🐉 What’s Your Animal? Korean Zodiac Signs & Year-Based Beliefs 🐭
Have you ever been asked, “What’s your 띠 (tti)?” in Korea?
It’s not just small talk — your birth year and its zodiac animal can be used to talk about personality, compatibility, and even fortune.
In this beginner-friendly guide, we’ll explore the 12 Korean zodiac signs and simple Korean phrases you can use in real conversations. 🧧
🎯 Learning Goal
- Understand what 띠 (tti) means in Korean culture.
- Learn the 12 zodiac animals and their basic personality traits.
- Practice simple Korean sentences to talk about your zodiac sign with Korean friends.
📘 Table of Contents
1. What Is the Korean Zodiac?
The Korean zodiac (띠, tti) is based on a 12-year lunar cycle, similar to the systems in China and Japan. Each year is represented by an animal, and people often say that this animal influences your personality and even your luck.
In everyday life, people sometimes ask:
“무슨 띠예요?”
museun tti-yeyo?
→ What zodiac sign are you? (literally: What animal year are you?)
It can be used to guess your age, start a fun conversation, or talk about compatibility in relationships.
2. The 12 Zodiac Animals (띠)
Here are the 12 animals and some example years. Which one are you?
- 🐭 쥐띠 (Rat) – Clever and resourceful – 1996, 2008, 2020
- 🐮 소띠 (Ox) – Hardworking and reliable – 1997, 2009, 2021
- 🐯 호랑이띠 (Tiger) – Brave and competitive – 1998, 2010, 2022
- 🐰 토끼띠 (Rabbit) – Kind and elegant – 1999, 2011, 2023
- 🐉 용띠 (Dragon) – Confident and ambitious – 2000, 2012, 2024
- 🐍 뱀띠 (Snake) – Wise and intuitive – 2001, 2013, 2025
- 🐴 말띠 (Horse) – Energetic and free-spirited – 2002, 2014, 2026
- 🐐 양띠 (Goat) – Gentle and artistic – 2003, 2015, 2027
- 🐵 원숭이띠 (Monkey) – Clever and playful – 2004, 2016, 2028
- 🐔 닭띠 (Rooster) – Confident and talkative – 2005, 2017, 2029
- 🐶 개띠 (Dog) – Loyal and sincere – 2006, 2018, 2030
- 🐷 돼지띠 (Pig) – Honest and generous – 2007, 2019, 2031
You can say:
저는 토끼띠예요.
jeoneun tokki-tti-yeyo.
→ I was born in the year of the rabbit.
3. Zodiac Compatibility in Korean Culture
In Korea, some people believe that certain zodiac pairs are good matches, especially for marriage or business partnerships. Others are thought to be more challenging.
✅ Often said to be good matches
- Rat 🐭 + Dragon 🐉
- Pig 🐷 + Rabbit 🐰
- Tiger 🐯 + Horse 🐴
🚫 Often said to be difficult matches
- Tiger 🐯 + Monkey 🐵
- Snake 🐍 + Pig 🐷
- Dog 🐶 + Rooster 🐔
These days, many younger Koreans see this as fun personality talk (like MBTI), but some older generations still check 띠 궁합 (tti gung-hap, zodiac compatibility) before big events like weddings.
4. Year-Based Beliefs & Superstitions
Some zodiac years have special meanings in Korean society. Here are a few interesting examples:
- 백호의 해 (baekho-ui hae, White Tiger Year) – Considered powerful and protective. Some people hope for strong and brave children born in this year.
- 황금돼지해 (hwanggeum-dwaeji-hae, Golden Pig Year) – Seen as very lucky for wealth and fortune; often linked to baby booms.
- 말띠 여자 (maltti yeoja, women born in Horse years) – In the past, especially 1966, people believed these women had “too strong” personalities. Nowadays, this is seen as an old stereotype, not a modern idea.
Even in modern Korea, zodiac beliefs can influence things like wedding dates, business openings, and childbirth planning—a unique blend of tradition and modern life.
5. 💡 Did You Know?
The Korean zodiac appears often in K-dramas, especially in family scenes or when characters guess each other’s age. You might hear:
“몇 년생이세요?”
myeot nyeonsaeng-iseyo?
→ What year were you born?
Parents sometimes consider zodiac animals and traditional fortune-telling (사주팔자, saju palja) when choosing a baby’s name, hoping for a lucky and balanced life.
If you want to dive deeper into traditional beliefs, you can explore resources from Korean cultural institutions (search: “Korean zodiac culture site:korea.net”) or visit folk museums in Seoul.
6. 🎓 Want to Learn More Korean?
Want to talk about your 띠, MBTI, or personality in Korean with real people? In my 1:1 lessons, we use topics like zodiac signs, friendships, and everyday life to practice natural conversation.
👉 Book a friendly italki lesson with me and let’s connect language with real Korean culture.
💬 Stay Connected
If this post helped you understand Korean zodiac culture, please:
- Bookmark this page for later review.
- Share it with friends who love K-culture and K-dramas.
- Leave a comment: What’s your 띠, and do you think it matches your personality?
