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What is saju? Meaning of Korea's four pillars

Boki the baby tiger pointing

Your sun sign is one data point. Your saju is eight.

Saju (사주) means "four pillars." In Korea it has been used for centuries to talk about personality, relationships and timing, and today people check it the way others check a horoscope: for fun, for self-reflection, and before big moments like a new job or a wedding. Korean fortune-telling shows such as Disney+'s Battle of Fates have made it popular far beyond Korea.

What is a saju reading?

A saju reading turns your birth date and time into eight characters, then reads what they say about your personality, relationships and timing. A traditional reading is done by a fortune teller. A saju calculator, like Boki, does the math for you: the calendar, the solar terms and your birthplace time zone.

The four pillars

Your birth year, month, day and hour each become a pillar. Every pillar has two characters: a heavenly stem on top (one of ten, each tied to an element and to yin or yang) and an earthly branch below (one of the twelve animals). Four pillars times two characters gives the eight characters of your chart.

Your day pillar is "you"

Most people know their zodiac animal from their birth year. In saju, the year pillar describes your roots and family background, while the day pillar describes you as a person. That is why Boki calls you a type like Water Dragon or Fire Horse: the element comes from your day stem and the animal from your day branch. There are 60 day pillars in total. See all 60 types.

The five elements

Each element feeds one and checks another. Wood feeds fire, fire makes earth, earth holds metal, metal carries water, and water grows wood. Your chart shows which elements you have a lot of and which ones you are missing.

Saju vs the Chinese zodiac vs astrology

The year animal is only one of eight characters. Two friends born in the same year usually have different day pillars, so they get different readings. Compared with Western astrology, saju swaps planets for elements and animals, and it starts the year at Ipchun (around February 4), not on January 1 or Lunar New Year.

Free saju reading online

Boki is a free saju calculator in English. It finds your day pillar, shows your five-element balance and stamps your name in Hangul. Born in North America? Boki uses your birthplace time zone, so your chart is right even though saju was built on Korean time. Want to check a year instead? Korean zodiac by birth year.

Get my free saju reading

Free, 30 seconds, no sign-up. Boki calculates it from your birth date, time and time zone.

Questions

What is saju?Saju (사주, "four pillars") is the traditional Korean way of reading a person through the moment they were born. The year, month, day and hour of birth each become a pillar of two characters, eight characters in total.
Is saju the same as the Chinese zodiac?No. The zodiac animal you know usually comes from your birth year only. Saju uses all four pillars, and the pillar that describes your personality is the day pillar, so two people born in the same year can be very different types.
How is saju different from Western astrology?Astrology reads the positions of planets and signs. Saju reads the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and the twelve animals as they appear in your birth date and time. Instead of a sun sign, you get a day pillar like Water Dragon or Fire Horse.
When does the saju year start?The saju year starts at Ipchun (입춘), the start of spring around February 4, not on January 1 or Lunar New Year. People born in late January or early February often belong to the previous year.
Is saju the same as bazi?They share the same roots. Bazi ("eight characters") is the Chinese name for the four-pillar system; saju is the Korean name and tradition. Both use the same 60 pillars, so a bazi calculator and a saju calculator give the same chart.
Where can I get a free saju reading online?Boki gives you a free saju reading in English in about 30 seconds, no sign-up. Enter your birth date, time and birthplace time zone and Boki works out your day pillar, your five elements and a Korean name stamp.
Do I need my birth time?Your day pillar only needs your birth date and the time zone you were born in. Adding your birth time completes the hour pillar and the balance of your five elements.