1972 · 壬子 · Yang Water Rat
When does the Year of the Rat start in 1972?
The Year of the Rat (壬子, Water Rat) begins on Tuesday, February 15, 1972 by the lunar calendar, at Lunar New Year. Saju, the Korean Four Pillars (BaZi in Chinese), starts it 10 days earlier, at Ipchun: February 4, 1972 at 17:20 UTC, which is 2:20 am on February 5 in Seoul and 12:20 pm on February 4 in New York and Toronto.
By Lunar New Year
Tuesday, February 15, 1972
The same day in Korea (Seollal) and China.
In saju, at Ipchun (입춘)
February 4, 1972 · 17:20 UTC
Feb 5, 2:20 am in Seoul · Feb 4, 12:20 pm in New York
The Ipchun minute
Ipchun 1972, around the world
Ipchun is a moment, not a date: the Sun reaching 315 degrees along its path. Every clock passes it at once, so the local date can differ.
| Place | Local time | Offset |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | Feb 4, 17:20 | UTC |
| Seoul | Feb 5, 2:20 am | UTC+9 |
| Beijing | Feb 5, 1:20 am | UTC+8 |
| Sydney | Feb 5, 4:20 am | UTC+11 |
| London | Feb 4, 5:20 pm | UTC |
| New York and Toronto | Feb 4, 12:20 pm | UTC-5 |
| Los Angeles and Vancouver | Feb 4, 9:20 am | UTC-8 |
Local times use each place's clock in 1972, daylight saving and old offsets included. Computed with lunar-javascript, the same calendar engine as the free episode; almanacs can differ by a minute.
Before and after
Pig to Rat
Until the start
辛亥
Metal Pig
Yin Metal
From the start
壬子
Water Rat
Yang Water
The saju verdict
Born Jan 20 to Feb 20, 1972?
- 1Born before February 4: both calendars say Metal Pig.
- 2From the Ipchun minute (2:20 am on February 5 in Seoul, 12:20 pm on February 4 in New York) to February 14: saju says Rat, Lunar New Year still says Pig. About 10 days where the two disagree.
- 3Born on February 15 or later: both say Water Rat.
| Born | Lunar New Year | Saju (Ipchun) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 Thu | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 21 Fri | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 22 Sat | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 23 Sun | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 24 Mon | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 25 Tue | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 26 Wed | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 27 Thu | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 28 Fri | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 29 Sat | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 30 Sun | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 31 Mon | Pig | Pig |
| Feb 1 Tue | Pig | Pig |
| Feb 2 Wed | Pig | Pig |
| Feb 3 Thu | Pig | Pig |
| Feb 4 Fri | Pig | Pig → RatRat from 5:20 pm in London, 12:20 pm in New York and Toronto, 9:20 am in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Pig all day in Seoul, Beijing, Sydney. |
| Feb 5 Sat | Pig | Pig → RatRat from 2:20 am in Seoul, 1:20 am in Beijing, 4:20 am in Sydney. Rat all day in London, New York and Toronto, Los Angeles and Vancouver. |
| Feb 6 Sun | Pig | Rat |
| Feb 7 Mon | Pig | Rat |
| Feb 8 Tue | Pig | Rat |
| Feb 9 Wed | Pig | Rat |
| Feb 10 Thu | Pig | Rat |
| Feb 11 Fri | Pig | Rat |
| Feb 12 Sat | Pig | Rat |
| Feb 13 Sun | Pig | Rat |
| Feb 14 Mon | Pig | Rat |
| Feb 15 Tue | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 16 Wed | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 17 Thu | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 18 Fri | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 19 Sat | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 20 Sun | Rat | Rat |
Highlighted rows are the days the two calendars disagree. Switch days are shown for the places above; in other time zones Ipchun can fall a day earlier or later. Check any birthday.
Questions
1972 year start FAQ
Is someone born on February 6, 1972 a Pig or a Rat?
By Lunar New Year (February 15) still a Pig. In saju a Rat, because the saju year had already turned at Ipchun (February 4, 17:20 UTC). Most zodiac charts and the holidays follow Lunar New Year; saju and BaZi follow Ipchun.
When did the Year of the Rat start in 1972?
By the lunar calendar on Tuesday, February 15, 1972, Lunar New Year. In saju at Ipchun (February 4, 17:20 UTC), the moment the Sun reached 315 degrees, known in Korean as Ipchun (입춘, 立春), the start of spring.
When was Lunar New Year 1972 in Korea?
Seollal (설날) fell on Tuesday, February 15, 1972, the same day as in China.
Why does saju start the year at Ipchun?
Saju counts its years and months by the sun. The year turns at Ipchun, the start of spring, and each month at one of the solar terms. Lunar New Year follows the moon instead, so it moves between Jan 21 and Feb 20 while Ipchun stays around Feb 4.
Free episode · 4 panels
Your year, your Day Master
Type your birthday for your Day Master and a free episode. Add your birth city and time, and saju reads your year from Ipchun, to the minute.