Saju FAQ
Short answers to the questions we hear most. New here? Get your free reading or read how we calculate it.
What is Saju?
Saju (사주, "four pillars") is the Korean tradition of reading a person's character and life patterns from the year, month, day, and hour of birth. Each pillar is a pair of characters, a Heavenly Stem and an Earthly Branch, so a full chart has eight characters.
Is Saju the same as BaZi?
They start from the same eight characters, calculated from your birth data. Saju is the Korean tradition and BaZi is the Chinese one. Each developed its own vocabulary and reading style, so the interpretations can differ even when the chart is identical.
What is a Day Pillar (Ilju)?
The Day Pillar is the pair of characters for the day you were born. Its Heavenly Stem is your Day Master, the reference point of the whole chart, which is why many people start reading there. There are 60 possible Day Pillars.
Do I need to know my birth time?
No. The year, month, and day pillars only need your birth date. Your birth time adds the hour pillar. If you do not know it, tick "I don't know my birth time" and you will still get a useful reading.
Should I choose the solar or the lunar calendar?
Most people know their birthday as a regular (solar, Gregorian) date and should choose Solar. Choose Lunar only if your birthday was recorded on the lunar calendar, as in some Korean families.
Why is my zodiac animal different from the one I know?
Saju changes the year at Ipchun, the start of spring, around February 4. The familiar zodiac animal changes at Lunar New Year. If you were born in January or early February, the two can be different animals.
Is it free?
Yes. Readings are free and need no sign-up. Creating an account is optional and only lets you save readings.
Do you store my birth date?
Calculating a chart does not save anything in our database. If you create an account and press Save, the birth details and the result are stored in your account, and you can delete them. Today's Fortune remembers your birth date only in your own browser. Our hosting provider may keep standard server logs. See the Privacy Policy for details.
How accurate is it?
The four pillars are calculated with a standard calendar library that accounts for solar terms, so the characters are reliable for most birth dates. Births very close to midnight or to the exact moment of a solar term can differ between tools because conventions vary. The interpretations are general descriptions for entertainment and self-reflection, not predictions.
How does Today's Fortune work?
Every calendar day has its own Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch. We compare today's pair with your Day Pillar: how the elements relate (same, supporting, productive, rewarding, or pressuring), and whether the branches harmonize or clash. The same day and the same Day Pillar always give the same result.
Can Saju predict my future?
No. Saju is a cultural tradition, not science, and nothing here is a prediction or professional advice. Use it as a fun way to reflect on yourself and to start conversations.
For entertainment purposes only. Not a substitute for professional advice.