1998 · 戊寅 · Yang Earth Tiger
When does the Year of the Tiger start in 1998?
The Year of the Tiger (戊寅, Earth Tiger) begins on Wednesday, January 28, 1998 by the lunar calendar, at Lunar New Year. Saju, the Korean Four Pillars (BaZi in Chinese), starts it 7 days later, at Ipchun: February 4, 1998 at 00:56 UTC, which is 9:56 am on February 4 in Seoul and 7:56 pm on February 3 in New York and Toronto.
By Lunar New Year
Wednesday, January 28, 1998
The same day in Korea (Seollal) and China.
In saju, at Ipchun (입춘)
February 4, 1998 · 00:56 UTC
Feb 4, 9:56 am in Seoul · Feb 3, 7:56 pm in New York
The Ipchun minute
Ipchun 1998, 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, 00:56 | UTC |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 9:56 am | UTC+9 |
| Beijing | Feb 4, 8:56 am | UTC+8 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 11:56 am | UTC+11 |
| London | Feb 4, 12:56 am | UTC |
| New York and Toronto | Feb 3, 7:56 pm | UTC-5 |
| Los Angeles and Vancouver | Feb 3, 4:56 pm | UTC-8 |
Local times use each place's clock in 1998, 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
Ox to Tiger
Until the start
丁丑
Fire Ox
Yin Fire
From the start
戊寅
Earth Tiger
Yang Earth
The saju verdict
Born Jan 20 to Feb 20, 1998?
- 1Born before January 28: both calendars say Fire Ox.
- 2From January 28 until the Ipchun minute (9:56 am on February 4 in Seoul, 7:56 pm on February 3 in New York): Lunar New Year says Tiger, saju still says Ox. About 7 days where the two disagree.
- 3Born on February 5 or later: both say Earth Tiger.
| Born | Lunar New Year | Saju (Ipchun) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 Tue | Ox | Ox |
| Jan 21 Wed | Ox | Ox |
| Jan 22 Thu | Ox | Ox |
| Jan 23 Fri | Ox | Ox |
| Jan 24 Sat | Ox | Ox |
| Jan 25 Sun | Ox | Ox |
| Jan 26 Mon | Ox | Ox |
| Jan 27 Tue | Ox | Ox |
| Jan 28 Wed | Tiger | Ox |
| Jan 29 Thu | Tiger | Ox |
| Jan 30 Fri | Tiger | Ox |
| Jan 31 Sat | Tiger | Ox |
| Feb 1 Sun | Tiger | Ox |
| Feb 2 Mon | Tiger | Ox |
| Feb 3 Tue | Tiger | Ox → TigerTiger from 7:56 pm in New York and Toronto, 4:56 pm in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Ox all day in Seoul, Beijing, Sydney, London. |
| Feb 4 Wed | Tiger | Ox → TigerTiger from 9:56 am in Seoul, 8:56 am in Beijing, 11:56 am in Sydney, 12:56 am in London. Tiger all day in New York and Toronto, Los Angeles and Vancouver. |
| Feb 5 Thu | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 6 Fri | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 7 Sat | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 8 Sun | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 9 Mon | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 10 Tue | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 11 Wed | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 12 Thu | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 13 Fri | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 14 Sat | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 15 Sun | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 16 Mon | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 17 Tue | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 18 Wed | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 19 Thu | Tiger | Tiger |
| Feb 20 Fri | Tiger | Tiger |
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
1998 year start FAQ
Is someone born on January 28, 1998 a Ox or a Tiger?
By Lunar New Year (January 28) already a Tiger. In saju still a Ox, because the saju year only turns at Ipchun (February 4, 00:56 UTC). Most zodiac charts and the holidays follow Lunar New Year; saju and BaZi follow Ipchun.
When did the Year of the Tiger start in 1998?
By the lunar calendar on Wednesday, January 28, 1998, Lunar New Year. In saju at Ipchun (February 4, 00:56 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 1998 in Korea?
Seollal (설날) fell on Wednesday, January 28, 1998, 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.