壬寅

2022: the year of the Water Tiger (壬寅)

In Korean saju, 2022 is the year of 壬寅 (Im-in). The top character, 壬, is yang Water, and the bottom character, 寅, is the Tiger. Together they make 2022 the year of the Water Tiger. The saju year starts at Ipchun on February 4, 2022 at 05:50 Korea time and runs until February 4, 2023.

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2022 at a glance

Year pair: 壬寅 · Im-in
Element: Water (yang)
Animal: Tiger
Old poetic name: 金箔金 · Gold leaf
Saju year starts: February 4, 2022 05:50
Ends: February 4, 2023
Age in 2027: turns 5

Born in January or early February 2022?

The saju year changes at Ipchun, February 4, 2022 at 05:50 Korea time. If you were born before that moment, your year pair is 辛丑: you belong to 2021, the year of the Metal Ox.

Many zodiac sites switch the animal at Lunar New Year instead, which fell on February 1 in 2022. So for birthdays from February 1 until just before Ipchun, those sites already say Tiger while saju still says Ox.

The two characters of 壬寅

壬Im · a wide river running far — water that never stops moving
寅In · Tiger · a forest waking in early spring

The Water element of 2022

The top character decides the year’s element, so 2022 is a Water year. When Water energy is strong, it tends to feel like this: You feel wise, calm, and open to new ideas flowing in.

Color: Navy or black
Food: Black beans, seaweed, and fresh seafood
Direction: North
Activity: Taking a relaxing bath or journaling quietly

This is your birth-year element. In saju, your core element comes from your birth day instead (the day master), and it can be different. A free saju card shows yours.

Month pillars of the 2022 saju year

In saju, each month also has a pair, and it starts on a solar term, not on the 1st. These are the twelve months of 壬寅 with their start dates (Korea date). Your birth month’s pair is one of your four pillars.

Month pair	Starts
壬寅Im-in	February 4
癸卯Gye-myo	March 5
甲辰Gap-jin	April 5
乙巳Eul-sa	May 5
丙午Byeong-o	June 6
丁未Jeong-mi	July 7
戊申Mu-sin	August 7
己酉Gi-yu	September 8
庚戌Gyeong-sul	October 8
辛亥Sin-hae	November 7
壬子Im-ja	December 7
癸丑Gye-chuk	January 6, 2023

The Tiger in zodiac compatibility

By the branch tables, the Tiger’s closest match is the Pig (six harmony). Its team of three adds the Horse and Dog. Its opposite sign, the Monkey, is a clash pair, read as different rhythms rather than bad luck.

The Tiger in 2027

Your Wood feeds Fire. This is read as an output link: showing your work, speaking up, spending energy. Pace tends to matter more than push.

Ties with 丁未: Gwimun (鬼門)

2027 outlook for the Tiger →

Other Tiger years

The Tiger comes back every 12 years, but the element on top changes each time:

The exact pair 壬寅 returns every 60 years: 1902, 1962 and 2082.

Read 壬寅 as a day pillar →

How to read this

Your birth year is one pillar out of four. Your birth month, day and hour usually say more about you than the year does. Use this page for facts and fun, then check the full chart.

Born in 2022? See your whole chart

Your year is one pillar. Add your birthday for a free saju card with all four, worked out on your device.

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Questions about 2022

What Chinese zodiac animal is 2022?

2022 is the year of the Tiger, and more exactly the Water Tiger (壬寅). In saju the year runs from Ipchun on February 4, 2022 to February 4, 2023.

What element is 2022?

Water. The top character 壬 is yang Water, and that is the year’s element. The bottom character 寅 adds Wood.

I was born in January 2022. What is my sign?

Before Ipchun (February 4, 2022, 05:50 Korea time) you belong to the year before: 辛丑, the Metal Ox of 2021. Check your exact time if you were born that day.

Is my birth-year element my saju element?

Not exactly. The year element describes your birth year. Saju reads your core self from your birth-day character (the day master), which needs your full birth date.