Why your Chinese zodiac might be different
Most charts change signs at Lunar New Year. Korean saju changes them at the Start of Spring, in early February. Born in January or February? The two can give you different signs.
Born between March and December? Your sign is the same either way — this only affects January and February birthdays.
One follows the moon, one follows the sun
The animal sign is tied to the year, so everything hangs on one question: when does the year begin? There are two common answers, and they rarely fall on the same day.
Lunar New Year
Follows the moonLands somewhere between January 21 and February 20. A different date every year.
Start of Spring
Follows the sunEarly February, on nearly the same day every year. This is the one saju uses.
It can go either way
Because Lunar New Year can land before or after the Start of Spring, the mismatch can go either way.
Born Jan 30, 1990
Lunar New Year chartMetal HorseKorean sajuEarth SnakeLunar New Year came early (Jan 27), but the Start of Spring (Feb 4) hadn't arrived yet.
Born Feb 10, 1985
Lunar New Year chartWood RatKorean sajuWood OxThe Start of Spring (Feb 4) had already passed, but Lunar New Year came late (Feb 20).
| Year | Lunar New Year | Start of Spring | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Feb 20 | Feb 4 | 16 days |
| 1990 | Jan 27 | Feb 4 | 8 days |
| 2000 | Feb 5 | Feb 4 | 1 day |
| 2025 | Jan 29 | Feb 3 | 5 days |
| 2026 | Feb 17 | Feb 4 | 13 days |
| 2027 | Feb 6 | Feb 4 | 2 days |
Start of Spring dates are in Seoul time. Lunar New Year dates follow the Chinese calendar most US zodiac sites use; Korea's Seollal can fall a day later (February 7 in 2027). The bigger the gap, the more birthdays land on different signs.
Saju reads the seasons, not the moon
Saju splits the solar year into 24 seasonal markers. The first is the Start of Spring, the point where winter starts to give way. The new year begins there, and a new month begins at every other marker from there, not on the 1st of a calendar month.
That's why I read a birthday by the sun. It ties your chart to the season you were actually born into.
Three more things that can shift your sign
The January 1 shortcut
Some sites simply use your calendar birth year. Anyone born in January or early February, before the zodiac year turns, can end up with the wrong animal.
A birthday right on the line
The Start of Spring arrives at a set moment that shifts by a few hours each year. For early February births, the birth time can decide.
Where you were born
The Start of Spring happens at one instant worldwide, so the local date and time depend on your time zone. In 2027 it falls on February 4 in Korea but still February 3 in the US.
Which sign are you, really?
Give me your birthday and I'll show you where you land by the sun, and whether a moon-based chart says otherwise.
Lunar New Year 1990: Jan 27. Saju doesn't move with it — the year always turns at the Start of Spring.
Your sign is just two of the eight characters in your birth chart
The other six — from your birth month, day, and hour — are what really shape your 2027. Share your birth date and time, and I'll lay them out for you.
Your birth year — the other six are still hidden
Time of birth
24-hour time — 7:30 PM is 19:30.
Place of birth
Includes a preview of your core self — the “you” in your chart
Your full four-pillar chart, read in depth and told as an illustrated story by Yeou.
Read my Saju in full
Questions about your sign
Most sites switch signs at Lunar New Year, some at January 1, and Korean saju at the Start of Spring in early February. If you were born in January or February, each rule can give a different answer.
On moon-based charts, at Lunar New Year, which falls between January 21 and February 20. In Korean saju, at the Start of Spring on the solar calendar, in early February every year.
It depends on the hour and where you were born. The Start of Spring arrives at a set moment that shifts each year. In 2027, for example, it falls on February 4 in Korea but still February 3 in the US. Born before it, you take the previous year's sign; born after it, the new year's.
Check with your birthday