한국어

The Dragon

Ambitious and larger than life. Everything the Dragon carries in the Korean zodiac - birth years, ages in 2026, colors, and matches.

What the Dragon is likeThe only imaginary animal of the twelve. Traditionally tied to rain, rivers, and royalty, and still the most sought-after birth year in the cycle.
  • Fills a room without trying to
  • Aims high enough that the plan sounds unreasonable at first
  • Carries enough confidence that people follow it
  • Hates losing, and lets its pride show
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What the Dragon stands for

The traditional attributes of 辰, the Jin branch - none of them change with the year.

ElementEarth (土)
Hours07:00~09:00
DirectionSoutheast
Lunar monthMonth 3

The five colors of the Dragon

Same animal, different color - the color depends on which turn of the 60-year cycle your year falls on.

Tap a year to see that year's ages and what happened in Korea 👇

Dragon birth years and ages

Every Dragon year with both Korean ages, as of 2026.

Birth yearYear nameKorean ageInternational age
2024 Blue Dragon (Gap-jin)31 or 2
2012 Black Dragon (Im-jin)1513 or 14
2000 White Dragon (Gyeong-jin)2725 or 26
1988 Golden Dragon (Mu-jin)3937 or 38
1976 Red Dragon (Byeong-jin)5149 or 50
1964 Blue Dragon (Gap-jin)6361 or 62
1952 Black Dragon (Im-jin)7573 or 74
1940 White Dragon (Gyeong-jin)8785 or 86
1928 Golden Dragon (Mu-jin)9997 or 98
1916 Red Dragon (Byeong-jin)111109 or 110
1904 Blue Dragon (Gap-jin)123121 or 122

Tap a birth year for that year's full breakdown - three Korean ages, the five element, and what was happening in Korea.

How common is the Dragon?

The twelve animals ranked by how many people living in Korea were born under each.

The Dragon ranks #6 of the twelve.

  1. 1 Pigabout 4.5M
  2. 2 Ratabout 4.4M
  3. 3 Oxabout 4.3M
  4. 4 Dogabout 4.3M
  5. 5 Monkeyabout 4.3M
  6. 6 Dragonabout 4.3M
  7. 7 Roosterabout 4.3M
  8. 8 Goatabout 4.3M
  9. 9 Tigerabout 4.2M
  10. 10 Snakeabout 4.2M
  11. 11 Rabbitabout 4.1M
  12. 12 Horseabout 4.0M

Source: Statistics Korea resident population, grouped by birth year (approximate - the ipchun cutoff isn't applied).

Who the Dragon matches

The pairings the twelve branches traditionally read as the easiest and the hardest.

💕 Best matches
RatThree HarmoniesMonkeyThree HarmoniesRoosterSix Harmonies
⚡ Handle with care
DogClashPigFriction
  • Three Harmonies - One of four three-animal groups traditionally read as the strongest fit of all. This is where the Korean saying about a four-year age gap comes from.
  • Six Harmonies - Each animal has exactly one partner in this pairing, and the two are said to be easy company from the first day.
  • Clash - Sits directly opposite on the wheel - always a six-year gap. Opposite enough to argue, and opposite enough to learn from.
  • Friction - The odd one: nobody does anything wrong, and the two still end up quietly annoyed with each other.

Famous Dragons 🐲

Kim Soo-hyunActorFebruary 16, 1988 · 38 years old💛 Golden DragonG-DragonSingerAugust 18, 1988 · 37 years old💛 Golden DragonPark Seo-joonActorDecember 16, 1988 · 37 years old💛 Golden DragonKim Sae-ronActorJuly 31, 2000 · 26 years old🤍 White DragonLee Soo-manSingerJune 18, 1952 · 74 years old🖤 Black DragonTaeyangSingerMay 18, 1988 · 38 years old💛 Golden DragonOk Taec-yeonSinger, ActorDecember 27, 1988 · 37 years old💛 Golden DragonHahm Eun-jungSinger, ActorDecember 12, 1988 · 37 years old💛 Golden Dragon
Which stars share your Dragon year?Everyone born under the Dragon

The other eleven animals

Tap an animal to read its years, colors, and personality.

Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Snake Horse Goat Monkey Rooster Dog PigAge by birth year →

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Frequently asked questions ❓

The Dragon comes around every twelve years. 2024, 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964 are all Dragon years, and the next ones are 2036, 2048, 2060. One catch: the animal turns over at ipchun, around February 4, so a birthday before that counts as the previous year's animal.
The most recent Dragon year is 2024, and someone born then is 1 or 2 in 2026, or 3 in Korean age. The table above gives every other Dragon birth year.
The animal repeats every 12 years, but the full year name pairs it with one of ten heavenly stems, so the whole cycle runs 60 years. That's why someone born in 2012 is a Black Dragon while someone born twelve years later in 2024 is a Blue Dragon - the color moves on each time, and an exact year name only comes back after 60 years.
The twelve animals and the 60-year cycle are shared across East Asia, so the years line up exactly. What's different is emphasis: Koreans lean much harder on the five colors, so you'll hear about a Golden Pig or a Blue Dragon year long before anyone mentions the stem itself.

Sources 🌐