What is Eto? Eto is the traditional Japanese zodiac, consisting of 12 unique animals that represent each year in a repeating cycle. Have you ever noticed dragon-printed postcards in stationery shops or colorful posters in department stores at the end of December? These are all connected to the rich cultural tradition of the Japanese zodiac. The year 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. Let’s explore the meanings and cultural significance of the Japanese zodiac animals and discover the story behind your animal sign.
Table of Contents
Quick Video Guide
If you prefer watching a video guide, please refer below.
What Are the 12 Animals of the Japanese Zodiac?
The Japanese zodiac, known as Jyu-nishi (十二支), consists of 12 animal signs that each represent a year in a repeating cycle. This system was introduced to Japan around the fourth century, based on the traditional Chinese zodiac calendar. The term Jyu-ni means “12” in Japanese, and Jyu-nishi refers to these 12 zodiac animals. The cycle begins with the mouse and continues through the following animals, with their pronunciations shown in brackets:
子 (Ne): Mouse
丑 (Ushi): Ox
寅 (Tora): Tiger
卯 (U): Rabbit
辰 (Tatsu): Dragon
巳 (Mi): Snake
午 (Uma): Horse
未 (Hitsuji): Sheep
申 (Saru): Monkey
酉 (Tori): Rooster
戌 (Inu): Dog
亥 (Inoshishi): Wild Boa
Why No Cat in the Japanese Zodiac?
The Japanese zodiac, like the Chinese zodiac, features 12 animals, but notably, the cat is missing. One popular story explains why.
Long ago, the gods announced a race: on New Year’s morning, the animals that arrived first would be assigned the order of the zodiac signs, from first to twelfth. All the animals eagerly prepared for this race.
However, the cat, unaware of the exact day, asked the mouse for the correct date. The mouse tricked the cat by saying the race is on January 2nd. As a result, the cat missed the race and was excluded from the zodiac cycle.
Meanwhile, the slow but steady ox quietly started the journey during the night. The clever mouse secretly rode on the ox’s back and jumped off just before the finish line, arriving first and securing the first zodiac position. The ox followed second, and the other animals—the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and wild boar—arrived in order afterward.
This story is also said to be the reason cats dislike mice, rooted in the lore of the Japanese zodiac and its 12 animals.
What is your animal sign?
What is your animal sign? After you start living in Japan, some people might ask about your ETO, symbolized as 干支. If you are not sure which one you belong to, please find your year of birth in the pictures above.
If you are interested in the culture of Japanese New Year, please refer to article below.
