Dogs turn up often in Korean folk paintings as the household's watchful companion, and the Sapsal dog (삽살개), a shaggy native breed, was believed to drive away bad spirits: its name is often explained as chasing away sal, misfortune. The Dog is read as loyal, honest and protective.
In Saju the Dog is the branch 戌 Sul. It is earth, the last month of autumn, and the hours from 19:00 to 21:00. Its hidden stems hold metal, fire and earth, so it is read as the storehouse where the year's fire is banked for winter.
Your animal is your year branch and one of eight characters. The Dog also appears as a month branch (early October to early November) and in day and hour pillars. The Dog year begins at Ipchun, around 4 February.
- Loyal
- Principled
- Protective
- Straightforward
The five Dogs of the sixty year cycle
Every twelve years is a Dog year, and each one wears the colour of its heavenly stem. The same colour comes back every sixty years. Each card opens the day pillar with the same two characters.
Harmonies
The Dog's six harmony partner is the Rabbit 卯, read as turning toward fire. Its three harmony partners are the Tiger 寅 and the Horse 午, the fire trine.
Clash and wonjin
The Dog clashes with the Dragon 辰 and joins the Ox and Goat in a punishment. Its wonjin is the Snake 巳. These are read as friction to understand.
- Six harmony: Rabbit
- Three harmony: Tiger and Horse
- Clash: Dragon
- Wonjin: Snake
The Dog with each animal
How the tradition reads the Dog branch meeting each of the twelve, as it would in gunghap between two year or day branches. One pair of branches is a small part of two charts; compare the full charts for the whole picture.
| Rat 子 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Ox 丑 Punishment Read as friction around pride, rules or favors. Useful to know about; never a verdict. | |
| Tiger 寅 Three harmony Two branches from the same trine, read as shared purpose and working well as a team. | |
| Rabbit 卯 Six harmony A pair of branches that bond easily, read as comfort and a natural fit. | |
| Dragon 辰 Clash Branches from opposite points of the year, read as movement and contrast that ask for give and take. | |
| Snake 巳 Wonjin 원진 The resentment pair of Korean gunghap: read as irritation without an obvious cause, eased by talking it through. | |
| Horse 午 Three harmony Two branches from the same trine, read as shared purpose and working well as a team. | |
| Goat 未 Punishment Read as friction around pride, rules or favors. Useful to know about; never a verdict. | |
| Monkey 申 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Rooster 酉 Harm A subtle mismatch, read as small misunderstandings that grow if nobody names them. | |
| Dog 戌 Same animal The same branch twice, read as a familiar rhythm: easy to read each other, easy to get stuck in the same place. | |
| Pig 亥 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. |
Dog years and when they start
Each Dog year begins at Ipchun, shown here in Korea Standard Time. If you were born before the start time, your year pillar belongs to the previous animal.
| Year | Pillar | Color animal | Starts (KST) | Ends (KST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | 甲戌 Gap-sul | Blue Dog | 4 Feb 1934, 21:03 | 5 Feb 1935, 02:48 |
| 1946 | 丙戌 Byeong-sul | Red Dog | 4 Feb 1946, 19:03 | 5 Feb 1947, 00:50 |
| 1958 | 戊戌 Mu-sul | Yellow Dog | 4 Feb 1958, 16:19 | 4 Feb 1959, 22:12 |
| 1970 | 庚戌 Gyeong-sul | White Dog | 4 Feb 1970, 14:45 | 4 Feb 1971, 20:26 |
| 1982 | 壬戌 Im-sul | Black Dog | 4 Feb 1982, 12:45 | 4 Feb 1983, 18:39 |
| 1994 | 甲戌 Gap-sul | Blue Dog | 4 Feb 1994, 10:30 | 4 Feb 1995, 16:13 |
| 2006 | 丙戌 Byeong-sul | Red Dog | 4 Feb 2006, 08:27 | 4 Feb 2007, 14:18 |
| 2018 | 戊戌 Mu-sul | Yellow Dog | 4 Feb 2018, 06:28 | 4 Feb 2019, 12:14 |
| 2030 | 庚戌 Gyeong-sul | White Dog | 4 Feb 2030, 04:08 | 4 Feb 2031, 09:58 |