Born in January or early February 2018? Two rules, two answers
| Rule | Animal changes on | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Lunar New Year | 16 February 2018 | Most Chinese zodiac charts, calendars and apps |
| Lichun / Ipchun (Start of Spring) | 4 February 2018 at 06:28 Korea time | Chinese BaZi and Korean Saju (Four Pillars) |
So if you were born between 4 February and 16 February 2018, your BaZi/Saju year pillar is already the Earth Dog, while a zodiac chart still calls you a Fire Rooster. Before both dates you are a Fire Rooster by either rule. Neither rule is "wrong" — they answer different questions: the Lunar New Year rule is a calendar custom, the Lichun rule is the one an actual birth chart is built on.
The 2018 year pillar: 戊戌
Mu (戊) is Yang Earth. Steady, reliable, and hard to move. More about Mu Earth.
Sul (戌) is the Dog: late autumn, Yang Earth that stores fire. It carries loyalty and a protective instinct.
Inside the pillar, the stem and branch are both Earth, which doubles its weight. That is the year's own texture — but the year pillar only sets the background of a chart. It describes the generation and the family setting you were born into more than you personally.
2018 month by month: when each Saju month begins
Saju months do not start on the 1st. Each begins at a solar term, and the exact moment shifts every year. A birthday near one of these times can change the month pillar — and with it the whole reading of the chart.
| Calendar month | Solar term | Starts (Korea time) | Month pillar after | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Sohan · Minor Cold (小寒) | 1/5 18:48:45 | Gye-chuk 癸丑 | Check 1/2018 → |
| February | Ipchun · Start of Spring (立春) | 2/4 06:28:30 | Gap-in 甲寅 | Check 2/2018 → |
| March | Gyeongchip · Awakening of Insects (驚蟄) | 3/6 00:28:11 | Eul-myo 乙卯 | Check 3/2018 → |
| April | Cheongmyeong · Clear and Bright (淸明) | 4/5 05:12:47 | Byeong-jin 丙辰 | Check 4/2018 → |
| May | Ipha · Start of Summer (立夏) | 5/5 22:25:22 | Jeong-sa 丁巳 | Check 5/2018 → |
| June | Mangjong · Grain in Ear (芒種) | 6/6 02:29:09 | Mu-o 戊午 | Check 6/2018 → |
| July | Soseo · Minor Heat (小暑) | 7/7 12:41:53 | Gi-mi 己未 | Check 7/2018 → |
| August | Ipchu · Start of Autumn (立秋) | 8/7 22:30:40 | Gyeong-sin 庚申 | Check 8/2018 → |
| September | Baengno · White Dew (白露) | 9/8 01:29:42 | Sin-yu 辛酉 | Check 9/2018 → |
| October | Hallo · Cold Dew (寒露) | 10/8 17:14:43 | Im-sul 壬戌 | Check 10/2018 → |
| November | Ipdong · Start of Winter (立冬) | 11/7 20:31:45 | Gye-hae 癸亥 | Check 11/2018 → |
| December | Daeseol · Major Snow (大雪) | 12/7 13:25:55 | Gap-ja 甲子 | Check 12/2018 → |
Times are Korean local time. If you were born elsewhere, convert your birth time to Korean local time before comparing.
Compatible and clashing animals for the Dog
By the classic branch rules, the Dog (戌) forms a harmony (三合 or 六合) with the Tiger, Rabbit, Horse, and clashes (沖) with the Dragon. Year-branch compatibility is the broadest layer of matching; a real compatibility reading compares day pillars.
Your animal is not your Day Master
Everyone born in 2018 after Ipchun shares the Earth Dog. What makes a chart personal is the day pillar, and above all its first character — the Day Master. There are ten:
The same 戊戌 pillar returns every 60 years: 1958 and 2078.
Nearby years
Frequently asked questions
- What zodiac animal is 2018?
- The Earth Dog (Yang), year pillar 戊戌. People born from 4 February 2018 at 06:28 Korea time onward in 2018 are Earth Dogs.
- I was born in January 2018. What is my animal?
- The Fire Rooster of 2017. In Saju the year changes at Ipchun (4 February 2018 at 06:28 Korea time), so January births and early-February births before that moment belong to the previous year.
- What is the 2018 year pillar in Saju?
- 戊戌, romanized Mu-sul: Mu (Yang Earth) over Sul (Dog).
- Is the Korean zodiac the same as the Chinese zodiac?
- The animals and the sixty-year cycle are the same. Korean Saju, like Chinese Bazi, changes the year at Ipchun (around 4 February), not at Lunar New Year.
- How do I know my Day Master in K-Saju?
- Your Day Master (Ilgan) is the Heavenly Stem of your birth day pillar among the 10 stems (Gap/Eul Wood, Byeong/Jeong Fire, Mu/Gi Earth, Gyeong/Sin Metal, Im/Gye Water). Enter your birth year, month, and day in the HeartLoop calculator on this page to compute your exact Day Master and Five Elements ratio in 3 seconds.
- What is my 2027 fortune based on my birth date?
- 2027 is the Year of the Red Fire Goat (Ding-Mi, 丁未). Rather than relying on birth-year zodiac alone, HeartLoop cross-references 2027 Fire-Earth energy against your personal Day Master and solar-term month pillar to pinpoint your peak months for career, wealth, and love.
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