Year of the Rat 子
⚠ The saju year turns at ipchun, around 4 February — not 1 January, and not Lunar New Year. Born in January or the first days of February? Your branch is the previous animal.
Water at its most concentrated, and the branch that opens the cycle. The Rat reads as quick, resourceful and alert to opportunity before it is obvious — the mind that notices the gap in the fence. That same alertness makes it hard to switch off, and this branch is often described as busier inside than it looks.
The Rat in 2027, the Fire Goat year ›
Rat compatibility, by the actual rules
Popular compatibility charts rarely say why. These come from two rule sets in the system — the harmony bindings (six harmony, three harmony) and the friction relations (clash, harm, destruction) — applied to your branch against all twelve. Everything below is computed, not written to fit.
Harmony
Your branch and the Ox bind directly — the classic pairing, read as easy mutual fit that settles rather than sparks.
You and the Dragon belong to the same three-branch group, which together produce one element. Read as a shared direction: you tend to want the same things.
You and the Monkey belong to the same three-branch group, which together produce one element. Read as a shared direction: you tend to want the same things.
Friction
You sit directly opposite the Horse on the cycle. Read as friction and movement — not doom, but a pairing that will not sit still.
A subtle mismatch with the Goat — the traditional reading is crossed wires rather than open conflict, the kind that shows up in timing and tone.
A minor breaking pattern with the Rooster: something gets cracked and rebuilt. The mildest of the friction relations, and often the most productive.
Everything else
The same branch as yours. Two of the same energy recognise each other instantly — and compete for the same ground just as fast.
No harmony or clash rule connects your branch to the Tiger. Traditionally that is read as neutral — the pairing is decided by the rest of both charts, not by the animals.
No harmony or clash rule connects your branch to the Rabbit. Traditionally that is read as neutral — the pairing is decided by the rest of both charts, not by the animals.
No harmony or clash rule connects your branch to the Snake. Traditionally that is read as neutral — the pairing is decided by the rest of both charts, not by the animals.
No harmony or clash rule connects your branch to the Dog. Traditionally that is read as neutral — the pairing is decided by the rest of both charts, not by the animals.
No harmony or clash rule connects your branch to the Pig. Traditionally that is read as neutral — the pairing is decided by the rest of both charts, not by the animals.
The five day pillars seated on the Rat
Your day branch says far more than your year branch. If you were born on a Rat day, one of these is your day pillar.
Frequently asked
Which years are Rat years?
1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032 and every twelfth year before and after. One warning that matters: the saju year turns at ipchun, around 4 February — not on 1 January and not at Lunar New Year. If you were born in January or the first days of February, your branch is the previous animal.
What is the Rat compatible with?
By the branch rules: Ox (Six Harmony), Dragon (Three Harmony), Monkey (Three Harmony). Friction relations run to Horse (Clash), Goat (Harm), Rooster (Destruction). These describe one character out of the eight in each person's chart, so treat them as a first note rather than a verdict.
Does being a Rat tell me my personality?
Only thinly. Your animal is your year branch — one of eight characters, shared with roughly a twelfth of everyone alive. The character that stands for you is the top of your day pillar, and it changes every single day. That is where a real reading starts.
Is the Korean zodiac different from the Chinese one?
Same twelve animals in the same order — Korea keeps the Rabbit where Vietnam uses the Cat. In Korean the Rat is the 쥐 (子), romanised Zi in Mandarin. What differs between the traditions is the reading culture, not the cycle.
Branch relations are computed from the Ioreum engine’s harmony and clash tables (ruleset ioreum-2026.07) — the same tables our compatibility score uses. The character readings are interpretation from tradition, not verified science.