The zodiac runs from 21 March, Aries to Pisces, and each sign covers roughly a month, though not a calendar one: the boundary falls between the 19th and the 23rd. That is why people born at the start or end of a month often are not sure of their sign. Below is the full table of zodiac signs by date and month, the four elements, why the boundaries can shift by a day, and what the “new” zodiac with Ophiuchus is about.
More on this topic: flowers for each zodiac sign, birth month flowers, the Chinese zodiac for 2027, flowers for Leo.
Every month contains two signs, with the switch falling roughly between the 19th and the 23rd. Here’s a quick month-by-month cheat sheet:
The zodiac wheel begins with Aries at the spring equinox and ends with Pisces. Below are all the signs in order with their symbols, elements, ruling planets and the traits astrology traditionally attributes to them. There is no scientific evidence linking a sign to personality, so treat this as cultural tradition and a nice excuse for a thoughtful gift.
| Sign | Symbol | Dates | Element | Ruling planet | Traits attributed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | ♈ | 21.03–19.04 | Fire | Mars | energy, courage, drive |
| Taurus | ♉ | 20.04–20.05 | Earth | Venus | reliability, patience, love of comfort |
| Gemini | ♊ | 21.05–20.06 | Air | Mercury | curiosity, sociability, flexibility |
| Cancer | ♋ | 21.06–22.07 | Water | Moon | care, sensitivity, love of home |
| Leo | ♌ | 23.07–22.08 | Fire | Sun | generosity, charisma, leadership |
| Virgo | ♍ | 23.08–22.09 | Earth | Mercury | attention to detail, practicality, order |
| Libra | ♎ | 23.09–22.10 | Air | Venus | harmony, diplomacy, aesthetics |
| Scorpio | ♏ | 23.10–21.11 | Water | Pluto (traditionally Mars) | passion, depth, determination |
| Sagittarius | ♐ | 22.11–21.12 | Fire | Jupiter | optimism, love of travel, freedom |
| Capricorn | ♑ | 22.12–19.01 | Earth | Saturn | ambition, discipline, responsibility |
| Aquarius | ♒ | 20.01–18.02 | Air | Uranus (traditionally Saturn) | independence, originality, ideas |
| Pisces | ♓ | 19.02–20.03 | Water | Neptune (traditionally Jupiter) | sensitivity, imagination, empathy |
Find your birth month in the table above and check the date the first sign of that month ends. For example, someone born on 10 May is a Taurus, while 25 May is a Gemini. If you were born on a cusp (the 19th–23rd), your exact sign depends on the year and even the time of birth, as the Sun changes sign up to a day earlier or later in different years. For a precise answer you need a birth chart with the date, time and place of birth.
The 12 signs are split into four elements of three signs each. Signs of the same element sit four places apart on the wheel and, in astrological tradition, share a similar temperament.
Signs are also grouped into three modalities: cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) open the seasons, fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) fall mid-season and mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) close them.
Aries: 21 March – 19 April. Leo: 23 July – 22 August. Sagittarius: 22 November – 21 December. Fire signs are associated with energy, courage and a love of attention.
Taurus: 20 April – 20 May. Virgo: 23 August – 22 September. Capricorn: 22 December – 19 January. Earth signs are seen as practical, reliable and patient.
Gemini: 21 May – 20 June. Libra: 23 September – 22 October. Aquarius: 20 January – 18 February. Air signs are linked with sociability, curiosity and a love of ideas.
Cancer: 21 June – 22 July. Scorpio: 23 October – 21 November. Pisces: 19 February – 20 March. Water signs are described as emotional, sensitive and intuitive.
A sign is defined by the Sun’s position on the ecliptic, and the Sun enters each sign at a slightly different time every year because of leap years and the Earth’s uneven orbital speed. Sources may therefore differ by a day; Cancer, for instance, begins on 21 or 22 June. If you were born on a cusp, check an ephemeris for your year and time of birth.
Every so often “new dates” and a 13th sign, Ophiuchus (roughly 29 November – 17 December), go viral. They refer to astronomical constellations: because of the precession of Earth’s axis, the Sun now crosses them at different times than two thousand years ago, and passes through Ophiuchus too. Western astrology, however, uses the tropical zodiac of 12 equal signs tied to the spring equinox, so the familiar dates have not changed. The “new” dates describe constellations, not horoscope signs.
When people look up signs “by year”, they usually mean the Chinese zodiac. It has 12 animals, each ruling a whole year, in a cycle that repeats every 12 years: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
Note that the Chinese year starts not on 1 January but at Chinese New Year, between 21 January and 20 February, so people born in January or early February often belong to the previous year’s animal.
For readers in Ukraine, here are the signs’ Ukrainian names: Aries — Овен, Taurus — Телець, Gemini — Близнюки, Cancer — Рак, Leo — Лев, Virgo — Діва, Libra — Терези, Scorpio — Скорпіон, Sagittarius — Стрілець, Capricorn — Козеріг, Aquarius — Водолій, Pisces — Риби. The Latin-derived names and symbols (♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑ ♒ ♓) are used in horoscopes and on jewellery worldwide.
In astrological tradition, signs of the same element get along most easily, as do fire + air (air fans the flames) and earth + water (water nourishes the earth). Fire with water and earth with air are considered harder pairings. It’s a game rather than a rule for choosing a partner — real compatibility depends on people, not dates — but it makes a lovely gift idea, such as a bouquet in the colours of both partners’ elements.
A zodiac sign is a nice way to personalise a gift: choose bouquet colours by element, add a card describing the sign or pick the sign’s flowers. See flowers for each zodiac sign and birth month flowers for ideas.
Florists often match a bouquet to a sign’s element and character. A few ideas: Aries — red roses or gerberas; Taurus — peonies and peony roses; Gemini — a mix of bright seasonal flowers; Cancer — white lilies or daisies; Leo — sunflowers and yellow roses; Virgo — small white flowers such as spray chrysanthemums; Libra — pink lisianthus and pastel roses; Scorpio — deep burgundy roses; Sagittarius — carnations and exotics; Capricorn — understated arrangements with greenery; Aquarius — unusual orchids; Pisces — lilac and blue hydrangeas. Read more in our flower horoscope for Leo.
Fire signs suit bright red and orange bouquets, earth signs lush peonies and warm-toned roses, air signs light mixes and hydrangeas, water signs soft white and blue flowers or orchids.
See roses and flowers in a box.
Pisces until 20 March, Aries from 21 March.
Leo until 22 August, Virgo from 23 August.
Twelve in Western astrology. Ophiuchus is a constellation, not a horoscope sign.
No. The tropical zodiac is tied to the spring equinox, so the dates are unchanged; a boundary can vary by a day.
Check the Sun’s position in an ephemeris for your year and time of birth to find your exact sign.
Aries (21.03–19.04), Leo (23.07–22.08) and Sagittarius (22.11–21.12), associated with energy, passion and leadership.
Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn; air: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius; water: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces.
Овен, Телець, Близнюки, Рак, Лев, Діва, Терези, Скорпіон, Стрілець, Козеріг, Водолій, Риби — from Aries to Pisces.
The Western sign depends on your birth day and month (the Sun’s position), while the Chinese sign depends on your birth year in the Chinese calendar, which starts between 21 January and 20 February.
Aries: the zodiac wheel starts at the spring equinox, around 20–21 March.
Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
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