He’s called Vu sometimes… Find out why!
Over the years, BTS‘s V has amassed over a dozen of nicknames — some of them from family, some of them from friends, but most of them given to him with plenty of affection from his fans, ARMYs. Here are some of his most popular nicknames and the endearing meaning behind each one!
1. Taetae
Taetae comes from his full legal name, Kim Tae Hyung. Even before V debuted with BTS, his friends from his school in his hometown called him by this nickname. It has stuck with him since and ARMYs now call him Taetae, or even shorter, TT.
2. CGV
CGV comes from the fact that V looks too good to be true. As a combination of Computer Graphics and V, CGV is a nickname that highlights his unrealistic visual.
3. Choco Bun
Choco Bun, or 초코찐빵 in Korean, comes from his mochi-like cheeks that make him look like a bun. His darker, bronze-y skin tone gives him the chocolate flavor!
4. Vu (부)
Vu, or 부 in Korean, comes from that insane level of duality that V has, keeping ARMYs hooked. It originates from an ARMY’s online post, in which his name is spelled wrong as Vu. ARMYs have taken this and turned it into a nickname.
As his stage ego V, he is charismatic, professional, and irreplaceable. But as the alter ego Vu, V is soft AF — often silly, cheeky, and playful, like a kid with the biggest heart the world has seen.
5. Secret Weapon
Secret Weapon, or 뷔밀병기 in Korean, comes from a pre-debut story when V was a mysteriously veiled trainee at Big Hit Entertainment.
The agency, which grew anxious at how much potential V had as a young trainee, decided to keep him completely hidden from the world in an attempt to prevent other agencies from snatching him away.
6. Baby Lion / Tiger
As far as animal nicknames go, V is referred to as both a lion and a tiger by K-ARMYs and I-ARMYs. V’s initial fluffy-but-fierce appearance at the beginning of his debut days earned him the nickname Baby Lion (아기사자) first — then soon, he nicknamed himself a Tiger, as he began using the tiger emoji when identifying himself.
7. Gucci Boy
Gucci Boy comes from the undeniable fact that V looks incredibly good in Gucci products.
8. The One on the Left
“The One on the Left” comes from BTS’s appearance at the 2017 BBMAs. His visual caught the attention of many non-ARMYs, who inevitably found themselves asking, “Who’s the one on the left?”
9. Bear
Bear, or gomdori (곰돌이), is a loving nickname that comes from V’s father. The story that his father calls him by this nickname got shared at a fan meeting event — and since then, ARMYs have referred to him as gomdori too, with the utmost affection.
10. Wind Prince
Wind Prince comes from his teammate RM, who gave V this Marvel superhero type of nickname in a previous episode of Run BTS!. After watching V dominate the VR game experience, RM was inspired and called him the “Prince of Wind” or 바람의 왕자.
