The 10 Most Iconic BTS Memes

The seven young men known as BTS have millions of fans worldwide, sold out shows around the globe, and talk shows basically fighting over the opportunity to have them as guests. Everyone with an internet connection has at least heard of them and their fandom just keeps on growing and growing in numbers.

The members and ARMY, of course, are currently celebrating the group’s sixth anniversary. And man, it’s been a wild ride. But here’s the thing: They have a (not so secret) secret. ARMY is in on it, but does the rest of the world know what’s coming for them? The truth is, the BTS members are actually seven lovable dorks with pure memes in their veins. In celebration of their sixth anniversary, let’s check out the 10 ultimate, iconic, must-know BTS memes!

Disclaimer: There’s obviously A LOT of BTS memes out there, and this was probably one of the hardest things to do, but I tried to select only the most essential ones. These are the memes that are being used so often that they have become part of the fandom lore and ARMY’s and BTS’s defining sense of humor. But it’s also just meant to be a fun list to remind everyone of hilarious memes from the past six years. Let’s get it!

1. The jam incident

This is unquestionably one of the – if not THE – most quoted memes by BTS. It was RM, who famously joked: “Jimin, you got no jams.” Referring to the Korean expression for “not fun” or “uninteresting,” it was obviously meant as a joke (because nobody in either ARMY or BTS would ever mean to insult Jimin) and instantly took off like a rocket. From the moment this “Bangtan Bomb” aired, it spiraled and quickly became BTS’s and ARMY’s most used (some would say overused) inside joke.

2. The dirty water vs. face-dilemma

Closely related to the infamous jam incident (because it happened only moments before) is the next item on this list. It really seems like the boys were on a roll on that trip. This time, J-Hope was complaining about Jimin spitting “dirty water” onto his face. He, even with his then limited English skills, said something that everyone, when confronted with someone who just gets too close for their comfort, might find useful: “Don’t touch my face.” Also, don’t forget: Hobi later also famously blessed us with the iconic quote “I hate snake” and to be honest, same. Seems like J-Hope has always had a gift for wording relatable one-liners – which makes perfect sense for a great rapper.

3. Jungshook

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the famous, the one and only, Jungshook meme. This one, like no other, serves the best pictures, gifs, and videos to send to your friends when you’re just exactly that: shook. Our golden maknae seems to have internalized the shook meme entirely, seeing as there are many, many versions of Jungkook just staring off into the distance with a more or less terrified expression. Whether it’s the choking version, bike helmet over hoodie version, or the “I-think-I-accidentally-ate-an-egg-with-its-shell” version, there’s truly a Jungshook meme for every life situation.

4. Do you know BTS?

Do you? Do you know worldwide handsome? Do you know the hyung with golden vocal cords who’s constantly showing his love for ARMY by pulling paper hearts seemingly from thin air? Of course you do. Because it’s none other than Jin, first of his name, wielder of giant blow-up light sticks, eater of every delicious food ever, and thrower of kisses. Some people might think his “Do you know BTS?” stunt is merely that, a stunt, but think about walking up to strangers and talking to them in a language that you’re only just learning, and with them not knowing “annyeonghaseyo.” That needs some serious courage, plus it makes for one of BTS’s most beloved running gags. In short: Jin, please never stob it!

5. Sipping Tae

Tae is not only a true master of derp faces, hilarious dances, and best ever would-have-been saxophone star, but also a lover of the arts such as photography, painters like Van Gogh, museums, and of course, the greatest art form of all: memes. No wonder the creative genius found a way of being a full-on meme without even saying a word or making a necessarily funny face. Everyone caught his low-key sassy sip from his mug on “The Ellen Show.” Regardless of whether it was supposed to be shady at the moment, it surely turned into a high-quality shady tea meme.

6. Min Suga genius jjang jjang man bboong bboong

Back in 2015 during “I Need U” promotions on a “Naver Starcast” live stream, fans were invited to add something to existing raps by the rap line. It just so happened that Yoongi’s final lines contained the words “Min Suga (rap) genius jjang jjang man bboong bboong.” Like the genius rapper he is, he performed it flawlessly and the nickname stuck with him ever since. Suga being a badass rapper but performing this freestyle especially captures the duality of his persona. He’s an incredibly hard-working producer and rapper but also a guy who wants to be reborn as a rock; “Min Suga, genius” and general badass, but also loving Kumamon, Holly, and celebrating J-HOOOOOPE like no other; and he’s Agust D but also Lil’ Meow Meow. Plus, he’s the creator of “Infires.” In short: Min Suga genius jjang jjang man bboong bboong.

7. Strong power thank you

RM basically having a second profession in translating on-the-go during interviews is a meme on its own – including shady facial expressions when answering the same question the 23rd time and hilarious intentional mistranslations if a member answers with too much sass. He’s done it so often he’s basically their official interpreter now, and that’s exactly why it’s great to see when he’s had enough and decides to have some fun with it. Years after famously clearing up that Tae’s alternative career would be a saxophone star and not the similarly sounding yet very different profession, it was again Tae’s words that Nams decided to tweak a little. Instead of accurately translating V’s words while thanking fans for giving him strength, he just said “Strong power thank you,” and everyone burst into laughter. This will forever be one of our favorite quotes.

8. Beach? B*tch?

Back to the really old BTS memes: this one is truly a classic, probably overused over the years, but maybe it’ll have a comeback at some point. This meme is the legendary conversation of Taehyung and Jimin on the “BTS Now: BTS in Thailand” DVD about the destination of their car ride. They were clearly going to the beach. But baby Bangtan had only just begun to practice their English – which, by the way, everyone knows has amazingly come a long, long way since then – and had some linguistic difficulties with the pronunciation and distinction of the word beach and the very similar sounding curse word. Either way, this is probably one of the most essential conversations in terms of BTS memes ever.

9. Jungkook-ism

It’s no secret that when it comes to JK, sometimes maknae does what maknae wants, and in some cases, what the maknae wants is to just have fun. The amount of meme-worthy content produced by Jungkook could probably make up a book, so this list item represents all the random weird, quirky, and hilarious actions JK has gifted us with over the years. For example, there’s the sunglasses/diving goggles vid, his “Naruto” run, or his hilarious derp dance during “Dope” promotions. And that’s not even the vocal part of his memes! There’s “Ding dong,” “Fireeeee,” the famous “International playboy,” “I know face but I don’t know name,” and the off-camera “Oh man, holy sh*t,” to the all-time favorite: “Pardon?”

Throw in a “Let’s get it” and the infamous “Jimin-ssi,” and we’re still only talking about the tip of the iceberg here. You get the idea: it’s a LOT.

10. Lachimolala

It all happened during “Run BTS! 2018” Ep. 41. The boys were supposed to play a round of the whisper game and try to read each other’s lips while wearing headphones. It went… semi-well. During the game, J-Hope was trying to communicate the word “Carbonara” to Jimin, but he just couldn’t read Hobi’s lips. Obviously being an Agust D fan, he started guessing with “Tony Montana” and then quickly switched to “Lachimolala,” which isn’t really a word in either Korean or English. But here’s the thing: Jin was able to guess it!
And at some point in the future, there will be a super mysterious TV-show about Jin and his ability to guess “Carbonara” from “Lachimolala.” Until then, and until this mystery is scientifically investigated, we’re convinced Jin has supernatural powers when it comes to food. Just look at him eating on “EAT Jin!” Everything suddenly makes sense! Either way, “Lachimolala” shall forever be remembered.

BONUS: The ultimate derp faces

Everybody knows BTS’s picture perfect photoshoot faces, when it looks like they jumped off of a runway. Of course, their on-stage faces while dancing are commonly known too, when they give their all and (very successfully) try to make both camera crew and the audience fall in love with them. If you’re new to BTS, this might be a shock to you, but seasoned ARMYs know and adore this side of their seven favs: The derp faces. Every single one of the members has been captured doing silly faces. Some occur more often and some are rare sights, but the one thing they all have in common is that they’re hilarious.

ALSO BONUS: Waltzing in like Jungkook

While it’s a relatively new meme, the intro of BTS’s performance of “Airplane Pt. 2” at MAMA 2018 in Hong Kong gained a lot of attention beyond the limits of the K-pop community, so we think it deserves a bonus spot on this list. The 30-second segment has Jungkook walking the stage towards a microphone and chair like he owns the place, and soon enough, the internet was summoned to create some seriously hilarious memes and tweets that had fans worldwide spit their drinks from laughing. Users had captions like “Tuxedo Mask on his way to do absolutely nothing to help Sailor Moon and the sailor scouts” or “Julius Caesar walking into the Senate not knowing that Brutus is about to betray him.” It’s obvious the meme machine BTS has done it again.

We hope BTS will always keep their inner fools alive and continue to let them show from time to time. Here’s to many more years of music, entertainment, and fun with BTS! Happy sixth anniversary!

What’s your favorite BTS meme? How are you celebrating BTS’s anniversary? Tell us in the comments!

daisygonzo knows more about BTS than she’d like to admit and she can’t believe it has already been six years. Check out her Instagram for more!