Zodiac Signs in Vietnamese: All 12 Names & Meanings

Vietnamese Zodiac Signs at a Glance

• 12 signs — all listed with Vietnamese names, Chinese source characters, and literal meanings.
• Cung hoàng đạo = Western zodiac (birth date). 12 con giáp = Vietnamese animal cycle (birth year).
• Unique differences: Cat replaces Rabbit in the animal cycle; Sagittarius is a centaur (Nhân Mã), not an archer; Scorpio has two names (Thiên Yết / Bọ Cạp).
• Tone marks matter: Độc, sắc, nặng, etc. — they change the word entirely.

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Cung Hoàng Đạo vs. 12 Con Giáp: Two Vietnamese Astrology Systems

Vietnamese astrology uses two parallel but distinct systems: the Western zodiac (Cung Hoàng Đạo) — 12 signs based on your birth date — and the traditional twelve‑year animal cycle (12 Con Giáp) based on your birth year.

While both are popular in Vietnamese astrology, they answer different questions and come from different cultural roots. The table above maps your birth date to your Western sign; the Vietnamese Zodiac (12 Con Giáp) page maps your birth year to your animal.

If you are exploring Vietnamese astrology, you may want to read both:

• Vietnamese Zodiac (12 Con Giáp): Years, Elements & Traits
• Zodiac Signs in Vietnamese: All 12 Names & Meanings (this page)

How to Read Vietnamese Zodiac Names: Tone Marks, Pronunciation & Meaning

Vietnamese zodiac names are written in the Latin alphabet with tone marks that change pronunciation and meaning. Understanding them helps you pronounce each sign correctly and appreciate why Vietnamese forms differ from their Chinese counterparts.

• Flat (ngang): No mark — mid level pitch. Bạch Dương
• Rising (sắc): ´ — rising pitch. Sư Tử
• Falling (huyền): ` — falling pitch. Cự Giải
• Low falling (nặng): ̣ — low, glottalized. Thiên Yết
• High broken (ngã): ̃ — rising then falling. Thiên Bình
• Low rising (hỏi): ̉ — dipping then rising. Song Tử

Each mark changes the word entirely. Practice the tones to pronounce Bạch Dương, Kim Ngưu, Song Tử, Cự Giải, Sư Tử, Xử Nữ, Thiên Bình, Thiên Yết, Nhân Mã, Ma Kết, Bảo Bình, Song Ngư naturally.

Zodiac Elements (Ngũ Hành) in Vietnamese Astrology

Each Western zodiac sign is also associated with one of the four classical elements (Fire, Earth, Air, Water). In Vietnamese astrology, the five elements (Ngũ Hành) — Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth — interact with the 12 Con Giáp animal cycle. Here is how the Western elements map to Vietnamese understanding:

• Fire (Hỏa): Aries, Leo, Sagittarius — passion, energy, leadership.
• Earth (Thổ): Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn — stability, practicality, grounding.
• Air (Khí): Gemini, Libra, Aquarius — intellect, communication, connection.
• Water (Thủy): Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces — intuition, emotion, depth.

In the 12 Con Giáp cycle, the five Ngũ Hành elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth) cycle through the animals in a 60‑year pattern. See the Vietnamese Zodiac (12 Con Giáp) page for the full 60‑year element chart.

Why Vietnamese Zodiac Names Look Like Chinese

Vietnamese zodiac vocabulary is Sino‑Vietnamese — borrowed from classical Chinese during centuries of cultural exchange, then written in the Latin alphabet (Quốc Ngữ). The Chinese characters and meanings are preserved; only the pronunciation is Vietnamese. That is why the table above shows a one‑to‑one match between the Vietnamese name and its Chinese source character.

How do you say “zodiac sign” in Vietnamese?

Cung hoàng đạo for the Western zodiac, or just cung. The twelve‑year animal cycle is 12 con giáp, a different system.

What are the 12 zodiac signs in Vietnamese?

Bạch Dương, Kim Ngưu, Song Tử, Cự Giải, Sư Tử, Xử Nữ, Thiên Bình, Thiên Yết, Nhân Mã, Ma Kết, Bảo Bình, and Song Ngư.

Why do Vietnamese zodiac signs look like Chinese ones?

Because they are Sino‑Vietnamese vocabulary inherited from centuries of Chinese‑language scholarship, then written in the Latin alphabet. The characters and meanings are Chinese; the pronunciation is Vietnamese.

Is Vietnamese Scorpio “Thiên Yết” or “Bọ Cạp”?

Both are correct. Thiên Yết is the formal Sino‑Vietnamese name; Bọ Cạp is the native Vietnamese word for the animal and dominates casual conversation.

Why is Vietnamese Sagittarius a centaur?

Vietnamese took Chinese 人馬 (“man‑horse”) rather than 射手 (“archer”). Chinese astrology prefers the latter, so Vietnamese ends up closer to the original Greek figure than Chinese does.

Does the Vietnamese zodiac have a cat?

Yes, but in the other system. The 12 con giáp animal cycle has the Cat where the Chinese cycle has the Rabbit. The Western zodiac (cung hoàng đạo) is unaffected.

What is the difference between cung hoàng đạo and 12 con giáp?

Cung hoàng đạo is the Western zodiac tied to your birth date. 12 con giáp is the twelve‑year animal cycle tied to your birth year. Vietnam uses both side by side.

Connecting to Other Zodiac Languages

Understanding the Vietnamese zodiac becomes easier when compared to other systems. Read the zodiac signs in Chinese alongside this page and the borrowing becomes obvious character by character. The Japanese and Korean lists took the same system but translated the meanings into native words instead of inheriting the sounds. For a language that owes the zodiac nothing at all, see Finnish.

All languages: zodiac signs in different languages.

Looking for the birth-year animal cycle instead? See our guide to the Vietnamese zodiac (12 con giáp) — years, elements, and compatibility.

Christine Morgan

Christine Morgan is a writer at HoroscopeBuz, covering astrology, zodiac signs, planetary transits, and tarot. She digs into the history, mythology, and symbolism behind each topic — from Saturn's transits to the major arcana — and turns it into clear, approachable guides. She treats astrology as a lens for reflection rather than fixed prediction, and would rather get the details right than overpromise.