Quick Answer: The twelve zodiac signs, with their dates and elements, are Aries (March 21 to April 19, fire), Taurus (April 20 to May 20, earth), Gemini (May 21 to June 20, air), Cancer (June 21 to July 22, water), Leo (July 23 to August 22, fire), Virgo (August 23 to September 22, earth), Libra (September 23 to October 22, air), Scorpio (October 23 to November 21, water), Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21, fire), Capricorn (December 22 to January 19, earth), Aquarius (January 20 to February 18, air), and Pisces (February 19 to March 20, water).
Your sun sign is the one most people mean when they ask “what’s your sign.” It is set by the position of the Sun on the day you were born, and it moves through all twelve signs across the year. Below is the full reference: every sign, its exact dates, its glyph, its element, and what it is known for.
The Twelve Zodiac Signs and Their Dates
| Sign | Symbol | Dates | Element | Ruling Planet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | ♈ | March 21 to April 19 | Fire | Mars |
| Taurus | ♉ | April 20 to May 20 | Earth | Venus |
| Gemini | ♊ | May 21 to June 20 | Air | Mercury |
| Cancer | ♋ | June 21 to July 22 | Water | Moon |
| Leo | ♌ | July 23 to August 22 | Fire | Sun |
| Virgo | ♍ | August 23 to September 22 | Earth | Mercury |
| Libra | ♎ | September 23 to October 22 | Air | Venus |
| Scorpio | ♏ | October 23 to November 21 | Water | Mars and Pluto |
| Sagittarius | ♐ | November 22 to December 21 | Fire | Jupiter |
| Capricorn | ♑ | December 22 to January 19 | Earth | Saturn |
| Aquarius | ♒ | January 20 to February 18 | Air | Saturn and Uranus |
| Pisces | ♓ | February 19 to March 20 | Water | Jupiter and Neptune |
Dates can shift by a day from year to year because the Sun does not change signs at midnight. If you were born on the edge of two signs, a “cusp,” your true sun sign depends on the exact time and place of birth. A free natal chart settles it precisely.
The Four Elements
Every sign belongs to one of four elements, and the element is the fastest way to understand a sign’s temperament.
- Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius): action, enthusiasm, and instinct. Fire signs move first and think later.
- Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn): stability, patience, and the physical world. Earth signs build and endure.
- Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius): ideas, language, and connection. Air signs live in the space between people.
- Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces): feeling, memory, and intuition. Water signs sense what is unsaid.
Signs of the same element tend to understand each other easily, which is one of the foundations of zodiac compatibility.
The Three Modalities
Alongside the elements, each sign has a modality that describes how it moves through the world.
- Cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn): initiators. They start the seasons and start the action.
- Fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius): sustainers. They hold, deepen, and refuse to be rushed.
- Mutable (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces): adapters. They close each season and bend with change.
Beyond Your Sun Sign
Your sun sign is only the headline. A full birth chart also has a rising sign, which shapes how you come across, and a moon sign, which governs your inner emotional world. Together these three placements, sometimes called the big three, give a far richer portrait than the sun sign alone.
To see all of yours at once, generate your free natal chart with your date, time, and place of birth.