Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar are the 12 zodiac animals of Japan, in order.
The Chinese zodiac signs were directly influenced by Japan’s. The only variation is that in Japan, the last animal is a Boar, while in China, it is a Pig. Since the lunar calendar was abandoned in 1872, the Chinese zodiac is based on the Chinese lunar calendar, but Japan’s is based on the solar calendar.
In This Article...
What are the 13 animals in the Japanese zodiac?
Take a look at the chart below to find what year and animal you belong to.
- Nezumi (rat) was born in the years 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972, 1960, 1948, 1936, 1924, and 1912.
- 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961, 1949, 1937, 1925, 1913, Ox (ushi)
Is there a Japanese zodiac?
Japan follows the Chinese zodiac system, which is divided into twelve signs (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig). The Jupiter cycle about the Sun, which lasts around 12 years, is linked to this divide. Each year is symbolized by a distinct zodiac sign and its associated traits. There are also five elements known as Celestial Stems (water, earth, wood, fire, and metal) that change every year, giving each sign a different spiritual color.
What is the Korean horoscope?
The Korean zodiac is a lunar calendar-based classification system that can be traced back to ancient China. The Year of the Metal Ox, which begins on February 12, 2021 and ends on January 31, 2022, is known as the Year of the Metal Ox. Western astrology and Chinese astrology have separate zodiacs and use different systems. This is fascinating, because in Korea, some people are highly interested in their horoscopes and what fortunetellers have to say about their future based on their birth year, zodiac animal, and other factors. “What’s your Ddi?” is a question you could hear from Koreans, which roughly translates to “What is your sign?” What are the Korean zodiacs and what does this ‘ddi’ mean?
The origins of the Korean zodiac can be traced back to ancient China. Each zodiac animal, referred to as Ddi (), represents the year you were born as well as a set of characteristics you may have. You would be a tiger ddi, or horangi ddi () in Korean, if you were born in the year of the tiger. Those that are very interested in zodiacs and astrology will attempt to predict your compatibility through your ddi using horoscopes and the like, but the majority of people use it for entertainment and to guess your age. Because each animal has its own year every twelfth year, in accordance with the 12-year cycle of animals that follows the lunar calendar, knowing your ddi might help you figure out your age.
The Korean Zodiac consists of 12 animals. These are the following:
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig are some of the animals that can be found.
As previously stated, an animal’s year is repeated every twelve years and follows the order of the animals listed above. Each animal, according to Chinese astrology, has its own distinct qualities, which are thought to be shared by persons born in that year.
It’s vital to remember that the animal years follow the Lunar calendar; for example, someone born in January 2000 would be a rabbit rather than a dragon because the Lunar New Year in 2000 was on February 4th.
Each of the animals in the 12-year cycle comes from one of the Twelve Earthly Branches (Shibiji () or Jiji (). This system, along with another called the Ten Heavenly Stems (Shibgan () or Cheongan (), was used by the ancient Chinese and other East Asian countries to represent time in years, months, and days.
Ganji () is the name given to years when one of the Ten Heavenly Stems and one of the Twelve Earthly Branches are combined in that sequence. Each celestial stem has a phase linked with it, which is utilized in conjunction with an animal’s name to establish the year’s name. It’s also worth noting that the year has a name in Chinese characters. Gab-Ja, for example, would be the year of the Wood Rat (, ). In the past, Koreans would use this to date historical events, therefore it was much more relevant.
This is why 2020 is known as the Year of the Metal Rat, and 2021 is known as the Year of the Metal Ox (People usually simplify the name of the year by just naming the animal).
Each animal is repeated every twelve years, and the year changes every Lunar New Year, which was on the 12th of February in 2021. Each year, the heavenly stem and earthly branch switch places, moving on to the next stem and branch in the sequence (see table in separate section). Because there are ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches (animals), a combination of a heavenly stem and an animal occurs every 60 years, indicating that time is cyclical. This is why a person’s 60th birthday is celebrated as a significant occasion in Korea and other Asian countries.
We’ve seen how the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches, or animals, were used to signify the names of years in the past, and how they’re still utilized now. We’ve also seen how Koreans can ask someone what their ddi is, or what animal they are, and how they can use their ddi to establish someone’s age or year of birth.
I’ve added three tables to this article: one for each of the ten heavenly stems, one for each of the twelve terrestrial branches, and one for each animal’s years from 1948 through 2021. Ddi is solely related to the creatures found in the twelve terrestrial branches, and the animal names are written in Korean rather than Hanja. It’s time to find out what your ddi is.
1./Lee, Jong Kwan, () “, A Fundamental Examination on the Culture of Twelve Zodiac Animals and Personal Zodiac Signs, vol.8, no.1,20 pp. 17-36, vol.8, no.1,20 pp. 17-36, vol.8, no.1,20 pp. 17-36, vol.8, no.1,20 pp. 17-36, vol.8, no.1,20 pp. 17-36, vol.8, no (20 pages).
2./Kim Mantae, ()(), A Fundamental Study on Sipgan and Sibiji, the Signs to Read Folk Faith, vol., no.54, pp. 259-302, 2011, vol., no.54, pp. 259-302, (44 pages)
Hatori is a seahorse for a reason.
Hatori and Momiji initially appear at Kaibara Municipal High School to evaluate Yuki, who had been neglecting his regular check-ups. Hatori had to get Yuki to strip because of the dress he was forced to wear, leading other students to believe they were a homosexual pair. The others only began to understand once Yuki clarified that Hatori was a doctor and a member of the Sohma family. Hatori becomes acquainted with Tohru as well. Later, at Akito’s request, Hatori takes a picture of Yuki and Kyo on the school rooftop and leaves with Momiji. Yuki tells Tohru not to be alone with Hatori as they leave, as he is the doctor who erases people’s memories. Hatori, on the other hand, summons Tohru to his office at the school, where he invites her to the Sohma family estate to meet with him about something urgent.
Tohru arrives at the Sohma estate the next day, when she is greeted by Hatori and Momiji. Tohru is advised by Hatori to avoid mingling with the Sohma family in order to avoid becoming afflicted by the family curse. When Hatori leaves the room to speak with Shigure, Momiji explains that Hatori had to erase the memory of his relationship with Kana and that he does not want Tohru to go through the same ordeal. Tohru starts crying because of Hatori’s compassion, and when Hatori returns with Shigure, he returns the camera from the school festival and apologizes to Tohru for making her cry. Tohru smiles warmly, causing Hatori to smile as well.
Hatori runs across Tohru while roaming around town a few days after New Year’s. They talk for a while, but when the snow starts to fall, Tohru falls and Hatori instinctively catches her, turning him into a seahorse. Tohru’s reaction to viewing Hatori’s zodiac animal, such as not knowing whether to put a seahorse in saltwater or freshwater, reminds him that Kana had the same reaction. Tohru offers to get Hatori a warm drink as he wakes up in the cold. He hears Kana passing by and informing her friends that she is getting married and is completely in love with her new partner, making Hatori happy that she has moved on. After Tohru returns, Hatori asks her what happens to snow when it melts, and she simply responds, “spring comes,” which is the same response Kana provided. Tohru’s benevolence teaches Hatori that no matter how difficult life may be, it will get better.
What is the Japanese zodiac for the year 2021?
Because 2021 is the Year of the Ox (Ushi-doshi in Japanese), any cards or talismans depicting oxen are considered lucky this year. The Year of the Tiger (Tora-doshi) is 2022, so keep an eye out for tiger-themed greeting cards. The Japanese aren’t always aware of the signs of the zodiac.
In Fruits Basket, who are the 12 zodiac signs?
The Chinese Zodiac is an astrological calendar that assigns an animal to each year. The Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Sheep, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and the Boar are the twelve “official” animals of the Zodiac. The Cat and the God are not Zodiac animals, but they are affected by the Sohma Curse, which causes them to transform into the animal of the year they were born into anytime a member of the opposing sex hugs them or they get weak or anxious.
Is there a zodiac for cats?
The Cat is the 13th animal emblem in the Vietnamese and Gurung zodiacs’ 12-year cycle, replacing the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac. As a result, the Rabbit’s characteristics are assigned to the Cat. The Rat and the Cat are at odds.
Legends about the Chinese zodiac arrangement frequently include tales about why the cat was not included among the twelve animals. Because the Rat duped the cat into missing the Jade Emperor’s dinner, the cat was not invited, was unaware that the feast was taking place, and was not given a year, and thus began the animosity between cats and rats. Domesticated cats may not have been widespread in China at the time of the zodiac’s inception.
Another mythology, known as “The Great Race,” claims that all of the zodiac animals were on their way to the Jade Emperor. The Cat and Rat were the smartest of the animals, but they were also bad swimmers and ended up in a river. They both conned the helpful, ignorant Ox into letting them ride on its back across the river. The Rat pushed the Cat into the river as the Ox approached the opposite side, then hopped from the Ox and dashed to the Jade Emperor, becoming the first of the zodiac. The other animals made it to the Jade Emperor, but the Cat was sabotaged by the Rat and left to drown in the river. This is also supposed to be why cats are continuously on the lookout for rats.
There have been several theories as to why the Vietnamese, unlike all other countries that use the Sino lunar calendar, have the cat as their zodiac animal rather than the Rabbit. The most frequent reason is that “rabbit” (mao) sounds like “cat” in ancient Chinese (meo).
What is the Japanese equivalent of my age?
One technique of calculating age is the traditional Japanese age system. When a child is born, he or she is counted as one year old, and every January 1st following that counts as another year older. Kazoedoshi, or simply Kazoe, is a way of determining a person’s age. This is in contrast to the Western tradition of expressing one’s age in completed years, which involves adding a year to one’s age at midnight the day before one’s birthday.
For example, if a baby is born on December 31, she will be one year old at the moment, and two years old the next day (January 1). On the other hand, if she is born on January 1, she will be two years old on January 1 of the following year.
Caution
Because the New Year’s Day is the base date in the traditional Japanese age system, caution should be exercised when using this method to calculate someone’s age because the New Year’s Day observed under the Gregorian calendar differs from that observed under the traditional Japanese calendar prior to the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. Please consult the section below for further information on the traditional Japanese age calculation system.
Reasons for using the traditional Japanese age system
It is based on religious beliefs (such as Buddhism) that the unborn baby’s age is determined by the nine months she spends in her mother’s womb.
Problems with the rekiho (calendar-making method) (lunar calendar): A leap month is introduced once every three years (about seven times every nineteen years) in the lunisolar calendar, hence the length of the year varies from year to year in comparison to the solar calendar (the Gregorian calendar). Using this calendar to calculate age in the Western way has generated issues. Due to the fact that those born on a leap month do not have an exact birthday, the Western manner of calculating age cannot be utilized correctly.
Someone born on the first day of leap August in the 4th year of the Genroku era (1691), for example, would not have had a birthday the following year because the 5th year of the Genroku era had no leap month (1692). During the Genroku era, the Jokyo-reki (Jokyo calendar, a lunar-solar calendar used in Japan) was utilized.
For a better understanding of the traditional Japanese age system, read to the section about the Western manner of calculating age and ‘0.’
Method of calculating age by the traditional Japanese system
When a child is counted as one year old at birth and becomes one year older on New Year’s Day, according to the traditional Japanese system. This is in contrast to the Western method of counting, in which a newborn baby is counted as a year old at birth and becomes one year older at the stroke of midnight on the day before the birthday. As a result, the following is the relationship between the Western method of determining age and the traditional Japanese method.
Since the Japanese calendar now corresponds to the Christian calendar, the method of counting a person’s age in the traditional Japanese system will be as follows: ‘traditional Japanese system = your age + two’ from New Year’s Day to the day before birthday, and ‘traditional Japanese system = your age + one’ from birthday to birthday.
In nations where the lunisolar calendar is still in use, or when calculating the age of a deceased person who lived during the time when the lunisolar calendar (the old lunisolar calendar) was in use, age is calculated using New Year’s Day as the base date of the calendar in use at the time.
Tempo-reki was used in Japan until December 2, Meiji 5 (December 31, 1872), thus the Gregorian calendar’s New Year’s Day differs from the traditional Japanese calendar. As a result, if a person’s age is estimated using the traditional Japanese system, it may be wrong; to avoid this, when determining a person’s date of birth and death, the Christian era year derived from January 1st on the Japanese calendar should be used.
The following is a list of dates that differ according to the calendar method: The Gregorian Calendar dates the first year of Genroku (January 1, 1688) to February 2, 1688.
Converted from the Japanese calendar, the year of the Christian era is: The first year of Genroku was a difficult one. In the Gregorian Calendar, December 10 is January 1, 1689. A new year had begun according to the Gregorian calendar. If the Gregorian calendar is used as the basis, one year must be added to each of the years calculated using the old Japanese system, which will result in dates that do not match those found in literature from the time period. As a result, the first year of Genroku (1688) should be considered the Christian era’s year 1688, which runs from January 1 to December 29. (January 20, 1689 in the Gregorian Calendar). Because the first year of Genroku ended on December 29, there are no December 30 and 31.
The example of the calculation method of the age based on the traditional Japanese system (people who died before the new calendar was introduced)
Although the date of death in the example differs by one day, the Christian calendar had begun a new year. As a result, when calculating a person’s age based on the traditional Japanese method before the new calendar was established, care must be used.
Calculating a year from the Japanese calendar to the Christian calendar is an example.
In 1629, on the 11th day of the leap year, he was born (April 4, 1629 in the Gregorian Calendar).
On the Gregorian calendar, he died on December 10, 1688 (January 1, 1689). The year 1688 is used instead of 1689 as the first year of Genroku.
Correct: at death (59), 1688-162959+1= 60: adding 1 is for the first year of life.
An example where the age of death under the traditional Japanese age system differs by two years from the age at death under the Western-style system
1688-162959+1= 60 at death (58): This person died before her birthday, hence she was 58 years old at the time of her death.
Calculating methods in other countries
In the past, East Asian countries like Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam did not utilize the Western method of measuring age; instead, they used the Kazoedoshi method (the age by the traditional Japanese system). Only the Republic of Korea uses the old methodology officially and privately, despite the fact that most countries have shifted to the Western method of determining age. Even after it was officially outlawed in Japan and China, it was still used privately. However, following World War II in Japan, the Cultural Revolution in China, and North Korean independence, kazoedoshi was no longer employed. While France controlled Indochina, its use in Vietnam decreased.
In Japan and Korea, a new year is added to the Gregorian calendar on January 1; nevertheless, the lunar New Year (old new year) is still honored in China. On the Jiken-reki (Chinese calendar), it is January 1, which differs from the traditional Japanese new year. However, in some Japanese regions or organizations, the previous New Year or the start of spring (the first day of spring according to the lunar calendar) is used. This is a novel approach to commemorate the previous New Year in a simple and straightforward manner at the start of spring.
In Chinese, it’s known as xusui (the Western-style age system is called zhousui, shisui and sokusui). In Korean, it’s known as hangunnai (the word “nai” meaning “age”) (the Western-style age system is called mannai).
Under English, it’s known as East Asian age reckoning, and being x years old in the traditional Japanese system is also known as being in one’s xth year. There is no word to describe the Western method of age calculation.
Japan
The traditional Japanese way of calculating age has been utilized in Japan from ancient times. However, on December 22, 1902, the ‘law regarding computing age’ (December 2, 1902, Law No. 50) went into effect, and the Western method of calculating age was adopted.
However, because the traditional Japanese system continued to be utilized privately, ‘the legislation of the method of the age’ (May 24, 1949, Law No. 96) went into effect on January 1, 1950.
The law declared that residents should no longer count a person’s age according to the old Japanese system, but rather should always count the years of age (the number of months when one’s age is less than one year) as specified in the law’s regulations on calculating age (1902, Law No. 50).
It further said that when the government or municipalities refer to a person’s age, they must use the years of age or the number of months specified in the preceding paragraph. However, if there is a strong reason to use the traditional Japanese system to define a person’s age, that effect must be mentioned ahead of time.
As previously stated, the government and municipalities were required to utilize the Western-style age system and to state so when an age based on the traditional Japanese system was required.
1. To make Japanese people feel younger by giving them the impression that they have aged. 2. Promotion of accurate birth registration. 3. Increased internationality. 4. Irrationalities in distribution systems must be resolved. The problem with distribution was the most important issue at the time. For example, if a child is born in December and receives candy in February of the following year, the youngster is considered two years old and receives candy through the distribution system. Of course, offering sweets to a two-month-old newborn is ridiculous. Someone in his fifties according to the Western-style age system was considered in his sixties according to the traditional Japanese system, and the amount of money he earned through distribution was reduced as a result of his age. Although the calories used to determine the amount of distribution were calculated using a Western-style age system, the actual distribution was done using a traditional Japanese age system, resulting in this dilemma.
(For further information, see the law of the method of age calculation item.)
The older generation continues to use the traditional Japanese age system. Other age groups employ the traditional Japanese age system only on rare occasions, such as fortune telling, traditional celebrations, or counting the years till death.
Traditional events such as Shichigosan Shichi-go-san (a day of prayer for the healthy growth of young children celebrated when they turn three, five, or seven years old) or Toshiiwai (celebrations for specific ages) (e.g. Koki (celebration of a person’s seventieth birthday), Kiju (celebration of a person’s seventy-seventh birthday), etc.) used the traditional Japanese As a result, in such events, both the traditional Japanese age system and the Western-style age system are permitted. Regardless of the age system utilized, celebrations are often held at the same times. When commemorating Kanreki (one’s sixtieth birthday), there is an exemption. According to the traditional Japanese age system, Kanreki is celebrated at the age of sixty-one, and at the age of sixty according to the Christian period. When counting unlucky years, however, only the traditional Japanese age system is employed, and it is uncommon to use the Western style of calculating age in such a circumstance. In addition, when counting one’s age at death that is engraved at ceremonial events, the traditional Japanese age system is employed during memorial ceremonies and in shinto. However, the Western-style method has recently become popular. With the exception of ‘isshuki’ (the first anniversary of one’s death), the traditional Japanese practice of ‘nenkaiki’ (memorial service held at specified years) follows age.
Furthermore, until recently, a racehorse’s age was determined using the traditional Japanese age system. However, since 2001, it has been decided to utilize the worldwide method of notation, in which a horse is born with a zero-year age and one year is added to its age on January 1 of each year (i.e., the age that is one year less than it used to be under the traditional Japanese age system).
As a result, January 1st remains the date on which a new year is added, and a horse’s age does not match “the age of the horse according to the Western-style system.”