1947 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Pig

When did the 1947 Year of the Pig start and end?

The Chinese zodiac does not change on January 1. It follows the lunisolar calendar, so each animal year starts at Lunar New Year, the second new moon after the winter solstice, which always lands between January 21 and February 20. For 1947 that date was January 22, 1947.

Because Lunar New Year (Jan 22) came before Ipchun (Feb 5) in 1947, babies born from Jan 22 to Feb 4 are Pigs by the popular zodiac but still have a 丙戌 (Fire Dog) year pillar in a Korean Saju or Chinese Bazi chart.

Fire Pig meaning: element, yin-yang and nayin

Every year in the 60-year cycle pairs one of ten heavenly stems with one of twelve earthly branches. 1947 is stem 丁 (Jeong / Dīng, Yin Fire) on branch 亥 (Hae, the Pig), number 24 of 60 in the cycle. The stem gives the year its element, which is why people say “Fire Pig” rather than just “Pig”.

Reading the element. Fire is the element of summer and visibility. Fire years are associated with enthusiasm, charisma, quick decisions and a need to share feelings openly. Tradition warns that the same heat can flare into impatience or burn out when a project stops being exciting. For a Fire year the keywords are passion, warmth and expression. The Pig itself carries Water as its fixed element, so this year blends fire energy with water qualities.

The nayin image. The 60 pairs also have 30 poetic “nayin” names, shared by two neighbouring years. 1946 and 1947 are Rooftop Earth (屋上土), pictured as the earth tiles of a roof: shelter, responsibility for a household and steady, unglamorous reliability.

The same 丁亥 pair is also a Saju day pillar; see the Jeong-Hae day-pillar article for how the combination is read when it appears on the day of birth.

1947 in Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese zodiac

Koreans often name the year with a colour taken from the stem element: Wood years are blue-green (청), Fire red (적), Earth yellow or golden (황), Metal white (백) and Water black (흑). That is why 1947 is called the year of the 붉은 돼지띠 (red pig). Japan has counted eto by the Gregorian year since 1873, so in Japan everyone born in 1947 counts as i (亥, Pig) regardless of the lunar date. In Japan the twelfth animal is the wild boar (inoshishi), not the domestic pig.

1947 Fire Pig personality traits (traditional)

Keywords: generous, warm-hearted, sincere, easygoing + passion, warmth and expression

Pig years are traditionally read as kind, honest and generous. Pigs are said to enjoy life’s pleasures, work hard for the people they love and forgive easily.

The Pig closes the cycle and symbolises wealth and abundance; in Korea dreaming of a pig is a classic sign of luck. In Japan the twelfth sign is the wild boar (inoshishi) rather than the domestic pig.

Where the Fire element shows. Tradition says the stem colours the animal: a Fire Pig is enthusiastic, expressive, inspiring. Compared with the Wood Pig of 1935 and the Earth Pig of 1959, the 1947 version is read as the most expressive and fiery Pig.

In love: Affectionate and devoted, putting effort into a comfortable home; Pigs want a sincere partner and dislike game-playing. At work: Suited to hospitality, food, healthcare, charity, education, the arts and roles built on trust.

Zodiac personality descriptions are folklore. Real personality is shaped by upbringing, culture and choices, and people born in the same year differ enormously.

1947 Pig compatibility: best and worst matches

Classical compatibility looks at how the two birth-year branches relate on the zodiac wheel. Signs four places apart form a Three Harmony trine, specific pairs form a Six Harmony, and signs directly opposite each other clash. For a Pig born in 1947, the nearest-age examples are:

Korean folk matchmaking (gunghap, 궁합) also watches for wonjin (원진) pairs, said to breed resentment; for the Pig that partner is the Dragon. See the full 12×12 compatibility chart or the Year of the Pig guide. A real compatibility reading in Saju compares all eight characters of both charts, not just the year animal.

Lucky numbers and colours for the 1947 Pig

Two different ideas get mixed together online. The “lucky numbers and colours” lists are a modern popular folklore that varies from one website to another. The five-element colours are older: they come from the correspondence of Wood–green, Fire–red, Earth–yellow, Metal–white and Water–black, which is also behind Korean names such as 붉은 돼지띠. Treat both as fun cultural trivia.

2027 Year of the Fire Goat: outlook for people born in 1947

2027 is Jeongmi (丁未), the Yin Fire Goat — called the “red sheep” year (붉은 양띠) in Korea. In the Chinese calendar it begins on Feb 6, 2027 and ends on Jan 25, 2028; Korea celebrates Seollal on Feb 7, 2027 because the new moon falls just after midnight Korea time. For Saju, the year pillar changes at Ipchun on Feb 4, 2027 at about 10:46 KST. Tradition reads 2027 as a supportive year for the Fire Pig:

Your sign shares the Wood trine (Pig–Rabbit–Goat) with 2027, a traditionally co-operative pairing that favours growth, learning and new networks. In Korean folk practice, though, Pig, Rabbit and Goat are in their final samjae (삼재) year, nal-samjae, so the advice is to finish things cleanly rather than overreach.

Your birth-year element is the same as the year’s stem. Expect a confidence boost and more peers, competitors and social invitations; tradition warns against impulsive spending and ego clashes.

Practical, non-mystical ways to use the 2027 reading

• Use the supportive mood to start the collaboration or course you have been postponing.
• At 80, prioritise health check-ups and time with family.
• Use the Saju calculator to see whether 2027 strengthens or drains your day master rather than relying on the year animal alone.

For a personalised version that uses your birth month, day and hour, see the 2027 Korean horoscope and the 2027 Year of the Goat guide.

How old is someone born in 1947? (2026 and 2027)

The 60-year cycle gives East Asian birthdays their biggest milestone: when the same stem-and-branch pair (丁亥) returns, a person has completed one full cycle. In Korea this is hwangap (환갑) and in Japan kanreki; for people born in 1947 it falls in 2007 — already celebrated. Chilsun (70th) follows in 2017 and palsun (80th) in 2027.

All Pig years and the years around 1947

The Pig returns every 12 years, but the element changes each time, so the same Fire Pig element comes back only every 60 years.

Neighbouring birth years

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