癸卯

2023: the year of the Water Rabbit (癸卯)

In Korean saju, 2023 is the year of 癸卯 (Gye-myo). The top character, 癸, is yin Water, and the bottom character, 卯, is the Rabbit. Together they make 2023 the year of the Water Rabbit. The saju year starts at Ipchun on February 4, 2023 at 11:42 Korea time and runs until February 4, 2024.

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2023 at a glance

Year pair: 癸卯 · Gye-myo
Element: Water (yin)
Animal: Rabbit
Old poetic name: 金箔金 · Gold leaf
Saju year starts: February 4, 2023 11:42
Ends: February 4, 2024
Age in 2027: turns 4

Born in January or early February 2023?

The saju year changes at Ipchun, February 4, 2023 at 11:42 Korea time. If you were born before that moment, your year pair is 壬寅: you belong to 2022, the year of the Water Tiger.

Many zodiac sites switch the animal at Lunar New Year instead, which fell on January 22 in 2023. So for birthdays from January 22 until just before Ipchun, those sites already say Rabbit while saju still says Tiger.

The two characters of 癸卯

癸Gye · quiet rain soaking in — water that refreshes dry ground
卯Myo · Rabbit · soft grass in mid-spring

The Water element of 2023

The top character decides the year’s element, so 2023 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 2023 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 癸卯 with their start dates (Korea date). Your birth month’s pair is one of your four pillars.

Month pair	Starts
甲寅Gap-in	February 4
乙卯Eul-myo	March 6
丙辰Byeong-jin	April 5
丁巳Jeong-sa	May 6
戊午Mu-o	June 6
己未Gi-mi	July 7
庚申Gyeong-sin	August 8
辛酉Sin-yu	September 8
壬戌Im-sul	October 8
癸亥Gye-hae	November 8
甲子Gap-ja	December 7
乙丑Eul-chuk	January 6, 2024

The Rabbit in zodiac compatibility

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

The Rabbit 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: Half trine (半合)

2027 outlook for the Rabbit →

Other Rabbit years

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

The exact pair 癸卯 returns every 60 years: 1903, 1963 and 2083.

Read 癸卯 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 2023? 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 2023

What Chinese zodiac animal is 2023?

2023 is the year of the Rabbit, and more exactly the Water Rabbit (癸卯). In saju the year runs from Ipchun on February 4, 2023 to February 4, 2024.

What element is 2023?

Water. The top character 癸 is yin Water, and that is the year’s element. The bottom character 卯 adds Wood.

I was born in January 2023. What is my sign?

Before Ipchun (February 4, 2023, 11:42 Korea time) you belong to the year before: 壬寅, the Water Tiger of 2022. 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.