2018 · 戊戌 · Yang Earth Dog
When does the Year of the Dog start in 2018?
The Year of the Dog (戊戌, Earth Dog) begins on Friday, February 16, 2018 by the lunar calendar, at Lunar New Year. Saju, the Korean Four Pillars (BaZi in Chinese), starts it 12 days earlier, at Ipchun: February 3, 2018 at 21:28 UTC, which is 6:28 am on February 4 in Seoul and 4:28 pm on February 3 in New York and Toronto.
By Lunar New Year
Friday, February 16, 2018
The same day in Korea (Seollal) and China.
In saju, at Ipchun (입춘)
February 3, 2018 · 21:28 UTC
Feb 4, 6:28 am in Seoul · Feb 3, 4:28 pm in New York
The Ipchun minute
Ipchun 2018, 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 3, 21:28 | UTC |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 6:28 am | UTC+9 |
| Beijing | Feb 4, 5:28 am | UTC+8 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 8:28 am | UTC+11 |
| London | Feb 3, 9:28 pm | UTC |
| New York and Toronto | Feb 3, 4:28 pm | UTC-5 |
| Los Angeles and Vancouver | Feb 3, 1:28 pm | UTC-8 |
Local times use each place's clock in 2018, 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
Rooster to Dog
Until the start
丁酉
Fire Rooster
Yin Fire
From the start
戊戌
Earth Dog
Yang Earth
The saju verdict
Born Jan 20 to Feb 20, 2018?
- 1Born before February 3: both calendars say Fire Rooster.
- 2From the Ipchun minute (6:28 am on February 4 in Seoul, 4:28 pm on February 3 in New York) to February 15: saju says Dog, Lunar New Year still says Rooster. About 12 days where the two disagree.
- 3Born on February 16 or later: both say Earth Dog.
| Born | Lunar New Year | Saju (Ipchun) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 Sat | Rooster | Rooster |
| Jan 21 Sun | Rooster | Rooster |
| Jan 22 Mon | Rooster | Rooster |
| Jan 23 Tue | Rooster | Rooster |
| Jan 24 Wed | Rooster | Rooster |
| Jan 25 Thu | Rooster | Rooster |
| Jan 26 Fri | Rooster | Rooster |
| Jan 27 Sat | Rooster | Rooster |
| Jan 28 Sun | Rooster | Rooster |
| Jan 29 Mon | Rooster | Rooster |
| Jan 30 Tue | Rooster | Rooster |
| Jan 31 Wed | Rooster | Rooster |
| Feb 1 Thu | Rooster | Rooster |
| Feb 2 Fri | Rooster | Rooster |
| Feb 3 Sat | Rooster | Rooster → DogDog from 9:28 pm in London, 4:28 pm in New York and Toronto, 1:28 pm in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Rooster all day in Seoul, Beijing, Sydney. |
| Feb 4 Sun | Rooster | Rooster → DogDog from 6:28 am in Seoul, 5:28 am in Beijing, 8:28 am in Sydney. Dog all day in London, New York and Toronto, Los Angeles and Vancouver. |
| Feb 5 Mon | Rooster | Dog |
| Feb 6 Tue | Rooster | Dog |
| Feb 7 Wed | Rooster | Dog |
| Feb 8 Thu | Rooster | Dog |
| Feb 9 Fri | Rooster | Dog |
| Feb 10 Sat | Rooster | Dog |
| Feb 11 Sun | Rooster | Dog |
| Feb 12 Mon | Rooster | Dog |
| Feb 13 Tue | Rooster | Dog |
| Feb 14 Wed | Rooster | Dog |
| Feb 15 Thu | Rooster | Dog |
| Feb 16 Fri | Dog | Dog |
| Feb 17 Sat | Dog | Dog |
| Feb 18 Sun | Dog | Dog |
| Feb 19 Mon | Dog | Dog |
| Feb 20 Tue | Dog | Dog |
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
2018 year start FAQ
Is someone born on February 5, 2018 a Rooster or a Dog?
By Lunar New Year (February 16) still a Rooster. In saju a Dog, because the saju year had already turned at Ipchun (February 3, 21:28 UTC). Most zodiac charts and the holidays follow Lunar New Year; saju and BaZi follow Ipchun.
When did the Year of the Dog start in 2018?
By the lunar calendar on Friday, February 16, 2018, Lunar New Year. In saju at Ipchun (February 3, 21:28 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 2018 in Korea?
Seollal (설날) fell on Friday, February 16, 2018, 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.
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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.