Your Korean zodiac animal, called your ddi (띠), comes from your birth year on a repeating 12-year cycle. This page shows you how to find your animal in seconds, gives the full 12-animal chart with birth years, explains the lunar-new-year cutoff that quietly changes January and February births, and shows where your animal fits in a full Korean saju reading.
Find your birth year in the chart below and read across to your animal. If you prefer the math: take your birth year minus 4, divide by 12, and the remainder is your animal — 0 is Rat, 1 is Ox, all the way to 11 for Pig. There is one important catch, covered just below: the zodiac year starts at the lunar new year, not January 1st.
| Animal | Korean (한자) | Recent birth years |
|---|---|---|
| Rat | 쥐 (子) | 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 |
| Ox | 소 (丑) | 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| Tiger | 호랑이 (寅) | 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| Rabbit | 토끼 (卯) | 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| Dragon | 용 (辰) | 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 |
| Snake | 뱀 (巳) | 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 |
| Horse | 말 (午) | 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 |
| Goat | 양 (未) | 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 |
| Monkey | 원숭이 (申) | 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028 |
| Rooster | 닭 (酉) | 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029 |
| Dog | 개 (戌) | 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030 |
| Pig | 돼지 (亥) | 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031 |
Each animal carries a familiar character sketch. Treat it as a broad outline — your year pillar — rather than the whole story.
| Animal | Classic traits |
|---|---|
| Rat | Quick-witted, resourceful, an early spotter of opportunity |
| Ox | Patient, dependable, steady through long effort |
| Tiger | Brave, charismatic, a natural bold leader |
| Rabbit | Gentle, diplomatic, refined and harmony-seeking |
| Dragon | Ambitious, magnetic, thinks big and inspires others |
| Snake | Wise, intuitive, a composed and private thinker |
| Horse | Free-spirited, lively, loves movement and warmth |
| Goat | Kind, creative, empathetic with an artistic streak |
| Monkey | Clever, playful, inventive problem-solver |
| Rooster | Observant, candid, organized, notices fine detail |
| Dog | Loyal, honest, protective, strong sense of justice |
| Pig | Generous, sincere, easygoing and open-hearted |
The single most common mistake is assuming the zodiac year follows the calendar year. It does not. The Korean zodiac year begins at the lunar new year (설날, Seollal), which lands somewhere between late January and mid-February depending on the year. Anyone born in that early-year window can be assigned the wrong animal by a chart that only looks at the calendar year. To get it right, you need the lunar calendar — and ideally your birth time too.
In Korean saju, the zodiac animal is your year pillar — one quarter of the chart. A full reading also builds the month, day, and hour pillars and reads the balance of the Five Elements (오행) across all four. That is why two people born in the same animal year can feel so different: the rest of the chart fills in the picture the animal only sketches.
Because the zodiac year starts at the lunar new year, not January 1st. A birthday in late January or early February may belong to the previous year's animal. Use a reading that accounts for the lunar calendar to be sure.
The 12 animals and the 12-year cycle are shared, so the animal is usually the same. Korean saju differs in interpretation: it reads your animal as one of four pillars and leans on the Sip-sin (Ten Gods) relational style.
Right here on this page using the chart, and through the free Cheonmyeongdang saju reading, which returns your animal, Day Master, and Five Elements summary from your birth date and hour.