Here’s The Meaning Behind Each BTS Member’s Real Name

These are the stories behind their names.

In a 2014 interview with Haru Hana magazine, BTS‘s members were asked about their real names’ meanings and origins. Here’s what they said.

 

1. Kim Namjoon (RM)

RM‘s real name in Hangul (the modern Korean alphabet) is 김남준. In Hanja (the Korean name for Chinese characters) is it written as 金南俊。According to RM, the “南” character in his name means “South Korea”. The meaning of his whole name is “the genius from South”.

 

2. Kim Seokjin (Jin)

Jin‘s real name in Hangul is 김석진,and it’s written in Hanja as 金碩珍。His grandfather gave him his name, which means “a great treasure”.

 

3. Min Yoongi (Suga)

Suga‘s real name is 민윤기 /  閔玧其. Suga said that “其” is his family’s generation name (a character that gets passed down through the generations). Suga’s older brother also uses this character in his name. As for the origin of his name, Suga said that he wasn’t sure, but he hoped that he could live his life well.

 

4. Jung Hoseok (J-Hope)

J-Hope‘s real name is 정호석 or 鄭號錫. His parents decided on his name after visiting a temple. According to J-Hope, it means “a name that will spread throughout the entire country”. Like many of his members’ names, J-Hope’s turned out to be a prediction that came true; he is now known around the whole world!

 

5. Park Jimin (Jimin)

Jimin‘s real name is written as 박지민 and 朴智旻. His name originated from his grandfather and it means, “my wisdom will reach higher than the sky”.

 

6. Kim Taehyung (V)

V‘s real name is 김태형, written as 金泰亨 in Hanja. The character “亨” means something along the lines of  “all wishes will come true” or “everything will work out in the end”. He said that his grandfather is a naming master: someone who creates names with the recipient’s future/career in mind. V also revealed that his name and his father’s names have similar meanings.

 

7. Jeon Jungkook (Jungkook)

Jungkook‘s full name is 전정국 / 田柾國.  Although he doesn’t know its meaning, he does know that it was given to him by his grandfather who passed away. In the interview, Jungkook speculated that his name could mean something like, “the pillars of the nation”.

Source: Haru Hana Magazine

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