干支（えと、eto）
- Chinese zodiac

The Japanese word 干支, pronounced えと (eto), refers to the Chinese zodiac, also known as the "12 Earthly Branches" or the "12 Animal Signs." It's a cyclical system that assigns an animal and an associated element to each year. The system is used for various purposes, including determining birth years, predicting fortune, and selecting auspicious dates. 干支 is not just about the animals; it also encompasses the concepts of time, direction, and the interaction of the elements. It’s a significant part of Japanese culture and influences many aspects of life.

⚫︎今年（ことし）の干支は何（なん）ですか？ Translation: What is the zodiac animal for this year? ⚫︎私（わたし）の干支は寅（とら）です。 Translation: My zodiac animal is the tiger. ⚫︎干支占（うらな）い Translation: Zodiac fortune telling.

⚫︎You'll use 干支 when talking about the Chinese zodiac, birthdays, or horoscopes. ⚫︎It's common to ask someone about their 干支 to learn about their personality based on their birth year. ⚫︎You can use 干支 when discussing the animal sign of a specific year.

⚫︎干支 is primarily written with kanji. ⚫︎The reading えと (eto) is usually written in hiragana. ⚫︎There is no other common way to write this word. ⚫︎There are no variations in okurigana.

There aren't direct synonyms for 干支, as it is a specific system. However, related terms could include: ⚫︎十二支（じゅうにし） (jyuunishi) - The 12 Earthly Branches (a more technical term for the zodiac). ⚫︎十二支の動物（じゅうにしのどうぶつ） (jyuunishinodoubutsu) - The 12 zodiac animals.

There aren't direct antonyms for 干支, as it's a specific system.

来年（らいねん）の干支は卯（うさぎ）年（どし）です。 ・Translation: Next year's zodiac animal is the rabbit. ・Explanation: This sentence simply states which animal corresponds to the following year in the zodiac cycle.

彼（かれ）は干支の話（はなし）に詳（くわ）しい。 ・Translation: He knows a lot about the zodiac. ・Explanation: This indicates someone has extensive knowledge about the system of 干支.

The word 干支 is derived from the Chinese terms 干（かん）(kan) meaning "stem" and 支（し）(shi) meaning "branch". ⚫︎These refer to the "Heavenly Stems" and "Earthly Branches," respectively. ⚫︎The system was introduced to Japan from China.