BTS's friendship tattoo is the number 7, one for each member of the group. All seven have one, each in a different spot: RM showed his first in June 2022, and SUGA was the last, revealing his on his left shoulder in August 2023. Here is where every member has his 7, when it came to light, who designed the tattoos and what the seven 7s spell when you put them together.
Key points
- The friendship tattoo is a "7," the number of members. Each member put his in a different place
- RM: left ankle. J-Hope: back of the ankle. Jimin: left index finger. Jungkook: behind the ear. Jin: left side. V: left thigh. SUGA: left shoulder
- RM revealed his first, on June 10, 2022. SUGA completed the set on August 6, 2023
- Tattoo artist Polyc worked on the tattoos with the members. Put the seven 7s together and they spell "BTS"
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BTS's 7 Tattoos at a Glance
| Member | Placement | Revealed |
|---|---|---|
| RM | Left ankle | June 10, 2022 |
| J-Hope | Back of the ankle | June 15, 2022 |
| Jimin | Left index finger | June 16, 2022 |
| Jungkook | Behind the ear | June 18, 2022 |
| Jin | Left side | June 26, 2022 |
| V | Left thigh | December 2022 |
| SUGA | Left shoulder | August 6, 2023 |
(Sources: ELLE Korea, June 29, 2022 (Korean); My Daily, August 7, 2023 (Korean); Elite Daily)
The dates show when each 7 was first seen or shown, not when it was inked. Where reports don't agree on a side, we haven't given one.
What the 7 Means and Who Designed It
BTS is a seven-member South Korean group that debuted in June 2013: RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope (officially styled j-hope), Jimin, V and Jungkook (officially styled Jung Kook). All seven finished their mandatory military service by June 2025, released the album Arirang on March 20, 2026, and are now on their Arirang world tour. (Sources: Wikipedia; Stereogum, January 15, 2026; TV Report, October 7, 2026 (Korean))
Their friendship tattoo is simply the number 7, for the seven members, and each of them chose his own spot for it. (Source: VOGUE KOREA (Korean))
RM summed it up in an interview on KBS News 9 that aired on December 18, 2022: "Our members don't really like tattoos that much, but for the first time, we got friendship tattoos together." He added that each of them put the number 7 on a different part of the body. (Source: TenAsia, December 19, 2022 (Korean); the quote is our translation of "저희 멤버들이 원래 타투를 그렇게 좋아하지 않는데 처음으로 우정 타투를 같이 했어요")
How the Idea Came About
The members had been talking about it since spring 2022. About three months before he showed his tattoo, RM said on a Naver V LIVE broadcast that they were considering seven dots, the Big Dipper or the number 7, but that it was still only talk. (Source: ELLE Korea (Korean)) In April 2022, V told a fan on Weverse that BTS would get friendship tattoos someday, and in the FESTA dinner video released on June 14, 2022, the members agreed they wanted something simple, such as a line, a dot or the number 7. (Source: Elite Daily)
You may read elsewhere that SUGA came up with the idea. We couldn't find anything from the members or their label that says who suggested it.
Polyc, the Artist Behind the 7s
The friendship tattoos were done by Polyc, a tattoo artist who works in South Korea. In November 2022, he wrote that he designed them after a thorough discussion with the members, to show the meaning of their friendship. He also said the design will never be sold and won't be tattooed on anyone outside the group. (Source: SBS Star, November 15, 2022) See the post on Instagram (@polyc_sj)
Around the same time, he shared an image on his Instagram Story showing that the seven 7s, put together, spell "BTS". (Sources: SBS Star; Harper's BAZAAR Korea, February 7, 2023 (Korean))
BTS had put the number in an album title before. Introducing their 2020 album Map of the Soul: 7, Jin described it as "an album that looks back at the seven years spent by the seven members as a team." (Source: Soompi, February 24, 2020, in Soompi's translation)
Where Each BTS Member Has His 7
The members are listed in the order their 7s came to light. In the photos in this article, each 7 is a small, thin line that looks hand-drawn.
RM: Left Ankle
RM (Kim Nam-joon), the group's leader, has his 7 on his left ankle. (Source: ELLE Korea (Korean))
He was the first to show it, posting a photo on his Instagram Story on June 10, 2022, the day BTS released the album Proof. (Sources: ELLE Korea (Korean); Elite Daily)
J-Hope: Back of the Ankle
J-Hope (Jung Ho-seok) has his 7 on the back of his ankle, at the bottom of the calf. (Sources: ELLE Korea (Korean); My Daily (Korean))
He posted it on Instagram on June 15, 2022, with the caption "Yet to come." (Source: Elite Daily) The words echo "Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)," the lead single of Proof, released five days earlier. (Source: Wikipedia)
Jimin: Left Index Finger
Jimin (Park Ji-min) has his 7 on his left index finger. (Sources: Model Press, June 17, 2022 (Japanese); Munhwa Ilbo, June 30, 2022 (Korean))
Fans spotted it on June 16, 2022, when a close-up on the music show M Countdown caught his hand on the mic. On June 29, Jimin posted a photo on Weverse and confirmed it was a friendship tattoo the members got together. He added that he had wanted to show it off while holding the mic, but his hands are so small that it disappears when he grips it. (Source: Jimin's Weverse post (Korean))
He has six other known tattoos, including "NEVERMIND" on his ribs, "13" on his wrist and moon phases down his back. See Jimin's tattoos for all of them.
Jungkook: Behind the Ear
Jungkook (Jeon Jung-kook) has his 7 behind his ear. (Source: Harper's BAZAAR Korea (Korean))
On June 18, 2022, Polyc posted a photo of Jungkook with the new 7 on Instagram. (Source: Elite Daily) The tattoo also shows in a mirror shot like the one above. (Source: My Daily (Korean)) Harper's BAZAAR Korea calls it Jungkook's "piece of BTS."
He has more tattoos than anyone else in the group, and he started earliest. (Source: ELLE Korea (Korean)) His right arm and hand, including "ARMY" across his fingers, are covered in our article on Jungkook's tattoos.
Jin: Left Side
Jin (Kim Seok-jin) has his 7 on the left side of his torso, near the waist. (Sources: ELLE Korea (Korean); My Daily (Korean))
He revealed it on June 26, 2022, with shirtless beach photos on Instagram, taken from behind, and a caption saying he had gotten the friendship tattoo too. (Source: GMA News, June 26, 2022) ELLE Korea pointed out that Jin rarely shows skin, to the point of having a nickname for it.
V: Left Thigh
V (Kim Taehyung) has his 7 on his left thigh, according to reports. (Sources: Elite Daily; My Daily (Korean))
On June 18, 2022, he posted an Instagram Story that seemed to show a 7 between two moles on his arm, and Korean media reported it as his tattoo. (Source: ELLE Korea (Korean)) According to Elite Daily, though, the arm 7 wasn't a real tattoo. The thigh 7 appeared in photos he posted on Instagram on December 16, 2022. (Source: Elite Daily) In those shots, posted with a Mexican flag, he was in swimwear and the 7 on his left thigh was clearly visible; he was reportedly in Mexico to film the tvN show Jinny's Kitchen. (Source: The Viewers, December 19, 2022 (Korean)) His tattoo artist shared a close-up on January 3, 2023. (Source: Elite Daily)
SUGA: Left Shoulder
SUGA (Min Yoon-gi) has his 7 on his left shoulder, and he was the last to show it. (Source: YTN, August 7, 2023 (Korean))
In an August 2022 Weverse livestream, he confirmed that he had gotten the tattoo but said fans would have to guess where it was. (Source: Elite Daily)
He finally showed it on August 6, 2023, the last night of SUGA | Agust D Tour "D-Day" The Final at KSPO Dome in Seoul. He revealed the 7 near the end of the show, then showed it again on a Weverse livestream afterward when fans asked. (Sources: Xportsnews, August 7, 2023 (Korean); YTN (Korean))
His left shoulder is the one he injured in an accident while working a delivery job as a trainee in 2012, and he had surgery on it in 2019. (Source: Xportsnews (Korean))
FAQ About BTS's Tattoos
Which BTS members have tattoos?
All seven, going by reports and the members' own posts. Every member has the 7 friendship tattoo. Jungkook and Jimin are also known for having several personal tattoos.
When did BTS get their 7 tattoos?
The exact dates haven't been made public. RM showed his first on June 10, 2022, and most of the others came to light later that month. SUGA confirmed his in August 2022 but didn't show it until August 6, 2023.
Where is SUGA's 7 tattoo?
On his left shoulder. He showed it at the final show of his solo tour, in Seoul on August 6, 2023.
What do the BTS 7 tattoos spell?
According to Polyc, the artist behind them, the seven 7s spell "BTS" when you put them together.
Who did BTS's friendship tattoos?
Tattoo artist Polyc (@polyc_sj). He also covered up some of Jungkook's earlier tattoos. (Source: Polyc's Instagram, June 18, 2022)
Can I get the same 7 tattoo as BTS?
Not from Polyc: he has said the design won't be sold or tattooed on anyone outside the group. If you want a number that means something to you and your friends, pick your own font, size and placement and work it out with a tattoo artist. Browse number tattoo designs for ideas, or find a tattoo studio in Japan.
The Bottom Line
BTS's friendship tattoo is a 7 for the seven members, placed differently on each: RM's left ankle, J-Hope's ankle, Jimin's left index finger, Jungkook's behind-the-ear spot, Jin's left side, V's left thigh and SUGA's left shoulder. The 7s came out one by one from June 2022, and SUGA completed the set in August 2023. Polyc did the tattoos, and together the seven 7s spell "BTS."
If a small number tattoo is on your mind, compare designs first, then talk it through with a studio.
*Based on publicly available information as of October 2026.
