Zodiac animals

Enter the year you were born:

Why twelve? And why animals?

Since Jupiter takes roughly twelve (Earth) years to orbit the Sun and about twelve cycles of the Earth's moon each year, calendars have been divided into twelve months for around 5,000 years.

In the 5^th century BC in China, the same number twelve was adopted to count the months and hours (twelve 120-minute hours in a day).

Twelve different animals were selected for the twelve-year cycle, which were perceived to have distinct characters and attributes. One animal was associated with each of the twelve periods, and with that animal, its attributes. It was believed that anyone born in that period would inherit those attributes of the animal.

The same animal associations arrived in Japan during the 2^nd or 4^th centuries AD.

The attributes changed slightly from the original Chinese to adapt to differences in Japanese culture, yet retained the same Onmyō and a pinch of numerology, to maintain the balance of attributes.

Zodiac   animal	Formal name   (Common name)	Onmyō	Number
Mouse	子 Shi (Ne, Nezumi)		1 odd
Cow	丑 Chū (Ushi)		2 even
Tiger	寅 In (Tora)		3 odd
Rabbit	卯 Bð (U, Usagi)		4 even
Dragon	辰 Shin (Tatsu, Ryū)		5 odd
Snake	巳 Shi (Mi, Hebi)		6 even
Horse	丑 Go (Uma)		7 odd
Sheep	未 Bi (Hitsuji)		8 even
Monkey	申 Shin (Saru)		9 odd
Cock	酉 Yū (Tori)		10 even
Dog	戌 Jutsu (Inu)		11 odd
Boar	亥 Gai (I, Inoshishi)		12 even

How does a horoscope apply to me, personally?

First, we'll answer the question: Do horoscopes affect people? And the answer depends on the individual.

If you believe in horoscopes, whether they're from an animal zodiac, an astrological zodiac, numerology, tarot cards, palmistry, feng shui, astrocartography, crystal, jyotish, or any other fortune-telling system, just that belief can certainly affect you. The effect is invariably through a phenomenon known as the Barnum effect (also known as the Forer effect), or the placebo effect. Here's how:

The Barnum effect is the tendency for people to believe that vague or general statements about themselves are highly accurate. Horoscopes often include generalized descriptions, such as, "You are proficient at building business-like relationships", or "You are a cautious and methodical person", which can be interpreted to apply to nearly anyone. Because of this, people may feel that the horoscope is more personally relevant than it truly is, which can influence their thoughts and behaviours.

The placebo effect is when someone believes in the predictions or advice given by their horoscope, their belief can create positive outcomes, even if the horoscope itself isn't scientifically accurate. For instance, if a person reads that they'll have good luck in a certain situation, they might approach that situation with more confidence or optimism, leading to better outcomes - this is the placebo effect at work. Essentially, belief in the horoscope itself can change their mindset and improve their emotional or mental state.

There are other things at work, such as experiencing confirmation bias, where people are more likely to notice and remember events or experiences that align with their horoscope, while dismissing or forgetting those that don't. This reinforces their belief in the horoscope's accuracy, leading them to feel more confident in its influence on their life.

For some people, reading a horoscope can provide a sense of control or predictability in an uncertain world. (A similar sense of control or predictability is why superstitions came about.) A horoscope might offer comfort or reassurance during stressful situations, allowing individuals to feel that they are being guided or that they have insight into their future. This psychological comfort can reduce anxiety, even if the horoscope itself has no real predictive power.

People who strongly believe in horoscopes may make decisions based on a zodiac's predictions. This could lead to changes in behaviour, such as choosing certain dates for important events (e.g., weddings, interviews, or business deals) or altering their actions based on the horoscope's advice. In some cases, this can have a direct impact on their lives, simply because of the choices they make.

While horoscopes don't have scientific backing, the belief in them can psychologically affect individuals through mechanisms like the Barnum effect, the placebo effect, and confirmation bias. These psychological influences can alter how people perceive their circumstances and how they approach their daily lives, often leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts.

Compatibility

You can see many horoscopes published in print and on the internet, most of which have quite similar descriptions. Our webpages show some of the commonly-agreed traits, though we've shied away from attempting to show how they might interact with other people's zodiac profile.

There are many fancy charts and diagrams published on websites, apps and other media, that supposedly show you which animal types are compatible or incompatible with your own zodiac animal.

But such charts themselves are incompatible with the essence of the zodiac, which was created in China at the height of Confucian belief that everybody has a role to play in society. Saying that somebody born-in-year-x is (in)compatible with somebody born-in-year-y, is just an excuse. Your zodiac year will not affect who you get on with, and who you don't.

As you well know, whatever year you were born in, your character and personality is greatly, if not entirely, influenced by what's happened in the years after you were born.

Anything else?

Of course there is!

There are several stories about why certain animals are used, and why they're in a particular order. Click here to read one of the most popular legend.

See also Yakudoshi - predicting your years of misfortune

What's the connection between the animal zodiac and the astrological zodiac?

For a deeper look into the beginnings of the Japanese zodiac, see onmarkproductions.com/html/12-zodiac.shtml.

Almanimal 

Discover the zodiac animal for the year you were born, by entering the year in the box above, or by consulting the chart below. (You can scroll the chart to go beyond the current year, if you want to see what life is 'destined' to be for your decendents.)

Conveniently, since early in the Meiji era, the Japanese zodiac year begins on 1 January, unlike the Chinese zodiac year which follows the lunar calendar. The Chinese New Year date changes every year, but it generally falls between 21 January and 20 February. (See our lunar month calendar.)

You'll notice on the chart that the first Japanese zodiac year of the 20th century (1 January 1900) begins with the first zodiac animal (mouse). That's because Japan officially adopted the Chinese calendar in 604 AD. (1,900 - 604 = 1,296 years, which is divisible by 12 with no remainder.)

In China, the year 604 AD was in the Sui dynasty when Yang became emperor. It's unknown whether he reset zodiac year for the first animal to be the mouse, neither is it known whether emperors before Yang might have reset the zodiac from the original version sometime in the 5^th century. Therefore, the years shown on these pages may, or may not, be based on the 5^th century zodiac.

Mouse

Cow

Tiger

Rabbit

Dragon

Snake

Horse

Sheep

Monkey

Cock

Dog

Boar