五行 • Gogyō
The Five Elements
Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, Metal — each element shapes the quality of your animal sign
How Elements Work
Your element is determined by the last digit of your birth year: years ending in 0 or 1 are Metal; 2 or 3 are Water; 4 or 5 are Wood; 6 or 7 are Fire; 8 or 9 are Earth. Every animal sign expresses itself differently depending on which element it carries — the element is the quality of the energy, the animal is the form it takes.