십이지시 — Animal Time

Korean Animal Time

The twelve animals govern not only years — but hours of the day

십이지시 — The Twelve Hour System

The traditional Korean calendar divided the day into twelve double-hours — 십이지시 (sibijisin) — each governed by one of the twelve zodiac animals. A double-hour runs for two modern hours, beginning at 11pm with the Hour of the Rat.

The animal of the hour you were born under adds a further layer to your personality — a surface quality that shapes how you present yourself to the world. Your birth year sign is your deep character; your birth hour sign is what strangers first perceive about you.