The dragon is the only imaginary animal in the twelve. In Korean lore it lives in water and brings rain, and an imugi, a great serpent, must spend long years in the water (a hundred in folk belief, a thousand in many retellings) before it can rise as a dragon. That idea of long patience before transformation runs through the Dragon's reputation.
In Saju the Dragon is the branch 辰 Jin. It is earth, the last month of spring, and the hours from 07:00 to 09:00. Inside it are hidden stems of wood, water and earth, so it is read as a damp, fertile storehouse, a water tank of the zodiac.
Your animal is your year branch and one of eight characters. The Dragon also appears as a month branch (early April to early May) and in day and hour pillars. The Dragon year begins at Ipchun, around 4 February.
- Ambitious
- Charismatic
- Imaginative
- Proud
The five Dragons of the sixty year cycle
Every twelve years is a Dragon 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 Dragon's six harmony partner is the Rooster 酉, read as turning toward metal. Its three harmony partners are the Monkey 申 and the Rat 子, the water trine.
Clash and wonjin
The Dragon clashes with the Dog 戌, two earth storehouses from opposite seasons. It is one of the self punishment branches, read as a tendency to be hard on itself. Its wonjin is the Pig 亥. All of these are read as friction to understand.
- Six harmony: Rooster
- Three harmony: Monkey and Rat
- Clash: Dog
- Wonjin: Pig
The Dragon with each animal
How the tradition reads the Dragon 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 Three harmony Two branches from the same trine, read as shared purpose and working well as a team. | |
| Ox 丑 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Tiger 寅 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Rabbit 卯 Harm A subtle mismatch, read as small misunderstandings that grow if nobody names them. | |
| Dragon 辰 Self punishment The same branch twice, read as two people with the same tender spot. | |
| Snake 巳 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Horse 午 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Goat 未 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Monkey 申 Three harmony Two branches from the same trine, read as shared purpose and working well as a team. | |
| Rooster 酉 Six harmony A pair of branches that bond easily, read as comfort and a natural fit. | |
| Dog 戌 Clash Branches from opposite points of the year, read as movement and contrast that ask for give and take. | |
| Pig 亥 Wonjin 원진 The resentment pair of Korean gunghap: read as irritation without an obvious cause, eased by talking it through. |
Dragon years and when they start
Each Dragon 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | 戊辰 Mu-jin | Yellow Dragon | 5 Feb 1928, 10:16 | 4 Feb 1929, 16:08 |
| 1940 | 庚辰 Gyeong-jin | White Dragon | 5 Feb 1940, 08:07 | 4 Feb 1941, 13:50 |
| 1952 | 壬辰 Im-jin | Black Dragon | 5 Feb 1952, 05:52 | 4 Feb 1953, 11:46 |
| 1964 | 甲辰 Gap-jin | Blue Dragon | 5 Feb 1964, 04:04 | 4 Feb 1965, 09:46 |
| 1976 | 丙辰 Byeong-jin | Red Dragon | 5 Feb 1976, 01:39 | 4 Feb 1977, 07:33 |
| 1988 | 戊辰 Mu-jin | Yellow Dragon | 4 Feb 1988, 23:43 | 4 Feb 1989, 05:27 |
| 2000 | 庚辰 Gyeong-jin | White Dragon | 4 Feb 2000, 21:40 | 4 Feb 2001, 03:29 |
| 2012 | 壬辰 Im-jin | Black Dragon | 4 Feb 2012, 19:22 | 4 Feb 2013, 01:13 |
| 2024 | 甲辰 Gap-jin | Blue Dragon | 4 Feb 2024, 17:26 | 3 Feb 2025, 23:10 |