Cultural Frameworks Behind Kanji Meanings

This page explains the traditional East Asian frameworks frequently referenced in kanji meanings. These systems originate from ancient Chinese philosophy and have been adopted throughout East Asia, including Japan, where they continue to influence naming traditions, calendars, and cultural practices.

Twelve Earthly Branches (Junishi) / Japanese Zodiac

The Twelve Earthly Branches (Japanese: 十二支 jūnishi; Chinese: 地支 dìzhī) are a system of twelve ordered symbols. They correspond to the twelve-year orbital cycle of Jupiter and are associated with twelve zodiac animals, as well as directions, months, and two-hour time periods. In Japan, this system forms the basis of the Japanese zodiac (eto 干支).

The Twelve Branches and Zodiac Animals

#	Branch	Animal	Direction	Time	Month	Recent Years	Traits
1	子 (ne)	Rat (鼠 nezumi)	North	23:00-01:00	December	2020, 2008, 1996	Quick-witted, resourceful
2	丑 (ushi)	Ox (牛 ushi)	NNE	01:00-03:00	January	2021, 2009, 1997	Diligent, dependable
3	寅 (tora)	Tiger (虎 tora)	ENE	03:00-05:00	February	2022, 2010, 1998	Brave, confident
4	卯 (u)	Rabbit (兎 usagi)	East	05:00-07:00	March	2023, 2011, 1999	Gentle, elegant
5	辰 (tatsu)	Dragon (龍 ryū)	ESE	07:00-09:00	April	2024, 2012, 2000	Confident, ambitious
6	巳 (mi)	Snake (蛇 hebi)	SSE	09:00-11:00	May	2025, 2013, 2001	Wise, intuitive
7	午 (uma)	Horse (馬 uma)	South	11:00-13:00	June	2026, 2014, 2002	Energetic, free-spirited
8	未 (hitsuji)	Goat (羊 hitsuji)	SSW	13:00-15:00	July	2027, 2015, 2003	Calm, gentle
9	申 (saru)	Monkey (猿 saru)	WSW	15:00-17:00	August	2028, 2016, 2004	Clever, curious
10	酉 (tori)	Rooster (鶏 niwatori)	West	17:00-19:00	September	2029, 2017, 2005	Observant, hardworking
11	戌 (inu)	Dog (犬 inu)	WNW	19:00-21:00	October	2030, 2018, 2006	Loyal, honest
12	亥 (i)	Boar (猪 inoshishi)	NNW	21:00-23:00	November	2031, 2019, 2007	Compassionate, generous

Directions and the Earthly Branches

The Twelve Earthly Branches are closely associated with directions in traditional East Asian cosmology. The four cardinal directions align with specific branches, while the intermediate directions correspond to the remaining branches:

• North (北 kita) – 子 (Rat), Element: Water, Season: Winter, Color: Black
• East (東 higashi) – 卯 (Rabbit), Element: Wood, Season: Spring, Color: Blue/Green
• South (南 minami) – 午 (Horse), Element: Fire, Season: Summer, Color: Red
• West (西 nishi) – 酉 (Rooster), Element: Metal, Season: Autumn, Color: White
• Center (中 naka) – Element: Earth, Season: Late Summer, Color: Yellow

The intermediate directions are: NNE (丑 Ox), ENE (寅 Tiger), ESE (辰 Dragon), SSE (巳 Snake), SSW (未 Goat), WSW (申 Monkey), WNW (戌 Dog), and NNW (亥 Boar).

Sexagenary Cycle (Eto / Kanshi)

The Sexagenary Cycle (Japanese: 干支 eto or kanshi; Chinese: 干支 gānzhī) is a 60-year cycle created by combining the Ten Heavenly Stems with the Twelve Earthly Branches. Since 10 and 12 have a least common multiple of 60, the cycle produces 60 unique combinations before repeating.

Ten Heavenly Stems (Jikkan)

The Ten Heavenly Stems (Japanese: 十干 jikkan; Chinese: 天干 tiāngān) are an ancient ordinal system. They were originally the names of the ten days of the week.

Each stem is associated with one of the Five Elements and either Yin (陰) or Yang (陽). In Japanese, Yin is associated with “younger brother” (弟 to) and Yang with “elder brother” (兄 e), leading to the term eto (兄弟) for the calendar cycle.

• 甲 (kō / kinoe) – 1st stem, Wood, Yang – “Elder Wood”
• 乙 (otsu / kinoto) – 2nd stem, Wood, Yin – “Younger Wood”
• 丙 (hei / hinoe) – 3rd stem, Fire, Yang – “Elder Fire”
• 丁 (tei / hinoto) – 4th stem, Fire, Yin – “Younger Fire”
• 戊 (bo / tsuchinoe) – 5th stem, Earth, Yang – “Elder Earth”
• 己 (ki / tsuchinoto) – 6th stem, Earth, Yin – “Younger Earth”
• 庚 (kō / kanoe) – 7th stem, Metal, Yang – “Elder Metal”
• 辛 (shin / kanoto) – 8th stem, Metal, Yin – “Younger Metal”
• 壬 (jin / mizunoe) – 9th stem, Water, Yang – “Elder Water”
• 癸 (ki / mizunoto) – 10th stem, Water, Yin – “Younger Water”

How It Works

Each year is designated by pairing one Heavenly Stem with one Earthly Branch. The stem and branch each advance by one for each year, creating 60 unique pairings before the cycle repeats.

The Complete 60-Year Cycle

#	干支	Reading	Element-Animal	Recent Year
1	甲子	kinoe-ne	Wood Rat	1984, 2044
2	乙丑	kinoto-ushi	Wood Ox	1985, 2045
3	丙寅	hinoe-tora	Fire Tiger	1986, 2046
4	丁卯	hinoto-u	Fire Rabbit	1987, 2047
5	戊辰	tsuchinoe-tatsu	Earth Dragon	1988, 2048
6	己巳	tsuchinoto-mi	Earth Snake	1989, 2049
7	庚午	kanoe-uma	Metal Horse	1990, 2050
8	辛未	kanoto-hitsuji	Metal Goat	1991, 2051
9	壬申	mizunoe-saru	Water Monkey	1992, 2052
10	癸酉	mizunoto-tori	Water Rooster	1993, 2053
11	甲戌	kinoe-inu	Wood Dog	1994, 2054
12	乙亥	kinoto-i	Wood Boar	1995, 2055
13	丙子	hinoe-ne	Fire Rat	1996, 2056
14	丁丑	hinoto-ushi	Fire Ox	1997, 2057
15	戊寅	tsuchinoe-tora	Earth Tiger	1998, 2058
16	己卯	tsuchinoto-u	Earth Rabbit	1999, 2059
17	庚辰	kanoe-tatsu	Metal Dragon	2000, 2060
18	辛巳	kanoto-mi	Metal Snake	2001, 2061
19	壬午	mizunoe-uma	Water Horse	2002, 2062
20	癸未	mizunoto-hitsuji	Water Goat	2003, 2063
21	甲申	kinoe-saru	Wood Monkey	2004, 2064
22	乙酉	kinoto-tori	Wood Rooster	2005, 2065
23	丙戌	hinoe-inu	Fire Dog	2006, 2066
24	丁亥	hinoto-i	Fire Boar	2007, 2067
25	戊子	tsuchinoe-ne	Earth Rat	2008, 2068
26	己丑	tsuchinoto-ushi	Earth Ox	2009, 2069
27	庚寅	kanoe-tora	Metal Tiger	2010, 2070
28	辛卯	kanoto-u	Metal Rabbit	2011, 2071
29	壬辰	mizunoe-tatsu	Water Dragon	2012, 2072
30	癸巳	mizunoto-mi	Water Snake	2013, 2073
31	甲午	kinoe-uma	Wood Horse	2014, 2074
32	乙未	kinoto-hitsuji	Wood Goat	2015, 2075
33	丙申	hinoe-saru	Fire Monkey	2016, 2076
34	丁酉	hinoto-tori	Fire Rooster	2017, 2077
35	戊戌	tsuchinoe-inu	Earth Dog	2018, 2078
36	己亥	tsuchinoto-i	Earth Boar	2019, 2079
37	庚子	kanoe-ne	Metal Rat	2020, 2080
38	辛丑	kanoto-ushi	Metal Ox	2021, 2081
39	壬寅	mizunoe-tora	Water Tiger	2022, 2082
40	癸卯	mizunoto-u	Water Rabbit	2023, 2083
41	甲辰	kinoe-tatsu	Wood Dragon	2024, 2084
42	乙巳	kinoto-mi	Wood Snake	2025, 2085
43	丙午	hinoe-uma	Fire Horse	2026, 2086
44	丁未	hinoto-hitsuji	Fire Goat	2027, 2087
45	戊申	tsuchinoe-saru	Earth Monkey	2028, 2088
46	己酉	tsuchinoto-tori	Earth Rooster	2029, 2089
47	庚戌	kanoe-inu	Metal Dog	2030, 2090
48	辛亥	kanoto-i	Metal Boar	2031, 2091
49	壬子	mizunoe-ne	Water Rat	2032, 2092
50	癸丑	mizunoto-ushi	Water Ox	2033, 2093
51	甲寅	kinoe-tora	Wood Tiger	2034, 2094
52	乙卯	kinoto-u	Wood Rabbit	2035, 2095
53	丙辰	hinoe-tatsu	Fire Dragon	2036, 2096
54	丁巳	hinoto-mi	Fire Snake	2037, 2097
55	戊午	tsuchinoe-uma	Earth Horse	2038, 2098
56	己未	tsuchinoto-hitsuji	Earth Goat	2039, 2099
57	庚申	kanoe-saru	Metal Monkey	2040, 2100
58	辛酉	kanoto-tori	Metal Rooster	2041, 2101
59	壬戌	mizunoe-inu	Water Dog	2042, 2102
60	癸亥	mizunoto-i	Water Boar	2043, 2103

The current 60-year cycle began in 1984 (甲子) and will end in 2043. The next cycle begins in 2044.

60th Birthday (還暦 Kanreki)

In Japan, the 60th birthday is especially significant because the person has completed one full sexagenary cycle and “returns” to the year sign of their birth. This milestone is traditionally celebrated with red clothing, symbolizing rebirth and a fresh start.

Historical Events Named by the Cycle

Many historical events are named using the sexagenary cycle year in which they occurred:

• Boshin War (戊辰戦争, 1868-1869) – Named for the year 戊辰 (Earth Dragon)
• Xinhai Revolution (辛亥革命, 1911) – Named for the year 辛亥 (Metal Boar)
• Imjin War (壬辰倭乱, 1592) – Named for the year 壬辰 (Water Dragon)

Five Elements (Gogyō)

The Five Elements (Japanese: 五行 gogyō; Chinese: 五行 wǔxíng) is a fivefold conceptual scheme used in traditional East Asian philosophy. Rather than static “elements,” they represent dynamic phases or transformations of energy and matter.

The Five Elements and Their Associations

• Wood (木) – Spring, East, Blue/Green. Represents growth, expansion, and vitality.
• Fire (火) – Summer, South, Red. Represents heat, fruition, and flowering.
• Earth (土) – Late Summer, Center, Yellow. Represents stability, balance, and transition.
• Metal (金) – Autumn, West, White. Represents contraction, harvest, and strength.
• Water (水) – Winter, North, Black. Represents stillness, consolidation, and wisdom.

Generating Cycle (相生 Sōshō)

Each element generates or nurtures the next in a continuous cycle:

• Wood feeds Fire (wood burns)
• Fire creates Earth (ash forms soil)
• Earth bears Metal (minerals form in earth)
• Metal carries Water (condensation, containers)
• Water nourishes Wood (plants need water)

Controlling Cycle (相克 Sōkoku)

Each element controls or overcomes another:

• Wood parts Earth (roots break soil)
• Earth absorbs Water (dams, absorption)
• Water extinguishes Fire
• Fire melts Metal
• Metal cuts Wood

I Ching Hexagrams

The I Ching (易経 Ekikyō in Japanese; also known as the Book of Changes) is an ancient Chinese divination text and one of the oldest of the Chinese classics. It uses a system of 64 hexagrams—figures composed of six stacked horizontal lines, where each line is either Yang (solid) or Yin (broken).

Structure of Hexagrams

Each hexagram is composed of two trigrams (三爻 sankō), three-line figures stacked one on top of the other:

• Upper Trigram (上卦) – The top three lines
• Lower Trigram (下卦) – The bottom three lines

The Eight Trigrams (八卦 Hakke)

The eight basic trigrams, each with three lines:

• ☰ 乾 (ken/qián) – Heaven, Creative – Three solid lines
• ☷ 坤 (kon/kūn) – Earth, Receptive – Three broken lines
• ☳ 震 (shin/zhèn) – Thunder, Arousing – Solid bottom, two broken above
• ☵ 坎 (kan/kǎn) – Water, Abysmal – Broken, solid, broken
• ☶ 艮 (gon/gèn) – Mountain, Keeping Still – Two broken, solid top
• ☴ 巽 (son/xùn) – Wind/Wood, Gentle – Broken bottom, two solid above
• ☲ 離 (ri/lí) – Fire, Clinging – Solid, broken, solid
• ☱ 兌 (da/duì) – Lake/Marsh, Joyous – Two solid, broken top

The Complete 64 Hexagrams

By combining two trigrams, 64 unique hexagrams are formed (8 × 8 = 64). Each hexagram has a name, judgment, and line texts accumulated over millennia.

#	Hexagram	Japanese	English Name	Trigrams
1	乾	けん Ken	The Creative	Heaven / Heaven
2	坤	こん Kon	The Receptive	Earth / Earth
3	屯	ちゅん Chun	Difficulty at the Beginning	Water / Thunder
4	蒙	もう Mō	Youthful Folly	Mountain / Water
5	需	じゅ Ju	Waiting	Water / Heaven
6	訟	しょう Shō	Conflict	Heaven / Water
7	師	し Shi	The Army	Earth / Water
8	比	ひ Hi	Holding Together	Water / Earth
9	小畜	しょうちく Shōchiku	Small Accumulating	Wind / Heaven
10	履	り Ri	Treading	Heaven / Lake
11	泰	たい Tai	Peace	Earth / Heaven
12	否	ひ Hi	Standstill	Heaven / Earth
13	同人	どうじん Dōjin	Fellowship	Heaven / Fire
14	大有	たいゆう Taiyū	Great Possession	Fire / Heaven
15	謙	けん Ken	Modesty	Earth / Mountain
16	豫	よ Yo	Enthusiasm	Thunder / Earth
17	隨	ずい Zui	Following	Lake / Thunder
18	蠱	こ Ko	Work on the Decayed	Mountain / Wind
19	臨	りん Rin	Approach	Earth / Lake
20	観	かん Kan	Contemplation	Wind / Earth
21	噬嗑	ぜいこう Zeikō	Biting Through	Fire / Thunder
22	賁	ひ Hi	Grace	Mountain / Fire
23	剥	はく Haku	Splitting Apart	Mountain / Earth
24	復	ふく Fuku	Return	Earth / Thunder
25	无妄	むぼう Mubō	Innocence	Heaven / Thunder
26	大畜	たいちく Taichiku	Great Accumulating	Mountain / Heaven
27	頤	い I	Nourishment	Mountain / Thunder
28	大過	たいか Taika	Great Exceeding	Lake / Wind
29	坎	かん Kan	The Abysmal	Water / Water
30	離	り Ri	The Clinging	Fire / Fire
31	咸	かん Kan	Influence	Lake / Mountain
32	恒	こう Kō	Duration	Thunder / Wind
33	遯	とん Ton	Retreat	Heaven / Mountain
34	大壮	たいそう Taisō	Great Power	Thunder / Heaven
35	晋	しん Shin	Progress	Fire / Earth
36	明夷	めいい Meii	Darkening of the Light	Earth / Fire
37	家人	かじん Kajin	The Family	Wind / Fire
38	睽	けい Kei	Opposition	Fire / Lake
39	蹇	けん Ken	Obstruction	Water / Mountain
40	解	かい Kai	Deliverance	Thunder / Water
41	損	そん Son	Decrease	Mountain / Lake
42	益	えき Eki	Increase	Wind / Thunder
43	夬	かい Kai	Breakthrough	Lake / Heaven
44	姤	こう Kō	Coming to Meet	Heaven / Wind
45	萃	すい Sui	Gathering Together	Lake / Earth
46	升	しょう Shō	Pushing Upward	Earth / Wind
47	困	こん Kon	Oppression	Lake / Water
48	井	せい Sei	The Well	Water / Wind
49	革	かく Kaku	Revolution	Lake / Fire
50	鼎	てい Tei	The Cauldron	Fire / Wind
51	震	しん Shin	The Arousing	Thunder / Thunder
52	艮	ごん Gon	Keeping Still	Mountain / Mountain
53	漸	ぜん Zen	Development	Wind / Mountain
54	帰妹	きまい Kimai	The Marrying Maiden	Thunder / Lake
55	豊	ほう Hō	Abundance	Thunder / Fire
56	旅	りょ Ryo	The Wanderer	Fire / Mountain
57	巽	そん Son	The Gentle	Wind / Wind
58	兌	だ Da	The Joyous	Lake / Lake
59	渙	かん Kan	Dispersion	Wind / Water
60	節	せつ Setsu	Limitation	Water / Lake
61	中孚	ちゅうふ Chūfu	Inner Truth	Wind / Lake
62	小過	しょうか Shōka	Small Exceeding	Thunder / Mountain
63	既済	きせい Kisei	After Completion	Water / Fire
64	未済	びせい Bisei	Before Completion	Fire / Water

Usage in Japanese Names

Several kanji used in Japanese names derive meaning from their association with I Ching hexagrams. When a hexagram is referenced in a kanji’s meaning, it connects the character to this ancient wisdom tradition, adding layers of philosophical and cosmological significance.