Short answer
In Korean love compatibility, the zodiac animal (from your birth year) is only a small part; a proper gunghap compares the two birthday types and the elements in both charts, which is why two Rats can get along very differently.
Animal signs: the part everyone knows
The twelve animals (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig) come from the year pillar. Traditional sayings pair them in friendly triangles and clashing opposites, like Rat and Horse. It is fun, but it lumps together everyone born in the same year, which is a lot of people to share a love life with.
One detail most websites skip: in saju the animal year starts at Ipchun, around February 4, not at the Lunar New Year. If you were born in January or early February, your saju animal may be the previous year's. More on Ipchun.
Birthday types: the part that matters more
Korean gunghap leans on the day pillar, because the day stem is you and the day branch is traditionally read as your partner seat. Two birthday types relate through the element cycles: one feeds the other, one checks the other, or they mirror each other.
| Relation | Pairs | In a couple it feels like |
|---|---|---|
| Feeds (generating cycle) | Water to Wood, Wood to Fire, Fire to Earth, Earth to Metal, Metal to Water | Easy flow. One gives, the other grows. |
| Checks (controlling cycle) | Wood to Earth, Earth to Water, Water to Fire, Fire to Metal, Metal to Wood | Friction and pull. Growth through challenge. |
| Same element | Wood and Wood, Fire and Fire, and so on | A mirror. Instant understanding, shared blind spots. |
Every one of the 55 type pairs has its own page with a score, chemistry, conflict and texting style: all compatibility pairs. How the score is built: how compatibility works.
Check two birthdays
Enter both birthdays on the compatibility page. It works out both types, gives you the pair score and notes your day branches. For a situationship, the Situationship reading goes much further.
FAQ
Which Korean zodiac signs are most compatible?
Traditional sayings pair animals in groups of three, like Rat, Dragon and Monkey. In saju, though, the birthday types and elements say far more about a couple than the year animal.
What is gunghap?
Gunghap (궁합) is Korean couple compatibility: comparing two saju charts. Families traditionally checked it before marriage; today it is mostly a fun, sometimes nerve-wracking ritual. See what is gunghap.
Is a low compatibility score bad?
No. A low score means more friction to manage, not a doomed couple. Plenty of happy couples have 'hard' pairings and simply talk more.