干支

Japanese JLPT N1 Vocabulary Japanese ★★★★ 4/5 neutral えとeto
Reading えと
Romaji eto
Kanji breakdown 干 (kan/e) — heavenly stem, dry; 支 (shi/to) — earthly branch, support
Pronunciation /e.to/

Meaning

The Chinese zodiac; the traditional sexagenary cycle combining the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches. Also used colloquially to refer to one's zodiac animal sign.

Originally a 60-year cycle used in China and Japan for dates, directions, and divination, combining 十干 (Heavenly Stems) and 十二支 (Earthly Branches). In modern Japan, 干支 most commonly refers to the 12-animal zodiac cycle rather than the full 60-year system. Central to New Year's cards, age discussions, and traditional cultural contexts.

Examples

  1. 今年の干支は何ですか、と年配の方に聞かれることがある。 Older people sometimes ask, 'What's this year's zodiac sign?
  2. 干支でいうと、祖父と孫が同じ干支になることがある。 In the zodiac cycle, a grandfather and grandchild can share the same sign.
  3. 干支の計算は十干と十二支を組み合わせた複雑な体系だ。 The zodiac calculation is a complex system combining the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches.

Usage Guide

Context: traditional culture, New Year, zodiac, calendar, daily conversation

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Classical Chinese texts. 干 represents the ten Heavenly Stems and 支 represents the twelve Earthly Branches, forming the traditional East Asian calendrical cycle used since the Shang dynasty for recording time and divination.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Related Phrases

年度 Fiscal year; academic year; official year. A defined annual period used for administrative, educational, or financial purposes, often not aligned with the calendar year. 昭和 The Shōwa era; the imperial reign period of Emperor Hirohito, spanning 1926 to 1989. One of the longest and most historically eventful eras in Japanese history. 歴史的 Historic; historical. Describes something of great historical significance, or something related to history in general. 元号 Era name; the official name given to a reign period in the Japanese imperial system. Japan currently uses the era Reiwa, which began in 2019. 年号 Era name; Japanese era designation. An official name given to a reign period in the traditional Japanese calendar system. 年度末 End of the fiscal year or academic year; year-end in the Japanese administrative calendar. Typically refers to late March. 戦前 Pre-war; the period before a war. In Japanese, typically refers to Japan before World War II, particularly before 1937 or 1941. 戦後 Post-war; the period following a war. In Japanese, almost always refers specifically to the period after World War II (1945 onwards).
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