2020 · 庚子 · Yang Metal Rat
When does the Year of the Rat start in 2020?
The Year of the Rat (庚子, Metal Rat) begins on Saturday, January 25, 2020 by the lunar calendar, at Lunar New Year. Saju, the Korean Four Pillars (BaZi in Chinese), starts it 10 days later, at Ipchun: February 4, 2020 at 09:03 UTC, which is 6:03 pm on February 4 in Seoul and 4:03 am in New York and Toronto.
By Lunar New Year
Saturday, January 25, 2020
The same day in Korea (Seollal) and China.
In saju, at Ipchun (입춘)
February 4, 2020 · 09:03 UTC
Feb 4, 6:03 pm in Seoul · Feb 4, 4:03 am in New York
The Ipchun minute
Ipchun 2020, 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, 09:03 | UTC |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 6:03 pm | UTC+9 |
| Beijing | Feb 4, 5:03 pm | UTC+8 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 8:03 pm | UTC+11 |
| London | Feb 4, 9:03 am | UTC |
| New York and Toronto | Feb 4, 4:03 am | UTC-5 |
| Los Angeles and Vancouver | Feb 4, 1:03 am | UTC-8 |
Local times use each place's clock in 2020, 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
己亥
Earth Pig
Yin Earth
From the start
庚子
Metal Rat
Yang Metal
The saju verdict
Born Jan 20 to Feb 20, 2020?
- 1Born before January 25: both calendars say Earth Pig.
- 2From January 25 until the Ipchun minute (6:03 pm on February 4 in Seoul, 4:03 am on February 4 in New York): Lunar New Year says Rat, saju still says Pig. About 10 days where the two disagree.
- 3Born on February 5 or later: both say Metal Rat.
| Born | Lunar New Year | Saju (Ipchun) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 Mon | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 21 Tue | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 22 Wed | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 23 Thu | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 24 Fri | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 25 Sat | Rat | Pig |
| Jan 26 Sun | Rat | Pig |
| Jan 27 Mon | Rat | Pig |
| Jan 28 Tue | Rat | Pig |
| Jan 29 Wed | Rat | Pig |
| Jan 30 Thu | Rat | Pig |
| Jan 31 Fri | Rat | Pig |
| Feb 1 Sat | Rat | Pig |
| Feb 2 Sun | Rat | Pig |
| Feb 3 Mon | Rat | Pig |
| Feb 4 Tue | Rat | Pig → RatRat from 6:03 pm in Seoul, 5:03 pm in Beijing, 8:03 pm in Sydney, 9:03 am in London, 4:03 am in New York and Toronto, 1:03 am in Los Angeles and Vancouver. |
| Feb 5 Wed | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 6 Thu | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 7 Fri | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 8 Sat | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 9 Sun | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 10 Mon | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 11 Tue | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 12 Wed | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 13 Thu | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 14 Fri | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 15 Sat | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 16 Sun | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 17 Mon | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 18 Tue | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 19 Wed | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 20 Thu | 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
2020 year start FAQ
Is someone born on January 25, 2020 a Pig or a Rat?
By Lunar New Year (January 25) already a Rat. In saju still a Pig, because the saju year only turns at Ipchun (February 4, 09:03 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 2020?
By the lunar calendar on Saturday, January 25, 2020, Lunar New Year. In saju at Ipchun (February 4, 09:03 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 2020 in Korea?
Seollal (설날) fell on Saturday, January 25, 2020, 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.