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How to Read Family Saju
— Parents, Kids, Spouse and You
Family Saju is read by which Ten God each person's Day Master is to the other. Relationships always lock together in pairs: if a parent is a Resource star to you, you are an Output star to that parent. The Day Master comes from the date of birth alone, so you can read it even without your parents' birth times.
In this article 7 topics
Where do I start with family Saju?
Start with each person's Day Master (the Heavenly Stem of the day you were born). The Day Master is the character in Saju that stands for “me,” so which Ten God each Day Master is to the other forms the backbone of the relationship. You look from both sides: what star the child is to the mother, and what star the mother is to the child.
All you need for the Day Master is the date of birth — no birth time required. Enter each family member's birthday into the Manseryeok calculator and note the first character of their day pillar.
How are parent–child relationships read?
Relationships always lock together in pairs. If a parent is a Resource star to you, you are an Output star to them; if a parent is an Officer star to you, you are a Wealth star to them. Here's how the five pairs look within a family.
| Parent to me | Me to parent | A tone often seen in families |
|---|---|---|
| Resource stars (Direct/Indirect Resource) | Output stars | The parent supports and the child expresses freely. Leaning on each other is easy, so it helps to keep the child's independence in mind |
| Officer stars (Direct/Indirect Officer) | Wealth stars | The parent sets the standards. It can feel strict from the child's side, so saying praise out loud helps |
| Companion stars (Companion/Rob Wealth) | Companion stars | Parent and child like friends. You understand each other well, but your stubbornness points the same way too, so dividing roles makes things easier |
| Output stars (Eating God/Hurting Officer) | Resource stars | The child ends up supporting the parent. The child can easily grow up too fast, so make sure they get their own share of care |
| Wealth stars (Direct/Indirect Wealth) | Officer stars | The child becomes the parent's standard. The parent can easily end up tiptoeing around the child |
There are no good or bad combinations. They only show which way the energy flows — who leans more and who looks after whom more. All combinations of the ten Day Masters are in a 10×10 table in the Day Master compatibility table.
What does family Saju look like in examples?
We calculated four combinations with Mutal Unnie's Saju engine. You can see that even for the same two people, the star's name changes depending on the direction.
| Example | What the second person is to the first | What the first person is to the second | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mom Gap Wood · Child Byeong Fire | Eating God | Indirect Resource | Mom wants to look after the child, and the child finds a place to lean on in Mom |
| Dad Gyeong Metal · Daughter Eul Wood | Direct Wealth | Direct Officer | Stem combination (Eul-Gyeong combination) — a pair drawn to and bound to each other. Dad cherishes his daughter, and the daughter takes her dad as her standard |
| Mom Im Water · Son Im Water | Companion | Companion | Same Day Master — they understand each other well, and when they clash, it's over the same points |
| Husband Mu Earth · Wife Gye Water | Direct Wealth | Direct Officer | Stem combination (Mu-Gye combination) — a pair where one looks after and the other gains a sense of stability |
Spouses are read the same way. Between partners, it's common to look at the day branch (the Earthly Branch of the day you were born) as well as the Day Master. The day branch is read as the spouse's seat, so much of the texture of daily life together shows up here.
How is the traditional six-relations method different?
Traditionally there is the six-relations method (yukchin), which maps family members onto the Ten Gods. Resource stars are seen as the mother and Wealth stars as the father, while children and spouse are assigned different stars depending on sex. It's a way of reading your bond with that family member within your own birth chart.
But the six-relations method looks at your birth chart alone, so it's set regardless of your actual mother's Saju. If you're curious about the texture between real family members, comparing the two people's Day Masters directly, as above, is more concrete. Here we didn't split by sex and used the same standard for both people.
What if I don't know my parents' birth times?
You can still read it. Of the Eight Characters, the birth time only decides two, and the Day Master and day branch come from the date of birth. How to read with six characters (Three Pillars) without the time is covered in When you don't know your birth time.
If a parent's birthday is on the lunar calendar, the Saju has to be calculated with the lunar birth date converted to the Gregorian calendar. If you put the lunar birthday straight into the Gregorian field, the day pillar comes out completely different. The conversion steps and how to handle leap months are in How to find your lunar birthday on the Gregorian calendar.
What should I keep in mind when reading family Saju?
- Ask the person first — for grown-up family members, it's right to read their Saju when they want it
- Don't label your child — “You've always been like this” isn't something to say based on Saju. Use it only as far as understanding your child's nature
- Don't compare siblings — there's no such thing as one person having a better Saju
- As material for conversation, not a verdict — it works best when used to say out loud, “We often bump heads on this point”
In Mutal Unnie, if you add people you're curious about — Mom, a friend, that special someone — to My People, you can open their reading with Bok. You can add them even without a birth time, and a one-line compatibility with you, calculated by the engine, is shown for free. Your daily rhythm card stays just for you.
Just one thing to do today. Find the Day Master of one family member from their birthday, and check which row the two of you are in in the first table above.
Keep My People in one place
Add Mom, a friend or that special someone to get a free one-line compatibility with you, and open their reading with Bok when you need it.
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How do I read family Saju?
Find each person's Day Master and look both ways at which Ten God each is to the other. If a parent is a Resource star to you, you are an Output star to that parent. For couples, look at the day branch too.
Can I read my parents' Saju without their birth time?
Yes. The birth time only decides two characters, and the Day Master and day branch used to read family relationships come from the date of birth.
If my parent's birthday is on the lunar calendar, how is it calculated?
Calculate it with the Gregorian date converted for the year they were born. If you put the lunar numbers straight into the Gregorian field, the day pillar changes. If it's in a leap month, check that too.
Can a child's Saju tell me their personality?
You can refer to tendencies in temperament, but it's no basis for firm conclusions. Use it to understand your child and to see which way energy flows between the two of you.