Every saju reading starts with one character: the heavenly stem of your day pillar, called the day master (일간, ilgan). It is the reference point for the whole chart. The other seven characters are read as what surrounds you, supports you, drains you or challenges you. There are ten day masters, five elements each in a yang and a yin form. Here is a short portrait of each, written the way Korean readers describe them.
Wood
Yang wood (갑목, the tall tree). Upright, principled, grows straight toward a goal. Leads naturally, bends badly. Good at starting, tired of maintaining. In love: loyal, a little stubborn, needs to be respected.
Yin wood (을목, the vine and grass). Flexible, sociable, survives anywhere by adapting. Persuasive rather than forceful. In love: attentive, avoids confrontation, can get tangled in others’ needs.
Fire
Yang fire (병화, the sun). Warm, generous, visible. Energises rooms and burns out if not appreciated. Honest to a fault. In love: open, expressive, wants to be seen.
Yin fire (정화, the candle). Focused warmth, quieter, thoughtful, glows steadily. Good at detail and care. In love: devoted, sensitive to being ignored.
Earth
Yang earth (무토, the mountain). Steady, trustworthy, slow to move and slow to anger. People lean on you. In love: reliable, not romantic in words, shows it in acts.
Yin earth (기토, the field). Nurturing, practical, accommodating. Makes things grow. In love: caring, sometimes too accommodating, needs appreciation.
Metal
Yang metal (경금, the axe and ore). Decisive, direct, strong sense of justice. Cuts through. Can be blunt. In love: protective, loyal, expects the same.
Yin metal (신금, the jewel). Refined, precise, aesthetic, sharp-eyed. Cares about quality and appearance. In love: discerning, sensitive to criticism.
Water
Yang water (임수, the ocean and river). Intelligent, wide-ranging, restless, adaptable. Thinks in systems. In love: open-minded, hard to pin down.
Yin water (계수, the rain and stream). Intuitive, gentle, perceptive, quietly persistent. Reads people well. In love: deep feeling, needs safety to show it.
How to find yours
You need a calendar conversion, not arithmetic in your head: the day stem cycles every ten days and depends on the exact date in the traditional calendar. Any saju calculator gives it in seconds from your birth date; SAJUBY’s free reading shows your day master and the element balance around it.
Why the day master is not the whole story
A yang fire day master surrounded by water behaves very differently from one surrounded by wood. Strength matters: a “strong” day master (well supported by its own element and the season) can carry a lot of responsibility; a “weak” one does better with allies and structure. This is where a real reading starts, and why two people with the same day master can have opposite advice for the same year.
Find your day master in a minute
SAJUBY’s free reading shows your day master and the elements around it. The Lifetime Saju Report ($11.99) reads the whole chart and your ten-year cycles.