Born in January or early February 2020? Two rules, two answers
| Rule | Animal changes on | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Lunar New Year | 25 January 2020 | Most Chinese zodiac charts, calendars and apps |
| Lichun / Ipchun (Start of Spring) | 4 February 2020 at 18:03 Korea time | Chinese BaZi and Korean Saju (Four Pillars) |
So if you were born between 25 January 2020 and 4 February, a zodiac chart calls you a Metal Rat, but your BaZi/Saju year pillar is still the Earth Pig of 2019. Before both dates you are a Earth Pig 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 2020 year pillar: 庚子
Gyeong (庚) is Yang Metal. Decisive, blunt, and strong under pressure. More about Gyeong Metal.
Ja (子) is the Rat: deep winter, midnight, Yang Water at its most concentrated. It carries resourcefulness and quick perception.
Inside the pillar, the stem's Metal feeds the branch's Water, so the stem supports the branch. 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.
2020 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) | 1/6 06:30:06 | Jeong-chuk 丁丑 | Check 1/2020 → |
| February | Ipchun · Start of Spring (立春) | 2/4 18:03:19 | Mu-in 戊寅 | Check 2/2020 → |
| March | Gyeongchip · Awakening of Insects (驚蟄) | 3/5 11:56:52 | Gi-myo 己卯 | Check 3/2020 → |
| April | Cheongmyeong · Clear and Bright (淸明) | 4/4 16:38:09 | Gyeong-jin 庚辰 | Check 4/2020 → |
| May | Ipha · Start of Summer (立夏) | 5/5 09:51:23 | Sin-sa 辛巳 | Check 5/2020 → |
| June | Mangjong · Grain in Ear (芒種) | 6/5 13:58:26 | Im-o 壬午 | Check 6/2020 → |
| July | Soseo · Minor Heat (小暑) | 7/7 00:14:28 | Gye-mi 癸未 | Check 7/2020 → |
| August | Ipchu · Start of Autumn (立秋) | 8/7 10:06:11 | Gap-sin 甲申 | Check 8/2020 → |
| September | Baengno · White Dew (白露) | 9/7 13:08:02 | Eul-yu 乙酉 | Check 9/2020 → |
| October | Hallo · Cold Dew (寒露) | 10/8 04:55:16 | Byeong-sul 丙戌 | Check 10/2020 → |
| November | Ipdong · Start of Winter (立冬) | 11/7 08:13:55 | Jeong-hae 丁亥 | Check 11/2020 → |
| December | Daeseol · Major Snow (大雪) | 12/7 01:09:30 | Mu-ja 戊子 | Check 12/2020 → |
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 Rat
By the classic branch rules, the Rat (子) forms a harmony (三合 or 六合) with the Ox, Dragon, Monkey, and clashes (沖) with the Horse. 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 2020 after Ipchun shares the Metal Rat. What makes a chart personal is the day pillar, and above all its first character — the Day Master. There are ten:
The same 庚子 pillar returns every 60 years: 1960 and 2080.
Nearby years
Frequently asked questions
- What zodiac animal is 2020?
- The Metal Rat (Yang), year pillar 庚子. People born from 4 February 2020 at 18:03 Korea time onward in 2020 are Metal Rats.
- I was born in January 2020. What is my animal?
- The Earth Pig of 2019. In Saju the year changes at Ipchun (4 February 2020 at 18:03 Korea time), so January births and early-February births before that moment belong to the previous year.
- What is the 2020 year pillar in Saju?
- 庚子, romanized Gyeong-ja: Gyeong (Yang Metal) over Ja (Rat).
- 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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