Your Inner Animal and Secret Animal: Month and Hour Signs
The animal from your birth year is your main sign. Chinese astrology also gives you two more:
The inner animal (birth month)
Each lunar month maps to an animal, said to describe how you behave under pressure and in private. It runs from around the Start of Spring, so it does not line up neatly with the Western calendar months.
The secret animal (birth hour)
The day is divided into twelve two-hour blocks, each with an animal — the Rat hour is 11pm–1am, the Ox hour 1–3am, and so on. Your secret animal is said to be your truest self, the one closest friends see.
| Time of birth | Secret animal |
|---|---|
| 11pm – 1am | 🐀 Rat |
| 1am – 3am | 🐂 Ox |
| 3am – 5am | 🐅 Tiger |
| 5am – 7am | 🐇 Rabbit |
| 7am – 9am | 🐉 Dragon |
| 9am – 11am | 🐍 Snake |
| 11am – 1pm | 🐎 Horse |
| 1pm – 3pm | 🐐 Goat |
| 3pm – 5pm | 🐒 Monkey |
| 5pm – 7pm | 🐓 Rooster |
| 7pm – 9pm | 🐕 Dog |
| 9pm – 11pm | 🐖 Pig |
Together, year + month + hour animals are the start of a full bāzì reading. Your year animal is on the calculator.