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Son-eomneun-nal finder
Pick a period to see the Son-eomneun-nal within it. You can narrow it down to days that fall on weekends or public holidays, or leave out days that clash with your zodiac animal.
This relationship comes around once every 12 days, so only a few dates actually drop out. Don't pick your date on this alone.
Date list
Highlighted rows are weekends or public holidays. Struck-through dates clash with the zodiac animal you chose.
To look at your own Saju, not just the date
Son-eomneun-nal are the same for everyone. To narrow down your options with your Eight Characters, use Find a good day in the Mutal Unnie app.
Get the app for iPhone & AndroidWhat is a Son-eomneun-nal?
It's a day whose lunar date ends in 9 or 0 (the 9th, 10th, 19th, 20th, 29th and 30th of the lunar month). Son, a spirit said to govern the directions, was believed to go up to the sky on these days and be in none of the directions, so they were considered less of a concern for tasks where direction matters.
There are six in a lunar month, but a Gregorian month has either five or six. When a lunar month ends on the 29th, there's no 30th at all.
What this tool shows
- Weekday — moves and ceremonies are hard to pull off unless it's a weekend
- Public holidays — companies get booked up around long holiday weekends
- Lunar date — shows at once why that day is a Son-eomneun-nal
- Iljin and clashing zodiac animal — the zodiac animal facing that day's iljin branch
What is a clash (冲)?
When the twelve Earthly Branches are placed in a circle, it's the pair directly opposite each other. Ja↔O, Chuk↔Mi, In↔Sin, Myo↔Yu, Jin↔Sul and Sa↔Hae face each other. When that day's iljin branch and your zodiac animal are in this relationship, they're seen as colliding, and there's a custom of leaving such days out in date selection.
That said, the relationship comes around once every 12 days, so it catches about one in six Son-eomneun-nal. Use it to narrow down your options rather than to decide the date.
If the dates don't line up
Son-eomneun-nal come around 5 times in a short lunar month and 6 times in a long one. It may be hard to line up the final-payment day, company bookings and the other party's schedule all at once. What to do when it doesn't fit is covered in When the moving date doesn't line up. The full process of choosing a date is in How to choose a good day: a complete guide.
How public holidays are calculated
We've included fixed public holidays, lunar-calendar holidays (Seollal, Buddha's Birthday, Chuseok) and the current substitute public holiday rules. However, the substitute holiday system has changed over time and may change again. Treat far-future dates as reference only, and check your actual plans once they're confirmed in the official gazette.
FAQ
How is a Son-eomneun-nal determined?
It's a day whose lunar date ends in 9 or 0: the 9th, 10th, 19th, 20th, 29th and 30th of the lunar month. There are 5 in a short lunar month (29 days) and 6 in a long month (30 days). How many fall in a Gregorian month depends on how it overlaps with the lunar months.
Is it good to move house on a Son-eomneun-nal?
A Son-eomneun-nal (day free of wandering spirits) is a day when Son, the spirit said to govern the directions, is believed to have gone up to the sky and to be in none of the directions, so it's considered less of a concern for tasks where direction matters. However, this method looks only at the date, so it doesn't reflect each person's own Saju. It's also a day when demand peaks and moving quotes go up.
What does a day that clashes with my zodiac animal mean?
It's when your zodiac animal is the branch directly opposite the Earthly Branch of that day's iljin. Ja and O, Chuk and Mi, In and Sin, Myo and Yu, Jin and Sul, and Sa and Hae face each other. It comes around once every 12 days, so it catches roughly one in six Son-eomneun-nal. Just leave out those days and choose from the rest.
What if I can't match a Son-eomneun-nal?
It's hard to line up the final-payment day, the moving company booking and the other party's schedule all at once. If you can't make it fit, there are other approaches: avoiding only the days that clash with your zodiac animal, avoiding only the lunar dates tied to the direction you're moving, or separating the day your belongings move in from the day you actually move in.