한국어

The Tiger

Bold and hard to ignore. Everything the Tiger carries in the Korean zodiac - birth years, ages in 2026, colors, and matches.

What the Tiger is likeKorea'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.
  • Goes first, even when nobody else will
  • Acts on an idea the same day it has it
  • Can't sit still when something is unfair
  • Has a temper that arrives before the thinking does
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What the Tiger stands for

The traditional attributes of 寅, the In branch - none of them change with the year.

ElementWood (木)
Hours03:00~05:00
DirectionNortheast
Lunar monthMonth 1

The five colors of the Tiger

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 👇

Tiger birth years and ages

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

Birth yearYear nameKorean ageInternational age
2022 Black Tiger (Im-in)53 or 4
2010 White Tiger (Gyeong-in)1715 or 16
1998 Golden Tiger (Mu-in)2927 or 28
1986 Red Tiger (Byeong-in)4139 or 40
1974 Blue Tiger (Gap-in)5351 or 52
1962 Black Tiger (Im-in)6563 or 64
1950 White Tiger (Gyeong-in)7775 or 76
1938 Golden Tiger (Mu-in)8987 or 88
1926 Red Tiger (Byeong-in)10199 or 100
1914 Blue Tiger (Gap-in)113111 or 112
1902 Black Tiger (Im-in)125123 or 124

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 Tiger?

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

The Tiger ranks #9 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 Tiger matches

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

💕 Best matches
HorseThree HarmoniesDogThree HarmoniesPigSix Harmonies
⚡ Handle with care
MonkeyClashRoosterFriction
  • 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 Tigers 🐯

BoASingerNovember 5, 1986 · 39 years old❤️ Red TigerPom KlementieffActorMay 3, 1986 · 40 years old❤️ Red TigerKim Da-hyunSingerMay 28, 1998 · 28 years old💛 Golden TigerRyu Jun-yeolActorSeptember 25, 1986 · 39 years old❤️ Red TigerPark Min-youngActorMarch 4, 1986 · 40 years old❤️ Red TigerKim Hyun-joongSingerJune 6, 1986 · 40 years old❤️ Red TigerChoi Min-sikActorApril 27, 1962 · 64 years old🖤 Black TigerYoo Ah-inActorOctober 6, 1986 · 39 years old❤️ Red Tiger
Which stars share your Tiger year?Everyone born under the Tiger

The other eleven animals

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

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

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Frequently asked questions ❓

The Tiger comes around every twelve years. 2022, 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962 are all Tiger years, and the next ones are 2034, 2046, 2058. 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 Tiger year is 2022, and someone born then is 3 or 4 in 2026, or 5 in Korean age. The table above gives every other Tiger 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 2010 is a White Tiger while someone born twelve years later in 2022 is a Black Tiger - 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 🌐