'I purple you': Origin story of this popular BTS motto is all things adorable

We often see BTS' fans, who are lovingly called Army,shouting "I purple you" as soon as RM, Jin, Suga,J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook take over the stage. It's basically fans' way of saying, "I love you," using the K-pop band's signature colour. Fans also get the popular BTS phrase tattooed on their arm to show their love and appreciation for the 7-member boy band from South Korea. But have you ever wondered how BTS or the Army came up with the iconic motto? The origin story ofthe "I purple you" phrase is as interesting as the K-pop band's journey as global stars.

Today, the colour purple is synonymous with BTS but that wasn't the case always.In fact, their tie to the colour was totally accidental and unintended. Kim Taehyung, whose stage name is V, first said "I purple you" during BTS' third muster,an annual fan meeting held in November 2016.

To explain the reason behind using the colour "purple" instead of "love", V said,"Do you know what purple means? Purple is the last colour of all the rainbow colours, so it means I will trust and love you for a long time."

Later, however, V admitted that he completely made it up. "I just made it up," V said, before adding, "I wish I can see you for a long time, just like the meaning of purple. We'll always trust you and go up the stairs with you."

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From that point on, Armydeclared purple as BTS' official colour, and "I purple you" as their adorable way of saying, "I love you to the moon and back".

You'll often see BTS members saying the line after ending their speeches or at concerts. It's their way of thanking the Army for their support.

Out of all the members, V tends to say "I purple you" the most, for obvious reasons. On November 13 last year,fans celebrated the sixth anniversary of the phrase.

In just a few days, BTS will celebrate their 10th work anniversary with a special event called Festa. The K-pop groupmade their debut as a band in 2013 with the release of their single "No More Dream".

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