| 60 | 還暦 | かんれき | "return calendar" | Returning to the sign under which you were born (see below) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 古希 | こき | "ancient rare" | The Chinese poet Tu Fu wrote in By The Winding River: "Since ancient times, it has been rare to live to 70." |
| 77 | 喜寿 | きじゅ | "rejoice longevity" | 喜 has an abbreviated form consisting of three 七 (7s). |
| 80 | 傘寿 | さんじゅ | "umbrella longevity" | 傘 has an abbreviated form 仐; 八十 = 80. |
| 88 | 米寿 | べいじゅ | "rice longevity" | 米 has a (modified) 八 on top, then 十, and then a 八 below; 八十八 = 88. |
| 90 | 卒寿 | そつじゅ | "graduate longevity" | 卒 has an abbreviated form 卆; 九十 = 90. |
| 99 | 白寿 | はくじゅ | "white longevity" | 白 is 百 (100) minus the 一 (1) = 99. |
| 100 | 百寿 | ひゃくじゅ | "100 longevity" | 百 = 100. |
| 100 | 百賀 | ひゃくが | "100 celebration" | 百 = 100. |
| 100 | 上寿 | じょうじゅ | "upper longevity" | ? |
| 108 | 茶寿 | ちゃじゅ | "tea longevity" | The top of 茶 can be written like 十十 (10, 10). The bottom part is 八十八 = 88. 88 + 10 + 10 = 108. |
| 111 | 皇寿 | こうじゅ | "emperor longevity" | 皇 is 白 (99) with 王 below. 王 is 一 (1), 十 (10), and 一 (1). 99 + 1 + 10 + 1 = 111. |
There are 12 earthly branches, associated with the zodiac. In order:
| 1. | Rat | 子 | ね | 鼠 | ネズミ | (usually kana) |
| 2. | Ox | 丑 | うし | 牛 | ウシ | |
| 3. | Tiger | 寅 | とら | 虎 | トラ | (usually kana? (name only)) |
| 4. | Rabbit / Hare | 卯 | う／ぼう | 兎 | ウサギ | (usually kana) |
| 5. | Dragon | 辰 | たつ | 竜／龍 | リュウ | (usually first kanji) |
| 6. | Snake / Serpent | 巳 | み | 蛇 | ヘビ | |
| 7. | Horse | 午 | うま | 馬 | ウマ | |
| 8. | Sheep / Ram | 未 | ひつじ | 羊 | ヒツジ | |
| 9. | Monkey | 申 | さる | 猿 | サル | (usually kana?) |
| 10. | Rooster | 酉 | とり | 鳥／鶏 | トリ | (probably only first kanji) |
| 11. | Dog | 戌 | いぬ | 犬／狗 | イヌ | (only first kanji) |
| 12. | Pig / Boar | 亥 | い／いのしし | 豚／猪 | ブタ | (usually first kanji? (second is name only)) |
There are 10 heavenly branches, associated with the 5 elements; one older, and one younger. The older stands for yang and the younger for yin. In order:
| 1. | Wood, older | 甲 | こう | 木の兄 | きのえ |
| 2. | Wood, younger | 乙 | おつ | 木の弟 | きのと |
| 3. | Fire, older | 丙 | へい | 火の兄 | ひのえ |
| 4. | Fire, younger | 丁 | てい | 火の弟 | ひのと |
| 5. | Earth, older | 戊 | ぼ | 土の兄 | つちのえ |
| 6. | Earth, younger | 己 | き | 土の弟 | つちのと |
| 7. | Metal, older | 庚 | こう | 金の兄 | かのえ |
| 8. | Metal, younger | 辛 | しん | 金の弟 | かのと |
| 9. | Water, older | 壬 | じん | 水の兄 | みずのえ |
| 10. | Water, younger | 癸 | き | 水の弟 | みずのと |
These combine to make a 60 year cycle. The cycles align in such a way that all 120 combinations are not used (mathematical note: the least common multiple of 12 and 10 is 60). As it so happens, an even zodiac will match up with the older elements, and an odd zodiac with the younger elements; each zodiac matches up with each element. Each earthly branch/zodiac lasts one years and recurs every twelve years. Each heavenly branch lasts one year and recurs every ten years, but due to the older/younger pairing, each element lasts two years.
| Zodiac | Wood 木 | Fire 火 | Earth 土 | Metal 金 | Water 水 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yang 甲 | Yin 乙 | Yang 丙 | Yin 丁 | Yang 戊 | Yin 己 | Yang 庚 | Yin 辛 | Yang 壬 | Yin 癸 | ||
| Rat | 子 | 1 | 13 | 25 | 37 | 49 | |||||
| Ox | 丑 | 2 | 14 | 26 | 38 | 50 | |||||
| Tiger | 寅 | 51 | 3 | 15 | 27 | 39 | |||||
| Rabbit / Hare | 卯 | 52 | 4 | 16 | 28 | 40 | |||||
| Dragon | 辰 | 41 | 53 | 5 | 17 | 29 | |||||
| Snake / Serpent | 巳 | 42 | 54 | 6 | 18 | 30 | |||||
| Horse | 午 | 31 | 43 | 55 | 7 | 19 | |||||
| Sheep / Ram | 未 | 32 | 44 | 56 | 8 | 20 | |||||
| Monkey | 申 | 21 | 33 | 45 | 57 | 9 | |||||
| Rooster | 酉 | 22 | 34 | 46 | 58 | 10 | |||||
| Dog | 戌 | 11 | 23 | 35 | 47 | 59 | |||||
| Pig / Boar | 亥 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 48 | 60 | |||||
1984 is a 甲子 "Wood (yang) Rat" year. 2007 is a 丁亥 "Fire (yin) Boar" year.