What are auspicious hours, and how to find good hours in a day

Besides picking a day, tradition also picks the hour — each day has favorable (hoàng đạo) and unfavorable (hắc đạo) hours.

The 12 two-hour periods

A day is split into 12 periods, each tied to a zodiac animal and lasting two hours: Tý (23:00–01:00), Sửu (01:00–03:00), Dần (03:00–05:00), and so on through Hợi (21:00–23:00).

Auspicious hours

About half of the 12 are hoàng đạo (good) hours; the rest are hắc đạo. Which hours are good depends on the day's stem-branch, so every day differs. These are the slots to choose for travel, signing, weddings or openings.

Look them up quickly

You don't need to memorize tables: the lunar calendar shows the auspicious hours for any day. Pick a date and you'll see the good hours with exact time ranges.

Combine day and hour

Ideally pick a hoàng đạo day, then a hoàng đạo hour within it that suits your task. To choose by activity too, use the day-picker tool.