Gunghap (궁합): How Korean Saju Compatibility Works
In Korea, couples have checked their gunghap (궁합) for centuries — sometimes before a first date, often before a wedding. It compares two saju charts to see how two people's energies support or challenge each other. Here is how it works, in plain English.
What Does Gunghap Mean?
Gunghap (궁합, 宮合) literally means "matching the palaces" — fitting two people's birth charts together. Traditionally families compared the couple's charts before a marriage; today many Koreans check it for fun, the way others compare zodiac signs.
It is not a pass-or-fail test. A good gunghap reading describes where two people naturally flow together and where they will need patience.
Day Master to Day Master
The heart of gunghap is how your two Day Masters relate — the elements of the days you were each born. In the five-element cycle, one element can feed another (Wood feeds Fire, Fire makes Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal carries Water, Water feeds Wood) or control another (Wood breaks Earth, Earth dams Water, Water puts out Fire, Fire melts Metal, Metal cuts Wood).
Feeding relationships tend to feel supportive; controlling ones can feel exciting, protective or challenging, depending on balance. Two people of the same element understand each other easily but can compete.
Check the two of you
Compare two birthdays in English and see how your charts fit. Only add someone's birthday with their OK — or send them a link.
Filling Each Other's Gaps
Every chart has elements it holds in plenty and elements it lacks. One of the warmest signs in gunghap is when one person's strong element is exactly what the other's chart needs — each brings what the other is missing.
This is also why saju says we are often drawn to the element we lack: it balances us.
Harmonies and Clashes
The earthly branches (the twelve animals) in two charts can form harmonies — classic pairs like Rat and Ox, or Tiger and Pig — which read as easy cooperation. Branches six apart, like Rat and Horse, form a clash, which brings friction and also attraction and movement.
Readers look especially at the day branches, called the "spouse palace", because they describe what each person seeks at home.
Check the Two of You (Free Preview)
You can compare two birthdays in English and see how your two charts fit, free. The full gunghap reading goes deeper — your match score and tier, how your elements feed each other, and how the two of you handle conflict.
Only add someone's birthday with their permission — or send them a link so they can enter it themselves.
Check the two of you
Compare two birthdays in English and see how your charts fit. Only add someone's birthday with their OK — or send them a link.
Questions people ask
Is gunghap the same as zodiac compatibility?
No. Zodiac (animal) compatibility uses only the birth year. Gunghap compares full saju charts — the year, month, day and hour of both people — with the Day Masters at the centre.
Can a bad gunghap end a relationship?
Saju describes tendencies, not fate. A challenging match shows where patience and understanding are needed; it never decides what another person will feel or do.
What is the spouse palace?
The earthly branch of your day pillar. Saju reads it as the energy you seek in a partner and at home, so it is compared closely in a gunghap reading.
Do Koreans really check gunghap before marriage?
Many families still do, and many young people check it for fun early in a relationship. It is treated as reflection and conversation, not a final verdict.
More guides
Read your whole chart
Your day pillar is one of eight characters. See all four pillars, your five elements and your 2027 — the first chapters are free.