If the 10 Heavenly Stems are the alphabet of Korean Saju (사주), the 12 Earthly Branches (지지, jiji) are its calendar and its zodiac. Each branch carries one of the twelve animals you already know — Rat, Ox, Tiger… — plus a season, a two-hour window of the day, a Five-Element flavour, and one to three "hidden stems." Every pillar in your chart pairs one stem on top with one branch below, which is why Saju is also called 사주팔자 — "four pillars, eight characters."
| # | Hanja / Korean | Animal | Element | Season / Month | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 子 / 자 (Ja) | Rat | Yang Water | Mid-winter | 23:00–01:00 |
| 2 | 丑 / 축 (Chuk) | Ox | Yin Earth | Late winter | 01:00–03:00 |
| 3 | 寅 / 인 (In) | Tiger | Yang Wood | Early spring | 03:00–05:00 |
| 4 | 卯 / 묘 (Myo) | Rabbit | Yin Wood | Mid-spring | 05:00–07:00 |
| 5 | 辰 / 진 (Jin) | Dragon | Yang Earth | Late spring | 07:00–09:00 |
| 6 | 巳 / 사 (Sa) | Snake | Yin Fire | Early summer | 09:00–11:00 |
| 7 | 午 / 오 (O) | Horse | Yang Fire | Mid-summer | 11:00–13:00 |
| 8 | 未 / 미 (Mi) | Goat | Yin Earth | Late summer | 13:00–15:00 |
| 9 | 申 / 신 (Sin) | Monkey | Yang Metal | Early autumn | 15:00–17:00 |
| 10 | 酉 / 유 (Yu) | Rooster | Yin Metal | Mid-autumn | 17:00–19:00 |
| 11 | 戌 / 술 (Sul) | Dog | Yang Earth | Late autumn | 19:00–21:00 |
| 12 | 亥 / 해 (Hae) | Pig | Yin Water | Early winter | 21:00–23:00 |
Note: branch hours follow the traditional double-hour system. Korean Saju practice often applies a longitude correction (roughly 30 minutes) before assigning the hour branch, so a chart calculator is the reliable way to find yours.
Ja is the seed of a new cycle — alert, adaptable, good with information and money. Ja people read situations fast and rarely waste a move. Tendency to overthink or hoard options when they should commit.
Chuk is stored, dependable earth. These people build slowly and finish what they start. Strong in long projects, craftsmanship, and stewardship. Can be stubborn and slow to ask for help.
In is the burst of spring — courageous, pioneering, allergic to standing still. Natural starters and leaders. Their fire can run hot, so pacing and follow-through are the lifelong lessons.
Myo is tender, flexible wood — refined, sociable, sensitive to beauty and harmony. Strong in design, hospitality, and diplomacy. Avoids conflict, which can mean avoiding hard but needed decisions.
Jin is a damp, fertile, dramatic earth that holds water and wood inside it. Big vision, magnetic presence, fond of scale. The same intensity can read as moodiness or grandiosity if unbalanced.
Sa is a contained, intelligent fire. Strategic, perceptive, drawn to depth over noise. Strong in research, finance, and anything requiring discretion. Can keep too much hidden, even from allies.
O is fire at its peak — passionate, fast-moving, openly emotional. Born motivators and performers who hate being caged. Burnout and impatience are the costs of running so bright.
Mi is gentle, nurturing earth that ripens the harvest. Empathetic, creative, attentive to people's comfort. Strong in caregiving and the arts. Over-giving and worry are the recurring drains.
Sin is bright, restless metal — inventive, witty, mechanically and socially agile. Excellent problem-solvers who love a new angle. Can get bored, scatter focus, or outsmart themselves.
Yu is finished, polished metal — exacting, articulate, image-aware. Strong in detail work, analysis, and presentation. The same precision can tip into criticism or perfectionism.
Sul is warm, dry earth that banks the year's fire. Faithful, fair-minded, quick to defend people and principles. Strong in guardianship and service roles. Can be wary, blunt, or hard to win over.
Hae is still, deep water closing the cycle — sincere, warm, easy to trust. Strong in care, counsel, and quiet abundance. Generosity without boundaries can leave them depleted.
Most people only know their Year Branch — the zodiac animal of their birth year. But a full chart has up to four branches (year, month, day, hour), and each speaks to a different area of life:
So the animal that feels most like "you" is often your Day Branch, not your birth-year animal — a common surprise the first time people see their full Saju chart.
Yes — the 12 branches are the technical names for the 12 zodiac animals (Ja = Rat, Chuk = Ox, In = Tiger…). The zodiac animal you know is simply your Year Branch; a full Saju chart can hold up to four different branch animals.
The Day Branch is the lower character of your day pillar. In Saju it's read as the spouse palace and reflects your more private temperament and close relationships, whereas the Year Branch leans toward public persona and family background.
Each branch quietly contains one to three Heavenly Stems. For example the Tiger (In) is led by Yang Wood but also carries hidden Yang Fire and Yang Earth. These hidden layers are part of why two people born in the same animal year can read so differently. Pair this page with the Ten Heavenly Stems guide to see the full picture.
No. There's no "good" or "bad" animal in serious Saju practice — what matters is the balance among your stems and branches and how they harmonise or clash. This page is offered for entertainment and cultural exploration only, as a tool for self-reflection rather than prediction.