooed on his right side; it was once a temporary tattoo that he apparently liked enough to get inked permanently. He also has a number 13 on the inside of his wrist, spotted in this video, which fans think is a nod to when BTS debuted on June 13, 2013, and/or his birthday of Oct. 13. He also has "Young" and "Forever" on his elbows, seemingly for their song "Young Forever."

In 2022, eagle-eyed fans also spotted a crescent moon on the back of his neck, although the star has yet to confirm whether the tattoo is real or temporary. He revealed his BTS friendship tattoo in June 2022 on the app Weverse, showing off his "7" design located on his left pointer finger.

Does J-Hope Have Tattoos?

J-Hope has a matching BTS friendship tattoo of the number "7" located on the back of his right ankle, which he posted to Instagram.

Does Suga Have Tattoos?

Suga was the last of the BTS members to show off his BTS "7" friendship tattoo, but eagle-eyed fans spotted the design in an Instagram photo posted in January 2023. It is located on the left side of his neck.

Does Jin Have Tattoos?

Jin only has one tattoo, which is the matching "7" design he got with the rest of BTS. It is located on his left rib cage, according to a shirtless Instagram photo showing the ink.