24 Solar Terms Calculator (24절기 Dates & Times)
Find the exact dates and times of the 24 solar terms (24절기, 二十四節氣) for any year from 1900 to 2100, from 입춘 to 동지, in Korean, Chinese or UTC time.
Times are the moment the apparent Sun reaches each 15° step of ecliptic longitude, rounded to the minute. They agree with the official Korean tables (한국천문연구원) to within a minute; when a term falls within a minute of midnight, check the official almanac before relying on the date.
Korea's clocks ran at UTC+8:30 from 1954 to 1961 and on summer time in some years; this table always uses the fixed offset you chose.
| # | Term | English | Type | Sun longitude | Date and time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 소한 小寒 | Minor Cold | Jieqi (절기) | 285° | 2026-01-05 17:23 |
| 2 | 대한 大寒 | Major Cold | Zhongqi (중기) | 300° | 2026-01-20 10:45 |
| 3 | 입춘 立春 | Start of Spring | Jieqi (절기) | 315° | 2026-02-04 05:02 |
| 4 | 우수 雨水 | Rain Water | Zhongqi (중기) | 330° | 2026-02-19 00:52 |
| 5 | 경칩 驚蟄 | Awakening of Insects | Jieqi (절기) | 345° | 2026-03-05 22:59 |
| 6 | 춘분 春分 | Spring Equinox | Zhongqi (중기) | 0° | 2026-03-20 23:46 |
| 7 | 청명 淸明 | Pure Brightness | Jieqi (절기) | 15° | 2026-04-05 03:40 |
| 8 | 곡우 穀雨 | Grain Rain | Zhongqi (중기) | 30° | 2026-04-20 10:39 |
| 9 | 입하 立夏 | Start of Summer | Jieqi (절기) | 45° | 2026-05-05 20:49 |
| 10 | 소만 小滿 | Grain Buds | Zhongqi (중기) | 60° | 2026-05-21 09:37 |
| 11 | 망종 芒種 | Grain in Ear | Jieqi (절기) | 75° | 2026-06-06 00:48 |
| 12 | 하지 夏至 | Summer Solstice | Zhongqi (중기) | 90° | 2026-06-21 17:24 |
| 13 | 소서 小暑 | Minor Heat | Jieqi (절기) | 105° | 2026-07-07 10:57 |
| 14 | 대서 大暑 | Major Heat | Zhongqi (중기) | 120° | 2026-07-23 04:13 |
| 15 | 입추 立秋 | Start of Autumn | Jieqi (절기) | 135° | 2026-08-07 20:43 |
| 16 | 처서 處暑 | End of Heat | Zhongqi (중기) | 150° | 2026-08-23 11:19 |
| 17 | 백로 白露 | White Dew | Jieqi (절기) | 165° | 2026-09-07 23:41 |
| 18 | 추분 秋分 | Autumn Equinox | Zhongqi (중기) | 180° | 2026-09-23 09:05 |
| 19 | 한로 寒露 | Cold Dew | Jieqi (절기) | 195° | 2026-10-08 15:29 |
| 20 | 상강 霜降 | Frost's Descent | Zhongqi (중기) | 210° | 2026-10-23 18:38 |
| 21 | 입동 立冬 | Start of Winter | Jieqi (절기) | 225° | 2026-11-07 18:52 |
| 22 | 소설 小雪 | Minor Snow | Zhongqi (중기) | 240° | 2026-11-22 16:23 |
| 23 | 대설 大雪 | Major Snow | Jieqi (절기) | 255° | 2026-12-07 11:52 |
| 24 | 동지 冬至 | Winter Solstice | Zhongqi (중기) | 270° | 2026-12-22 05:50 |
The 24 solar terms (24절기, 二十四節氣) divide the year by the Sun's position: a new term begins each time the Sun moves another 15° along the ecliptic, about every 15 days. They come from the old East Asian calendars and still mark the seasons in Korea, China, Japan and Vietnam, from 입춘 (Start of Spring) to 동지 (the winter solstice). This calculator gives the exact date and minute of all 24 terms for any year from 1900 to 2100.
How to use this tool
- Enter the year.
- Choose the time zone: Korea and Japan use UTC+9, China and Taiwan UTC+8.
- Pick a term to see it on its own, or read the full table.
- The results also show the next solar term from today and how many days remain.
Formula
Term k begins when the Sun's apparent ecliptic longitude λ = 285° + 15° × k (k = 0 for 소한 … 23 for 동지)
The Sun's longitude comes from the VSOP87 planetary theory (as truncated by Meeus), corrected for nutation and aberration; the moment is found by bisection to well under a second and converted from Terrestrial Time to clock time with ΔT. Odd-numbered terms (입춘, 경칩, 청명 …) are the 12 "jie" that start the months of the Korean and Chinese solar calendar used in 사주; the others are the 12 "zhongqi", which include the equinoxes and solstices.
Example
In 2026, 입춘 (Start of Spring, 315°) falls on 4 February at 05:02 KST, 춘분 (the spring equinox, 0°) on 20 March at 23:46 and 동지 (the winter solstice, 270°) on 22 December at 05:50. The same equinox is 14:46 on 20 March in UTC.
Frequently asked questions
Why does 입춘 fall on 3 or 4 February?
The terms follow the Sun, not the calendar. Because the Gregorian year is not exactly 365 days, each term drifts by about six hours a year and jumps back after leap days, so its date moves between two or three neighbouring days.
Is 입춘 the start of the year for 띠 and 사주?
In Korean and Chinese astrology the year pillar changes at 입춘, not on 1 January or Lunar New Year. That is why the exact minute matters for someone born on 3 or 4 February.
How accurate are these times?
Within about a minute of the official tables of the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute for recent years, and a few minutes at the ends of the 1900–2100 range, where the Earth's rotation (ΔT) is less certain.
Sources
Last updated:
Page address with these inputs: https://kakao.mobile/tools/24-solar-terms-calculator/
Cite or embed this tool
kakaoCalc. (2026, November 9). 24 Solar Terms Calculator (24절기 Dates & Times). https://kakao.mobile/tools/24-solar-terms-calculator/
“24 Solar Terms Calculator (24절기 Dates & Times).” kakaoCalc, 9 Nov. 2026, kakao.mobile/tools/24-solar-terms-calculator/.
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