Understanding Korean Saju
Short, honest explanations — including what the tradition does not claim to do.
- 사주팔자Foundations
What Is Korean Saju?
Saju is Korea's Four Pillars tradition: eight characters drawn from your birth year, month, day and hour, read through Yin and Yang and the Five Elements.
- 사주와 점성술Comparison
Korean Saju vs Western Astrology
Both start from your birth moment, but they are built from different materials: Saju from a calendar of stems and branches, Western astrology from planetary positions.
- 사주와 팔자Comparison
Korean Saju vs Chinese BaZi
Saju and BaZi share the same Four Pillars structure. The differences are in terminology, in default conventions, and in interpretive emphasis.
- 일간Foundations
What Is a Day Master?
The Day Master is the heavenly stem of your birth day — the single character in a Saju chart that represents you.
- 시주Accuracy
Why Birth Time Matters in Saju
A quarter of your chart comes from the hour, and near midnight the recorded time can change the day pillar and therefore your Day Master.
- 궁합Relationships
Korean Saju Compatibility (Gunghap)
Gunghap compares two charts through their Day Masters, their day branches and their timing — describing how two temperaments meet, not whether a relationship should continue.
- 역사Context
A Short History of Fortune Telling in Korea
How calendrical astrology became a state function in Joseon Korea, and how Saju survived into ordinary modern life.