also: かっし · こうし
Wood Rat; first sexagenary term
Refers to the first term of the 60-year sexagenary cycle (干支), combining the celestial stem 甲 (Wood) and the earthly branch 子 (Rat). Used in traditional calendar contexts and for years like 1924, 1984, 2044.
See also: 干支
1924 is the year of the Wood Rat.
甲子 is the first combination in the sexagenary cycle.
Standard kanji form for the first sexagenary term. The reading きのえね is the most common native Japanese reading.
Sino-Japanese reading; less common than きのえね.
Alternate Sino-Japanese reading; rare.
Combination of the celestial stem 甲 (きのえ, Wood) and the earthly branch 子 (ね, Rat), forming the first term of the sexagenary cycle.