2020 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Rat

When did the 2020 Year of the Rat 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 2020 that date was January 25, 2020.

Because Lunar New Year (Jan 25) came before Ipchun (Feb 4) in 2020, babies born from Jan 25 to Feb 3 are Rats by the popular zodiac but still have a 己亥 (Earth Pig) year pillar in a Korean Saju or Chinese Bazi chart.

Metal Rat 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. 2020 is stem 庚 (Gyeong / Gēng, Yang Metal) on branch 子 (Ja, the Rat), number 37 of 60 in the cycle. The stem gives the year its element, which is why people say “Metal Rat” rather than just “Rat”.

Reading the element. Metal is the element of autumn and of cutting away what is unnecessary. Metal years are linked with willpower, self-discipline, loyalty and a strong sense of right and wrong. The traditional caution is rigidity: Metal can seem cool, blunt or unwilling to compromise. For a Metal year the keywords are determination, principle and clarity. The Rat itself carries Water as its fixed element, so this year blends metal energy with water qualities.

The nayin image. The 60 pairs also have 30 poetic “nayin” names, shared by two neighbouring years. 2020 and 2021 are Wall Earth (壁上土), pictured as earth plastered on a wall: dependable support work, careful finishing and loyalty to one’s base.

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

2020 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 2020 is called the year of the 흰 쥐띠 (white rat). Japan has counted eto by the Gregorian year since 1873, so in Japan everyone born in 2020 counts as ne (子, Rat) regardless of the lunar date. Vietnam uses the same animal for this year.

2020 Metal Rat personality traits (traditional)

Keywords: quick-witted, resourceful, thrifty, sociable + determination, principle and clarity

Rat years are traditionally read as alert, curious and quick to spot an opportunity. Rats are said to be good with money and planning, comfortable in social settings and able to land on their feet when circumstances change.

In the folk tale of the Great Race, the Rat rode on the Ox’s back and jumped ahead at the finish line, which is why it opens the twelve-year cycle. The story is a neat summary of how tradition sees the sign: clever, opportunistic and good at using whatever resources are at hand.

Where the Metal element shows. Tradition says the stem colours the animal: a Metal Rat is disciplined, loyal, decisive. Compared with the Earth Rat of 2008 and the Water Rat of 2032, the 2020 version is read as the most determined and principled Rat.

In love: Affectionate and attentive once committed, but cautious at the start; Rats like a partner who is clever and who shares their interest in building security together. At work: Strong in roles that reward speed and resourcefulness: business, sales, research, finance, writing and anything that involves spotting patterns early.

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

2020 Rat 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 Rat born in 2020, the nearest-age examples are:

Korean folk matchmaking (gunghap, 궁합) also watches for wonjin (원진) pairs, said to breed resentment; for the Rat that partner is the Goat. See the full 12×12 compatibility chart or the Year of the Rat 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 2020 Rat

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 흰 쥐띠. Treat both as fun cultural trivia.

2027 Year of the Fire Goat: outlook for people born in 2020

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 year to move carefully for the Metal Rat:

Rat and Goat form a Harm pair (and a Korean wonjin pair), so folk readings warn of misunderstandings, gossip or small setbacks in 2027. Over-communicate, double-check messages and avoid taking sides in other people’s quarrels.

Fire melts Metal, so the year’s energy "controls" your element. Tradition reads it as a year of pressure and responsibility that can bring promotion or new titles if you stay disciplined and pace yourself.

Practical, non-mystical ways to use the 2027 reading

• Read contracts twice and avoid guaranteeing other people’s loans — sensible in any year, and the folk advice for this one.
• At 7, focus on study, friendships and healthy routines.
• 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 2020? (2026 and 2027)

The 60-year cycle gives East Asian birthdays their biggest milestone: when the same stem-and-branch pair (庚子) returns, a person has completed one full cycle. In Korea this is hwangap (환갑) and in Japan kanreki; for people born in 2020 it falls in 2080. Chilsun (70th) follows in 2090 and palsun (80th) in 2100.

All Rat years and the years around 2020

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

Neighbouring birth years

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