Year of the Snake 巳
⚠ 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.
Yin fire inside earth — heat that is contained rather than displayed. The Snake reads as intelligence held close: strategic, private, unusually good at knowing what not to say. The reserve reads as depth to some people and as distance to others.
The Snake in 2027, the Fire Goat year ›
Snake 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
You and the Ox belong to the same three-branch group, which together produce one element. Read as a shared direction: you tend to want the same things.
Your branch and the Monkey bind directly — the classic pairing, read as easy mutual fit that settles rather than sparks.
You and the Rooster 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
A subtle mismatch with the Tiger — the traditional reading is crossed wires rather than open conflict, the kind that shows up in timing and tone.
You sit directly opposite the Pig on the cycle. Read as friction and movement — not doom, but a pairing that will not sit still.
Everything else
No harmony or clash rule connects your branch to the Rat. 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 Dragon. Traditionally that is read as neutral — the pairing is decided by the rest of both charts, not by the animals.
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 Horse. 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 Goat. 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.
The five day pillars seated on the Snake
Your day branch says far more than your year branch. If you were born on a Snake day, one of these is your day pillar.
Frequently asked
Which years are Snake years?
1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 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 Snake compatible with?
By the branch rules: Ox (Three Harmony), Monkey (Six Harmony), Rooster (Three Harmony). Friction relations run to Tiger (Harm), Pig (Clash). 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 Snake 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 Snake is the 뱀 (巳), romanised Si 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.