Snake Year (Zodiac) -About the Zodiac-
The year 2025 has begun.
Has everyone had a good start to the year?
This year’s zodiac sign is the snake.
・What kind of year is it in the Year of the Snake?
・What is the zodiac sign?
I would like to introduce these things to you.
・What kind of year will it be in the Year of the Snake?
Since snakes grow by repeatedly shedding their skin, it is said to have wonderful meanings such as “being reborn” and “seizing a happy future.”
Also, while some people find the appearance of snakes creepy or uncomfortable, they are widely recognized as lucky charms that bring wealth and prosperity.
For example, in India, white snakes are considered to be the incarnation of the god of wealth, and Japanese culture has also been greatly influenced by this. For this reason, snake skins, snake-themed accessories, and snake-skin wallets are known as items that attract wealth.
This is the perfect time to start a new challenge or reassess your life rhythm, and since this is also a year that symbolizes financial luck, it is also a good time to review your household finances and make savings plans. Why not make this a year in which you can embrace change as flexibly as a snake and use your wisdom to grow?
・What is the Chinese zodiac?
The Chinese zodiac, which is called 十二支 in other words, is an abbreviation of “十干十二支” used in the ancient Chinese calendar. It is used to represent years, months, time, directions, etc., and can also be used to represent the year of birth.
The 十二支 (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig) repeat in a 12-year cycle and were used in ancient China to represent time, direction, and years.
The 十二支 are thought to have originated in China around 3,000 years ago, and were introduced to Japan around the 5th century.
The 12 Zodiac animals are as follows.
The order and the types of animals have the following origin:
In ancient time, God wrote a letter saying, “On the morning of January 1st, whoever arrives before God between the first and twelfth will be made the leader of the animals, taking turns for one year.” The animals who received the letter rushed to head to God’s place, and are said to have arrived at God’s place in the following order.
| No. | zodiac | Reading | Normal Kanji | Year |
| 1 | 子 | ね ne | ねずみ | 2020, 2032, 2044, 2056 … |
| 2 | 丑 | うし ushi | 牛 | 2021, 2033, 2045, 2057 … |
| 3 | 寅 | とら tora | 虎 | 2022, 2034, 2046, 2058 … |
| 4 | 卯 | う u | 兎 | 2023, 2035, 2047, 2059 … |
| 5 | 辰 | たつ tatsu | 竜 | 2024, 2036, 2048, 2060 … |
| 6 | 未 | み mi | 蛇 | 2025, 2037, 2049, 2061 … |
| 7 | 午 | うま uma | 馬 | 2026, 2038, 2050, 2062 … |
| 8 | 未 | ひつじ hitsuji | 羊 | 2027, 2039, 2051, 2063 … |
| 9 | 申 | さる saru | 猿 | 2028, 2040, 2052, 2064 … |
| 10 | 酉 | とり tori | 鳥 | 2029, 2041, 2053, 2065 … |
| 11 | 戌 | いぬ inu | 犬 | 2030, 2042, 2054, 2066 … |
| 12 | 亥 | い i | 猪 | 2031, 2043, 2055, 2067 … |
The kanji used here are different from the usual kanji used in daily life and are only used to represent the Chinese zodiac animals.
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