What is Nine star Ki?
The horoscope combining the Nine stars of birth date, the the twelve earthly signs (Junishi / 十二支), and the five elements (Gogyou / 五行) is called nine-star ki (Kyusei ki gaku / 九星気学).
In Japan, Nine-star ki was also used as a compass in the “house divination” in the Edo period, and was widely disseminated in the Taisho period as “Ki gaku (fortune telling based on Chinese twelve year cycle)”.
It is classified as the “Ki” in the world into the following nine categories according to year, month, day, and time, and it is a popular divination from finding out fortunes, affinity and direction.
In Nine Star Ki, the primary star (本命星 “honmeisei”) derived from the year of birth and the secondary star (月命星 “getsumeisei”) derived from the month of birth are important!
Nine stars
- 一白水星 (Ippaku-suisei / 1 White Water)
- 二黒土星 (Jikoku-dosei / 2 Black Earth )
- 三碧木星 (Sanpeki-mokusei / 3 Blue Wood)
- 四緑木星 (Shiroku-mokusei / 4 Green Wood)
- 五黄土星 (Goou-dosei / 5 Yellow Earth )
- 六白金星 (Roppaku-kinsei / 6 White Metal)
- 七赤金星 (Shichiseki-kinsei / 7 Red Metal)
- 八白土星 (Happaku-dosei / 8 White Earth )
- 九紫火星 (Kyusei-kasei / 9 Purple Fire)
How to think about the cycle of 1 year and 1 month
There is a calendar called the 24 solar terms (nijyuyon-sekki / 二十四節気) that divides the year into 24 equal parts and shows the transition and separation of seasons. This calendar is said to have been introduced to Japan from China around the 6th century, and there are two days that divided the terms in a month. The first day of the month is called Sekki (節気) or Setsu (節), and it represents the beginning of the season. The second day in a month is called Chuu (中) or Chuki (中気).
In Nine Stars Ki uses the idea of 24 solar terms. Therefore, the one-year period starts from the first day of spring in February (around February 4th) and ends the day before the first day of spring in the following year (around February 3rd). For example, the year 2024 starts on February 4, 2024 and ends on February 2, 2025. So you need to be careful when investigating your primary star.
Also, the monthly division of Nine Star Ki is different from usual. The beginning of a month in Nine Star Ki is the day of the beginning of the season, and the end is the day before the beginning of the next month. For example, the month of February 2024 starts on February 4th and ends on March 4th. The beginning of the season changes every year. So you need to be careful when investigating your secondary star.
The primary star and the secondary star
The primary star
Quick reference chart
The nine stars classified according to their birth year are listed below. *However, people born between New Year’s Day and February 3 (Setsubun) are considered to have been born the previous year. For example, a person born on January 20, 1976, is considered to be born in 1975, and considered as Shichiseki-kinsei(7 Metal) instead of Roppaku-kinsei (6 Metal).
一白水星(Ippaku-suisei / 1 White Water)
1927, 1936, 1945, 1954, 1963, 1972, 1981, 1990, 1999, 2008, 2017
二黒土星 (Jikoku-dosei / 2 Black Earth)
1926, 1935, 1944, 1953, 1962, 1971, 1980, 1989, 1998, 2007, 2016
三碧木星 (Sanpeki-mokusei / 3 Blue Wood)
1925, 1934, 1943, 1952, 1961, 1970, 1979, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2015
四緑木星 (Shiroku-mokusei / 4 Green Wood)
1924, 1933, 1942, 1951, 1960, 1969, 1978, 1987, 1996, 2005, 2014, 2023
五黄土星 (Goou-dosei / 5 Yellow Earth)
1923, 1932, 1941, 1950, 1959, 1968, 1977, 1986, 1995, 2004, 2013, 2022
六白金星 (Roppaku-kinsei / 6 White Metal)
1922, 1931, 1940, 1949, 1958, 1967, 1976, 1985, 1994, 2003, 2012, 2021
七赤金星 (Shichiseki-kinsei / 7 Red Metal)
1921, 1930, 1939, 1948, 1957, 1966, 1975, 1984, 1993, 2002, 2011, 2020
八白土星 (Happaku-dosei / 8 White Earth)
1920, 1929, 1938, 1947, 1956, 1965, 1974, 1983, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2019
九紫火星 (Kyusei-kasei / 9 Purple Fire)
1919, 1928, 1937, 1946, 1955, 1964, 1973, 1982, 1991, 2000, 2009, 2018
How to check the primary star
- Add the four digits of your birth year to get a number less than or equal to 10.
- Subtract the number you obtained in step 1 from “11”.
- Refer to “★Nine stars that correspond to the number derived from your year of birth”, you can find out your primary star from the number you obtained above.
[Calculation example : If born in 1975]
Adding the 4 digits of [1975] gives “22”.
“1 + 9 + 7 +5 = 22“
Adding the two digits of [22] gives “4”.
“2 + 2 = 4“
Subtracting “4” from “11” gives “7”.
“11 – 4 = 7“
Refer to “★Nine stars that correspond to the number derived from your year of birth”, “7” is “7 Red Metal“.
★Nine stars that correspond to the number derived from your year of birth
| The number | The primary star |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 White Water 一白水星 |
| 2 | 2 Black Earth 二黒土星 |
| 3 | 3 Blue Wood 三碧木星 |
| 4 | 4 Green Wood 四緑木星 |
| 5 | 5 Yellow Earth 五黄土星 |
| 6 | 6 White Metal 六白金星 |
| 7 | 7 Red Metal 七赤金星 |
| 8 | 8 White Earth 八白土星 |
| 9 | 9 Purple Fire 九紫火星 |
The secondary star
Quick reference chart
| Birth month *Includes 24 solar terms (Each end is the day before the next beginning of the season) | Your Primary star is 1 White Water 4 Green Wood 7 Red Metal | Your Primary star is 2 Black Earth 5 Yellow Earth 8 White Earth | Your Primary star is 3 Blue Wood 6 White Metal 9 Purple Fire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. (around Feb.4 – Mar.5) First: Beginning of Spring (立春) Middle: Rain Water (雨水) | 8 white Earth | 2 Black Earth | 5 Yellow Earth |
| Mar. (around Mar.6 – Apr.4) First: Insects Awakening (啓蟄) Middle: Spring Equinox (春分) | 7 Red Metal | 1 White Water | 4 Green Wood |
| Apr. (around Apr.5 – May 5) First: Fresh Green (清明) Middle: Grain Rain (穀雨) | 6 White Metal | 9 Purple Fire | 3 Blue Wood |
| May (around May 6 to Jun.5) First: Beginning of Summer (立夏) Middle: Small Full Grain (小満) | 5 Yellow Earth | 8 White Earth | 2 Black Earth |
| Jun. (around Jun.6 – Jul.6) First: Grain in Ear (芒種) Middle: Summer Solstice (夏至) | 4 Green Wood | 7 Red Metal | 1 White Water |
| Jul. (around Jul.7 – Aug.7) First: Minor Heat (小暑) Middle: Major Heat (大暑) | 3 Blue Wood | 6 White Metal | 9 Purple Fire |
| Aug (around Aug.8 – Sep.7) First: Beginning of Autumn (立秋) Middle: Limit of Heat (処暑) | 2 Black Earth | 5 Yellow Earth | 8 White Earth |
| Sep. (around Sep.8 – Oct.8) First: White Dew (白露) Middle: Autumnal Equinox (秋分) | 1 White Water | 4 Green Wood | 7 Red Metal |
| Oct. (around Oct.9 – Nov.7) First: Cold Dew (寒露) Middle: Frost Descent (霜降) | 9 Purple Fire | 3 Blue Wood | 6 White Metal |
| Nov. (around Nov.8 – Dec.6) First: Beginning of Winter (立冬) Middle: Minor Snow (小雪) | 8 White Earth | 2 Black Earth | 5 Yellow Earth |
| Dec. (around Dec.7 – Jan.5) First: Major Snow (大雪) Middle: Winter Solstice (冬至) | 7 Red Metal | 1 White Water | 4 Green Wood |
| Jan. (around Jan.6 – Feb.3) First: Minor Cold (小寒) Middle: Major Cold (大寒) | 6 White Metal | 9 Purple Fire | 3 Blue Wood |
*If your birthday comes before the beginning of the season, it will be considered as the Secondary star of the previous month.
For example, if you were born on January 2nd, 1976, your primary star is 7 Red Metal, so the secondary star for someone born in January is 6 White Metal, but since January 2nd is before the beginning of the season, so 7 Red Metal (the previous month, December is considered to be the secondary star.
- January: Around January 6th to February 3rd ⇒The date of birth in this example does not fall within the January period of Nine Star Ki.
- December: Around December 7th to around January 5th ⇒The example date of birth corresponds to the December period of Nine Star Ki.
The beginning of the season changes every year, so we recommend checking it every year.
You can find out more about the 24 solar terms on this site (external site).
How to check the secondary star
| Your primary star is; 1 White Water 4 Green Wood 7 Red Metal | Your primary star is; 2 Black Earth 5 Yellow Earth 8 White Earth | Your primary star is; 3 Blue Wood 6 White Metal 9 Purple Fire |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Subtract the key number 19 from the month of birth 2. Remove the minus “-” | 1. Subtract the key number 13 from the month of birth 2. Remove the minus “-” | 1. Subtract the key number 16 from the month of birth 2. Remove the minus “-” |
| [Calculation example: Born on January 20, 1976] 1. “13 – 19 = -6” *2 2. Remove the minus, so “6” Since the calculated number is 6, the secondary star is the 6 White Metal. | [Calculation example: Born on February 10, 1980] 1. “2 – 13 = -11” 2. Remove the minus, so “11” 3. “1 + 1 = 2” *1 Since the calculated number is 2, the secondary star is the 2 Black Earth. | [Calculation example: Born on December 25, 1970] 1. “12 – 16 = -4“ 2. Remove the minus, so “4” Since the calculated number is 4, the secondary star is the 4 Green Wood. |
*１ : If the calculated number is 10 or more, add the 1st and 2nd digits to make 1 digit.
*２ : If you were born in January, subtract “13” from the key number 19, assuming you were born in 13 months.
What Nine Stars Represent
Nine stars (Kyusei / 九星), direction, and symbol colour
Here are directions and colours assigned to Nine Stars.
- 一白水星 (Ippaku-suisei / 1 Water) : North, White
- 二黒土星 (Jikoku-dosei / 2 Earth) : Southwest, Vermilion
- 三碧木星 (Sanpeki-mokusei / 3 Wood) : East, Blue
- 四緑木星 (Shiroku-mokusei / 4 Wood) : Southeast, Green
- 五黄土星 (Goou-dosei / 5 Earth) : Central, Yellow
- 六白金星 (Roppaku-kinsei / 6 Metal) : Northwest, Grey
- 七赤金星 (Shichiseki-kinsei / 7 Metal) : West, Red
- 八白土星 (Happaku-dosei / 8 Earth) : Northeast, Brown
- 九紫火星 (Kyushi-kasei / 9 Fire) : South, Purple
Nine star Ki and the twelve earthly signs of Japanese zodiac (Junishi)
Here is compatibility combining nine stars and the twelve earthly signs of Japanese zodiac. Please refer to this page for the details of the twelve earthly signs of Japanese zodiac.
Your Junishi
Year of the Rat
Good compatibility
3-Blue-Wood and 6-White-Metal: Year of the Cow, the Dragon, the Sheep and the Dog
Your Junishi
Year of the Rabbit
Good compatibility
3-Blue-Wood and 6-White-Metal: Year of the Sheep and the Dog
Your Junishi
Year of the Horse
Good compatibility
3-Blue-Wood and 6-White-Metal: Year of the Sheep and the Dog
Your Junishi
Year of Rooster
Good compatibility
3-Blue-Wood and 6-White-Metal: Year of the Cow and the Dragon
Your Junishi
Year of the Tiger
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow, the Dragon, the Sheep and the Dog
Your Junishi
Year of the Snake
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow
7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rooster
Your Junishi
Year of the Monkey
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Dragon
7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rat
Your Junishi
Year of the Boar
Good compatibility
7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rabbit
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Sheep
Your Junishi
Year of the Cow
Good compatibility
1-White-Water and 4-Green-Wood: Year of the Rat and the Rooster
Your Junishi
Year of the Dragon
Good compatibility
1-White-Water and 4-Green-Wood: Year of the Rat and the Rooster
Your Junishi
Year of the Sheep
Good compatibility
1-White-Water and 4-Green-Wood: Year of the Rabbit and the Horse
Your Junishi
Year of the Dog
Good compatibility
1-White-Water and 4-Green-Wood: Year of the Rabbit and the Horse
Your Junishi
Year of the Rat
Good compatibility
3-Blue-Wood and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow, the Dragon, the Sheep and the Dog
Your Junishi
Year of the Rabbit
Good compatibility
3-Blue-Wood and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Sheep and the Dog
Your Junishi
Year of the Horse
Good compatibility
3-Blue-Wood and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow, the Dragon, the Sheep and the Dog
Your Junishi
Year of the Rooster
Good compatibility
3-Blue-Wood and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow, the Dragon, the Sheep and the Dog
Your Junishi
Year of the Tiger
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow, the Dragon, the Sheep and the Dog
7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rat, the Rabbit, the Horse and the Rooster
Your Junishi
Year of the Snake
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow, the Dragon, the Sheep and the Dog
7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rat, the Rabbit, the Horse and the Rooster
Your Junishi
Year of the Monkey
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow, the Sheep and the Dog
7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rabbit, the Horse and the Rooster
Your Junishi
Year of the Boar
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow, the Dragon and the Dog
7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rat, the Horse and the Rooster
Your Junishi
Year of the Cow
Good compatibility
1-White-Water and 7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rat, the Rabbit, the Horse and the Rooster
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Snake
Your Junishi
Year of the Dragon
Good compatibility
1-White-Water and 7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rat and the Rooster
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Monkey
Your Junishi
Year of the Sheep
Good compatibility
1-White-Water and 7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rabbit and the Horse
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Boar
Your Junishi
Year of the Dog
Good compatibility
1-White-Water and 7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rabbit and the Horse
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Tiger
Your Junishi
Year of the Rat
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal: Year of the Cow, the Dragon, the Sheep and the Dog
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Tiger, the Snake, the Monkey and the Boar
Your Junishi
Year of the Rabbit
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal: Year of the Sheep and the Dog
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Boar
Your Junishi
Year of the Horse
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal: Year of the the Sheep and the Dog
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Tiger
Your Junishi
Year of the Rooster
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal: Year of the Cow and the Dragon
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Snake
Your Junishi
Year of the Tiger
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow, the Dragon, the Sheep and the Dog
7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rat, the Rabbit, the Horse and the Rooster
Your Junishi
Year of the Snake
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow
7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rooster
Your Junishi
Year of the Monkey
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow, the Dragon and the Dog
7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rat, the Horse and the Rooster
Your Junishi
Year of the Boar
Good compatibility
6-White-Metal and 9-Purple-Fire: Year of the Cow, the Dragon and the Dog
7-Red-Metal: Year of the Rat, the Horse and the Rooster
Your Junishi
Year of the Cow
Good compatibility
4-Green-Wood: Year of the Rat, the Rabbit, the Horse and the Rooster
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Tiger, the Snake, the Monkey and the Boar
Your Junishi
Year of the Dragon
Good compatibility
4-Green-Wood: Year of the Rat, the Rabbit, the Horse and the Rooster
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Tiger, the Snake, the Monkey and the Boar
Your Junishi
Year of the Sheep
Good compatibility
4-Green-Wood: Year of the Rabbit and the Horse
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Boar
Your Junishi
Year of the Dog
Good compatibility
4-Green-Wood: Year of the Rabbit and the Horse
2-Black-Earth, 5-Yellow-Earth and 8-White-Earth: Year of the Tiger
Nine stars (Kyusei / 九星) and the five elements (五行 / Gogyou)
Here are the five elements assigned to nine stars. The five elements are the philosophical thought of ancient China that is the basis of the Feng Shui idea, and it is the idea that everything is made up of “wood” “fire” “earth” “metal” “water”.
- 一白水星 (Ippaku-suisei / 1 White Water) : Water
- 二黒土星 (Jikoku-dosei / 2 Black Earth) : Earth
- 三碧木星 (Sanpeki-mokusei / 3 Blue Wood) : Wood
- 四緑木星 (Shiroku-mokusei / 4 Green Wood) : Wood
- 五黄土星 (Goou-dosei / 5 Yellow Earth) : Earth
- 六白金星 (Roppaku-kinsei / 6 White Metal) : Metal
- 七赤金星 (Shichiseki-kinsei / 7 Red Metal): Metal
- 八白土星 (Happaku-dosei / 8 White Earth) : Earth
- 九紫火星 (Kyushi-kasei / 9 Purple Fire) : Fire
Nine stars (Kyusei / 九星) and eight trigrams (Hakke /八卦)
We will introduce you to the Hakke (eight basic statues of eki from ancient China) that can be assigned to nine stars. Please refer to Wikipedia for details.
- 一白水星 (Ippaku-suisei / 1 Water) : 坎（かん / kǎn）
- 二黒土星 (Jikoku-dosei / 2 Earth) : 坤（こん / kūn）
- 三碧木星 (Sanpeki-mokusei / 3 Wood) : 震（しん / zhèn）
- 四緑木星 (Shiroku-mokusei / 4 Wood) : 巽（そん / xùn）
- 五黄土星 (Goou-dosei / 5 Earth) : There is no assignment
- 六白金星 (Roppaku-kinsei / 6 Metal) : 乾（けん / qián）
- 七赤金星 (Shichiseki-kinsei / 7 Metal) : 兌（だ / duì）
- 八白土星 (Happaku-dosei / 8 Earth) : 艮（ごん / gèn）
- 九紫火星 (Kyushi-kasei / 9 Fire) : 離（り / lí）
Recommended Nine star gemstones
We will introduce you to the recommended gemstones for Nine stars.
- 一白水星 (Ippaku-suisei / 1 Water) : White Howlite
- 二黒土星 (Jikoku-dosei / 2 Earth) : Onyx
- 三碧木星 (Sanpeki-mokusei / 3 Wood) : Lapis Lazuli
- 四緑木星 (Shiroku-mokusei / 4 Wood) : Aventurine
- 五黄土星 (Goou-dosei / 5 Earth) : Citrine
- 六白金星 (Roppaku-kinsei / 6 Metal) : Moonstone
- 七赤金星 (Shichiseki-kinsei / 7 Metal) : Garnet
- 八白土星 (Happaku-dosei / 8 Earth : White Onyx
- 九紫火星 (Kyusei-kasei / 9 Fire) : Amethyst
