2021 · 辛丑 · Yin Metal Ox
When does the Year of the Ox start in 2021?
The Year of the Ox (辛丑, Metal Ox) begins on Friday, February 12, 2021 by the lunar calendar, at Lunar New Year. Saju, the Korean Four Pillars (BaZi in Chinese), starts it 9 days earlier, at Ipchun: February 3, 2021 at 14:58 UTC, which is 11:58 pm on February 3 in Seoul and 9:58 am in New York and Toronto.
By Lunar New Year
Friday, February 12, 2021
The same day in Korea (Seollal) and China.
In saju, at Ipchun (입춘)
February 3, 2021 · 14:58 UTC
Feb 3, 11:58 pm in Seoul · Feb 3, 9:58 am in New York
The Ipchun minute
Ipchun 2021, 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, 14:58 | UTC |
| Seoul | Feb 3, 11:58 pm | UTC+9 |
| Beijing | Feb 3, 10:58 pm | UTC+8 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1:58 am | UTC+11 |
| London | Feb 3, 2:58 pm | UTC |
| New York and Toronto | Feb 3, 9:58 am | UTC-5 |
| Los Angeles and Vancouver | Feb 3, 6:58 am | UTC-8 |
Local times use each place's clock in 2021, 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
Rat to Ox
Until the start
庚子
Metal Rat
Yang Metal
From the start
辛丑
Metal Ox
Yin Metal
The saju verdict
Born Jan 20 to Feb 20, 2021?
- 1Born before February 3: both calendars say Metal Rat.
- 2From the Ipchun minute (11:58 pm on February 3 in Seoul, 9:58 am on February 3 in New York) to February 11: saju says Ox, Lunar New Year still says Rat. About 9 days where the two disagree.
- 3Born on February 12 or later: both say Metal Ox.
| Born | Lunar New Year | Saju (Ipchun) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 Wed | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 21 Thu | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 22 Fri | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 23 Sat | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 24 Sun | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 25 Mon | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 26 Tue | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 27 Wed | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 28 Thu | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 29 Fri | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 30 Sat | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 31 Sun | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 1 Mon | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 2 Tue | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 3 Wed | Rat | Rat → OxOx from 11:58 pm in Seoul, 10:58 pm in Beijing, 2:58 pm in London, 9:58 am in New York and Toronto, 6:58 am in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Rat all day in Sydney. |
| Feb 4 Thu | Rat | Rat → OxOx from 1:58 am in Sydney. Ox all day in Seoul, Beijing, London, New York and Toronto, Los Angeles and Vancouver. |
| Feb 5 Fri | Rat | Ox |
| Feb 6 Sat | Rat | Ox |
| Feb 7 Sun | Rat | Ox |
| Feb 8 Mon | Rat | Ox |
| Feb 9 Tue | Rat | Ox |
| Feb 10 Wed | Rat | Ox |
| Feb 11 Thu | Rat | Ox |
| Feb 12 Fri | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 13 Sat | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 14 Sun | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 15 Mon | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 16 Tue | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 17 Wed | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 18 Thu | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 19 Fri | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 20 Sat | Ox | Ox |
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
2021 year start FAQ
Is someone born on February 4, 2021 a Rat or a Ox?
By Lunar New Year (February 12) still a Rat. In saju a Ox, because the saju year had already turned at Ipchun (February 3, 14:58 UTC). Most zodiac charts and the holidays follow Lunar New Year; saju and BaZi follow Ipchun.
When did the Year of the Ox start in 2021?
By the lunar calendar on Friday, February 12, 2021, Lunar New Year. In saju at Ipchun (February 3, 14:58 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 2021 in Korea?
Seollal (설날) fell on Friday, February 12, 2021, 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.