한국어

The Snake

Observant and private. Everything the Snake carries in the Korean zodiac - birth years, ages in 2026, colors, and matches.

What the Snake is likeThe 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.
  • Calm on the surface, thinking hard underneath
  • Reads people with unsettling accuracy
  • Goes deep on one thing instead of wide on ten
  • Keeps its own feelings to itself longer than it should
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What the Snake stands for

The traditional attributes of 巳, the Sa branch - none of them change with the year.

ElementFire (火)
Hours09:00~11:00
DirectionSoutheast
Lunar monthMonth 4

The five colors of the Snake

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 👇

Snake birth years and ages

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

Birth yearYear nameKorean ageInternational age
2025 Blue Snake (Eul-sa)20 or 1
2013 Black Snake (Gye-sa)1412 or 13
2001 White Snake (Sin-sa)2624 or 25
1989 Golden Snake (Gi-sa)3836 or 37
1977 Red Snake (Jeong-sa)5048 or 49
1965 Blue Snake (Eul-sa)6260 or 61
1953 Black Snake (Gye-sa)7472 or 73
1941 White Snake (Sin-sa)8684 or 85
1929 Golden Snake (Gi-sa)9896 or 97
1917 Red Snake (Jeong-sa)110108 or 109
1905 Blue Snake (Eul-sa)122120 or 121

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 Snake?

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

The Snake ranks #10 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 Snake matches

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

💕 Best matches
OxThree HarmoniesRoosterThree HarmoniesMonkeySix Harmonies
⚡ Handle with care
PigClashDogFriction
  • 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 Snakes 🐍

PsySingerDecember 31, 1977 · 48 years old❤️ Red SnakeLee Jong-sukActorSeptember 14, 1989 · 36 years old💛 Golden SnakeTaeyeonSingerMarch 9, 1989 · 37 years old💛 Golden SnakeKim BumActorJuly 7, 1989 · 37 years old💛 Golden SnakeAileeSingerMay 30, 1989 · 37 years old💛 Golden SnakeTiffany YoungSingerAugust 1, 1989 · 37 years old💛 Golden SnakeJessica JungSingerApril 18, 1989 · 37 years old💛 Golden SnakeKim Woo-binActorJuly 16, 1989 · 37 years old💛 Golden Snake
Which stars share your Snake year?Everyone born under the Snake

The other eleven animals

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

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

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Frequently asked questions ❓

The Snake comes around every twelve years. 2025, 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965 are all Snake years, and the next ones are 2037, 2049, 2061. 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 Snake year is 2025, and someone born then is 0 or 1 in 2026, or 2 in Korean age. The table above gives every other Snake 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 2013 is a Black Snake while someone born twelve years later in 2025 is a Blue Snake - 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 🌐