December 22 – January 19

Capricorn · The Sea-Goat

Element
earth
Modality
cardinal
Ruling Planet
Saturn

Capricorn is the zodiac's cardinal earth sign, ruled by Saturn and traditionally associated with discipline, long-term ambition, structure, and a responsible, achievement-oriented drive.

Core Traits

Capricorn decans

Capricorn spans 30 degrees, and astrologers traditionally divide every sign into three 10-degree decans. It is where the “December Capricorn” versus “January Capricorn” distinction comes from. The dates below are approximate: the sun does not move at a perfectly even rate, so a cusp can shift by a day either way from year to year.

  1. FirstDecember 22 – December 31
  2. SecondJanuary 1 – January 9
  3. ThirdJanuary 10 – January 19

The Capricorn man and woman

The Capricorn manThe Capricorn man earns trust slowly and spends it carefully. Cardinal earth, Saturn-ruled — that combination produces someone who is genuinely interested in building things that last, whether that's a career, a reputation, or a Saturday morning routine he has followed for six years. At a dinner party he's the one who listens more than he talks, asks a pointed question late in the evening, and somehow leaves with everyone's respect without having tried very hard for it. He is not cold, though he reads that way at first. He is just measuring. Pile pressure on him and he gets quieter, more methodical; he does not scatter. The frustrating part, honestly, is that he can mistake caution for wisdom and drag his feet long after the moment has passed. He's better in the long game than the short one, and he knows it.The Capricorn womanThe Capricorn woman has usually already solved the problem before anyone else has finished describing it. She's Dec 22 - Jan 19, cardinal earth, and that cardinalness matters — she initiates, she structures, she would rather be the one who set the plan in motion than the one who reacts to someone else's. Saturn's influence shows up as a particular kind of patience: she will wait out almost any difficulty as long as she can see a reason to. In a disagreement she doesn't raise her voice; she gets precise, which can be more unsettling. She tends to carry responsibility the way other people carry a phone — constantly, reflexively, without thinking to put it down. The ambition is real but it's rarely loud. She'd rather show you the finished result than describe what she's working toward.

Capricorn in detail

Capricorn compatibilityHow Capricorn reads against each of the other eleven signs by element and modality — including where the tradition declines to say anything.Planets in CapricornSun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune in Capricorn, read from sources you can open for free. Your Sun sign is one placement of ten.

More on Capricorn