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The Korean Zodiac 🐭🐮🐯

Twelve animals, five colors, and one 60-year wheel - here's how it all fits together.

2026 is Byeong-o (丙午年)❤️ Year of the Red Horse
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What is the Korean zodiac?

More than the animal you were born under - an old way of keeping time, direction, and season in one set of twelve

Ask a Korean what your tti is and they're asking which of twelve animals rules the year you were born. The system came out of ancient East Asia, where the same twelve names carried the hours of the day, the points of the compass, and the turn of the seasons. Three ideas unlock the whole thing. 👇

  • A way to tell timeThe day was split into twelve two-hour blocks, one per animal. The Rat's block runs from 11 PM to 1 AM, matched to when the animal was thought to be busiest.
  • A compass and a calendarEach animal also holds a direction and a slice of the year, so the same twelve names cover north and south as well as spring and winter.
  • A 60-year wheelTen heavenly stems turn against the twelve animals, and the two only line up again after 60 years. That's the sexagenary cycle.

Meet the twelve animals

In order, from the Rat that opens the cycle to the Pig that closes it.

  • Rat Ja · 子 · Quick and resourcefulThe Rat opens the cycle. In the old race story it rode across the river on the Ox's back and jumped off first, which is exactly the kind of thinking the sign is known for. Its element is Water (水), it holds the hours 23:00~01:00, and it faces due north.
  • Ox Chuk · 丑 · Patient and dependableThe Ox is traditionally seen as the hardest worker of the twelve - the one you hand a long job to and stop worrying about. Its element is Earth (土), it holds the hours 01:00~03:00, and it faces northeast.
  • Tiger In · 寅 · Bold and hard to ignoreKorea's classic guardian animal. Tigers were painted on gates and folding screens to keep bad luck outside, and the sign carries the same fearless reputation. Its element is Wood (木), it holds the hours 03:00~05:00, and it faces northeast.
  • Rabbit Myo · 卯 · Gentle and quick-wittedKorean folklore puts a rabbit on the moon pounding rice cakes, and the sign keeps that soft image - tactful, careful, and better at talking its way out of trouble than fighting. Its element is Wood (木), it holds the hours 05:00~07:00, and it faces due east.
  • Dragon Jin · 辰 · Ambitious and larger than lifeThe only imaginary animal of the twelve. Traditionally tied to rain, rivers, and royalty, and still the most sought-after birth year in the cycle. Its element is Earth (土), it holds the hours 07:00~09:00, and it faces southeast.
  • Snake Sa · 巳 · Observant and privateThe thinker of the twelve. The Snake is said to say the least and notice the most, and to make its move only once it's sure. Its element is Fire (火), it holds the hours 09:00~11:00, and it faces southeast.
  • Horse O · 午 · Energetic and independentRestless in the best sense. A Horse year is traditionally read as favoring people who'd rather be moving than waiting. Its element is Fire (火), it holds the hours 11:00~13:00, and it faces due south.
  • Goat Mi · 未 · Gentle and creativeYou'll also see this sign called Sheep - the Korean word covers both animals. Either way it's the calm, artistic one of the twelve. Its element is Earth (土), it holds the hours 13:00~15:00, and it faces southwest.
  • Monkey Sin · 申 · Clever and playfulThe problem-solver and the trickster. The Monkey is traditionally the sign that finds the shortcut nobody else noticed. Its element is Metal (金), it holds the hours 15:00~17:00, and it faces southwest.
  • Rooster Yu · 酉 · Punctual and outspokenThe rooster's crow was the old signal that the night was over, and the sign kept that role - early, loud, and honest about what it sees. Its element is Metal (金), it holds the hours 17:00~19:00, and it faces due west.
  • Dog Sul · 戌 · Loyal and straightforwardThe friend of the twelve. Traditionally the sign that guards the house and says exactly what it means. Its element is Earth (土), it holds the hours 19:00~21:00, and it faces northwest.
  • Pig Hae · 亥 · Generous and easygoingIn Korea the pig is a money-and-luck symbol, and dreaming of one is still taken as a good sign - which is why Golden Pig years get so much attention. Its element is Water (水), it holds the hours 21:00~23:00, and it faces northwest.

Open one animal

Birth years, ages, the five colors, and who each animal is said to match.

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The words you'll keep running into

Seven terms that make the rest of it readable.

  • tti earthly branch · 地支The animal tied to the year you were born. Twelve of them, in a fixed order from Rat to Pig.
  • Heavenly stem 天干Ten characters standing for the energy of the sky. They decide which color goes in front of your animal.
  • Sexagenary cycle 60-year cycleTen stems crossed with twelve animals give 60 year names. Living through all 60 and coming back to your own is the birthday Koreans call hwangap.
  • Ganji 干支The stem and the animal read together as the name of a year - the way you'd say a year out loud in the old system.
  • Five elements 五行Wood, fire, earth, metal, and water - the five forces traditional thought says everything is made of.
  • Five colors obangsaekOne color per element: blue, red, golden, white, and black. That's where names like Red Horse come from.
  • Ipchun 立春The day the animal actually changes over, around February 4 - not January 1. Born in January or early February? You may belong to the previous year's animal.
  • tti-donggap same animalSomeone who shares your animal. The age gap is always a multiple of 12 - 12 years, 24 years, and so on.

Frequently asked questions ❓

2026 is the year of the Red Horse. In the sexagenary cycle it's Byeong-o (丙午), and because the heavenly stem carries the element Fire (火), the animal picks up the color Red.
The twelve animals are only half the system. Ten heavenly stems turn against them, and the two line up again only after 60 combinations. That's why the same animal comes back every 12 years but the same year name only every 60 - and why the color in front of the animal keeps changing.
It comes from the year you were born. One catch: the animal changes at ipchun, around February 4, not on January 1. If your birthday falls in January or the first days of February, you most likely belong to the previous year's animal.
The twelve animals and the 60-year cycle are shared across East Asia, so the year animals line up. The differences are local: the Korean word for the eighth sign covers both goat and sheep, so you'll see it translated either way, and Koreans lean much harder on the five colors - you'll hear about a Golden Pig or a Blue Dragon year long before anyone mentions the heavenly stem itself.

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