noun
the Dragon; fifth sign of the Chinese zodiac
Refers to the Dragon zodiac sign in the Chinese/Japanese zodiac cycle. Commonly used in expressions about birth years, personality, and yearly fortunes.
彼は辰年生まれだ。
He was born in the year of the Dragon.
辰の人は情熱的だと言われる。
People born under the Dragon sign are said to be passionate.
noun
hour of the Dragon; around 8am
Obsolete temporal unit in the traditional Japanese time system. Corresponds roughly to 7–9 AM or 8–10 AM. Now only encountered in historical contexts or set phrases like 辰の刻.
See also: 辰の刻
江戸時代には、辰の刻に鐘が鳴った。
In the Edo period, the bell rang at the hour of the Dragon.
noun
east-southeast; third lunar month
Obsolete directional and calendrical uses from the traditional Chinese zodiac-based system. 辰 indicated the east-southeast direction and the third month of the lunar calendar. These meanings are not used in modern Japanese outside of historical or classical references.
古い暦では、辰の月は春の終わりにあたる。
In the old calendar, the month of the Dragon corresponds to the end of spring.
竜 refers to the mythical dragon creature itself, while 辰 is specifically the zodiac sign or its derived traditional uses.
十二支 is the full set of twelve zodiac signs; 辰 is the fifth sign.
The kanji 辰 originally depicted a clam or shellfish and was borrowed for the fifth Earthly Branch in the Chinese sexagenary cycle, later associated with the Dragon. The Japanese reading たつ is the native name for the Dragon sign.