"I had my Korean Fortune read but didn't understand a word"
Does Korean Fortune (Four Pillars) seem difficult? After reading this, you'll have a solid grasp of the basics.

What is Korean Fortune?

Korean Fortune (四柱) means 'four pillars'. It represents your birth year, month, day, and hour as four pillars.

Eight Characters (八字) refers to eight words. Each pillar consists of two characters: Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch, making 4 × 2 = 8 characters total.

Example: Born May 15, 1990 at 2 PM

Year Pillar	Month Pillar	Day Pillar	Hour Pillar
庚午	辛巳	甲申	辛未
Geng Wu	Xin Si	Jia Shen	Xin Wei

Key Terms Explained

Heavenly Stems - Heaven's Energy

10 characters: Jia (甲), Yi (乙), Bing (丙), Ding (丁), Wu (戊), Ji (己), Geng (庚), Xin (辛), Ren (壬), Gui (癸)

• Jia, Yi = Wood (木)
• Bing, Ding = Fire (火)
• Wu, Ji = Earth (土)
• Geng, Xin = Metal (金)
• Ren, Gui = Water (水)

Earthly Branches - Earth's Energy

12 characters: Zi (子), Chou (丑), Yin (寅), Mao (卯), Chen (辰), Si (巳), Wu (午), Wei (未), Shen (申), You (酉), Xu (戌), Hai (亥)

The 12 Earthly Branches are also known as Chinese Zodiac animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig

Five Elements (五行) - Five Energies

🌳

Wood

木

🔥

Fire

火

🌍

Earth

土

⚔️

Metal

金

💧

Water

水

Meaning of the Four Pillars

Year Pillar - Ancestors, Childhood

Birth year. Represents family background, social status, fortune from ages 0-15.

Month Pillar - Parents, Youth

Birth month. Represents parents, siblings, career, fortune from ages 16-30.

Day Pillar - Self, Middle Age

Birth day. Represents your essence, spouse, fortune from ages 31-45. Most important!

Hour Pillar - Children, Senior Years

Birth hour. Represents children, later years, fortune from age 46+.

💡 Day Master is Key!

The most important element in Korean Fortune is the Day Master. The Heavenly Stem of the Day Pillar represents 'you'. All Korean Fortune interpretations are based on this Day Master.

Common Terms

Favorable God (用神)

The element your chart needs most. The energy that helps you. When Favorable God period arrives, good things are likely to happen.

Major Luck (大運)

Major fortune cycles that change every 10 years. Life's major ups and downs are determined by Major Luck.

Annual Luck (歲運)

Fortune that changes every year. "This year's fortune" refers to Annual Luck.

Ten Gods (十神)

10 classifications showing relationships between Day Master and other characters: Direct Resource, Indirect Resource, Friend, Rob Wealth, Eating God, Hurting Officer, Direct Wealth, Indirect Wealth, Direct Officer, Indirect Officer

What You Need to Know for Korean Fortune Reading

1. Exact Birth Time
Different times change the Hour Pillar and affect interpretation.
2. Solar/Lunar Calendar
Confirm whether your birth date is solar or lunar calendar.
3. Birth Location
Birth location is also important for local solar time adjustment.

Next Steps

Once you've learned the basics, study these topics next:

Korean Fortune for Beginners - First Steps