"I'm a Rat, but Rat horoscopes never fit me." We hear this a lot. The reason is simple: your zodiac animal is only one of the eight characters in your saju.
Saju is eight characters
Saju, the Korean four pillars, are the year, month, day and hour you were born. Each pillar has two characters, so there are eight in all.
- Year pillar: your birth year, where your zodiac animal comes from. It relates to family, childhood and how you appear to the world.
- Month pillar: your birth month. It carries the season's energy and shapes your tendencies strongly.
- Day pillar: your birth day. It shows you yourself and your closest relationship, the partner's seat.
- Hour pillar: your birth hour. It links to later life, children and your inner thoughts.
The day stem, the main character
The upper character of the day pillar is the day stem. In a reading, it stands for you. There are ten day stems.
- Yang and yin Wood: a great tree and a wildflower. The drive to grow straight; the ability to bend and spread.
- Yang and yin Fire: the sun and a candle. Shining openly; glowing gently.
- Yang and yin Earth: a mountain and a garden bed. Holding steady; nurturing.
- Yang and yin Metal: a boulder and a jewel. Decisiveness; refinement.
- Yang and yin Water: the ocean and a light rain. Embracing widely; seeping in quietly.
Two Rats with a yang Fire day stem and a yin Water day stem feel very different. Zodiac horoscopes are for fun; your nature is read from the day pillar.
Your zodiac animal still counts
The animal is used to see how a year's energy meets your year pillar. It is best not to judge personality or compatibility from it alone. Love compatibility in particular looks more closely at how two day pillars relate.
Want to know your day stem?
It is calculated from your birth date. Knowing whether the date is solar or lunar, and your birth hour, makes it more precise.