20 Mayan day signs: how the Tzolk’in really works

What are the 20 Mayan day signs?

The Tzolk’in is a repeating 260-day calendar combining twenty day names and thirteen numbers. English-language sites often call the day name associated with your birth a “Mayan day sign.” That is a convenient search term, not a claim that there was one universal Maya zodiac with identical meanings across different Maya cultures.

The same twenty names repeat every twenty days, while the numbers cycle from one to thirteen. The two sequences only return to the same combination after 260 days. Therefore, identifying a day name without its number leaves out part of your Tzolk’in date.

The 20 names in one common reference convention

Our calculator uses a particular set of standardized names for readability. These should not replace community-specific names or ceremonial practices. Below is the day-name sequence; the English spelling, apostrophes and transliteration you see elsewhere may differ.

1. Imix — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 1). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
2. Ik’ — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 2). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
3. Ak’b’al — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 3). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
4. K’an — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 4). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
5. Chikchan — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 5). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
6. Kimi — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 6). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
7. Manik’ — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 7). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
8. Lamat — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 8). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
9. Muluk — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 9). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
10. Ok — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 10). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
11. Chuwen — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 11). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
12. Eb’ — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 12). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
13. B’en — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 13). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
14. Ix — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 14). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
15. Men — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 15). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
16. K’ib’ — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 16). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
17. Kab’an — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 17). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
18. Etz’nab’ — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 18). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
19. Kawak — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 19). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.
20. Ajaw — one of the twenty recurring day names in this article’s reference naming convention (position 20). Names and spellings can vary across Maya languages and traditions; a single English label is not a universal community translation.

Why does the number matter?

Thirteen and twenty are both essential to the count. Think of two rotating sequences: one advances through numbers one to thirteen, the other through twenty names. Every day both move forward. Someone born on a day called Ajaw, for example, also receives a number. The calendar designation is the pair, such as 4 Ajaw—not only the word Ajaw.

How do I calculate my own Maya day sign?

Use the free ORACLASTRA Maya birth chart calculator. Enter your Gregorian birth date to see your Tzolk’in name and number, plus your Haab’ position and Long Count. You do not need to buy a report or complete a separate form for the free conversion. The conversion uses the stated GMT 584283 correlation, which lets you compare its output with other tools that document the same method.

Are Mayan day signs the same as Western zodiac signs?

No. The Western tropical zodiac divides the Sun’s annual path into twelve signs. The Tzolk’in combines twenty day names with thirteen numbers in a 260-day cycle. Treating the twenty names as exact substitutes for Aries through Pisces would erase the very different calendar structures behind each tradition.

Can a day name predict my personality or future?

A calendar conversion identifies a date within a counting system; it cannot scientifically establish your personality, compatibility or future. Living Maya traditions can assign ceremonial significance to day counts, but interpretations vary across communities. ORACLASTRA labels its personalized creative reading as contemporary symbolic storytelling rather than claiming a universally authenticated ancestral personality report.

What else does my birth date reveal in the Maya calendar?

The Haab’ consists of eighteen twenty-day periods plus the five-day Wayeb. Combined with the Tzolk’in, its date repeats in a Calendar Round after 18,980 days, or 52 Haab’ years. The Long Count can locate a date across much longer spans. All three systems provide different information; none should be confused with the modern Gregorian calendar.

What should I read next?

Start with our step-by-step birth sign guide, then visit our Tzolk’in, Haab’ and Long Count explainer. Ready to try your date? Calculate your Maya birth date free →

References and editorial method

For primary cultural and calendar context, consult the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian’s Calendar System, its Maya Calendar Converter, and the Living Maya Time collection featuring contemporary Maya perspectives. Spellings and conventions used by an online calculator are editorial choices and must be distinguished from living community usage.