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Jikkan jūnishi
The jikkan jūnishi (十干十二支), also known as kanshi (干支) or eto (干支), is a system of numbering years in groups of sixty, also known as the sexagesimal system. The name jikkan means "ten stems" and jūnishi means "twelve branches". The system was invented in China before 1100 BC as a way of counting years, months, days and hours as well as for fortune telling.
The sixtieth birthday, at which the cycle is complete, is known as kanreki (還暦).
Jikkan (十干), the ten stems
| Japanese (rōmaji) |
Japanese (kanji) |
Arabic numerals |
| kō |
甲 |
| 1 |
| otsu |
乙 |
| 2 |
| hei |
丙 |
| 3 |
| tei |
丁 |
| 4 |
| bo |
戊 |
| 5 |
| ki |
己 |
| 6 |
| kō |
庚 |
| 7 |
| shin |
辛 |
| 8 |
| jin |
壬 |
| 9 |
| ki |
癸 |
| 10 |
Jūnishi (十二支), the twelve branches
| Animal name |
Pronunciation 1 |
Pronunciation 2 |
Kanji |
| rat |
shi |
ne |
子 |
| ox |
chū |
ushi |
丑 |
| tiger |
in |
tora |
寅 |
| hare or rabbit |
bō |
u |
卯 |
| dragon |
shin |
tatsu |
辰 |
| snake |
shi |
mi |
巳 |
| horse |
go |
uma |
午 |
| ram or sheep |
mi |
hitsuji |
未 |
| monkey |
shin |
saru |
申 |
| rooster |
yū |
tori |
酉 |
| dog |
jutsu |
inu |
戌 |
| boar |
gai |
i |
亥 |
Links
{{jaanus|jikkanjuunishi|Jikkan jūnishi}}
Japanese calendar from SengokuDaimyo.com