The Bull · Earth sign

Taurus zodiac sign

Taurus follows Aries with the fixed earth sign of the zodiac. Ruled by Venus, it is associated with patience, comfort, loyalty and a taste for things that are well made and built to last.

April 20 to May 20

Earth · Fixed · Bull · ruled by Venus

Star chart of the constellation Taurus, with its main stars joined by gold lines

Taurus dates

Taurus covers birthdays from April 20 to May 20 in the conventional tropical table used on this site. The exact moment the Sun enters Taurus changes slightly each year, which is why people born on April 20 or May 20 sometimes find different answers online.

From 1950 to 2050 the Sun entered Taurus on April 19 in 55 of those years, April 20 in 46 of those years in US Eastern Time. For a birthday on a boundary date, the birth year, time and time zone decide the sign.

When the Sun enters Taurus (calculated from the JPL DE440s ephemeris)
YearUS Eastern TimeUTC
2024April 19, 9:59 AM EDTApril 19, 13:59 UTC
2025April 19, 3:56 PM EDTApril 19, 19:56 UTC
2026April 19, 9:39 PM EDTApril 20, 01:39 UTC
2027April 20, 3:17 AM EDTApril 20, 07:17 UTC
2028April 19, 9:09 AM EDTApril 19, 13:09 UTC

Taurus personality traits

Traditional astrology pictures Taurus as calm, practical and persistent, with a strong appreciation for food, music, nature and physical comfort. Fixed earth is read as the most stable combination in the zodiac, which is why stubbornness appears alongside reliability in almost every description.

Traditional strengths

  • Patient and dependable
  • Builds long-term security
  • Grounded in practical detail
  • Loyal to people and routines

Traditional challenges

  • Resisting necessary change
  • Holding on to possessions or grudges
  • Slow to reconsider a position
  • Comfort-seeking that becomes inertia

Keywords: steadiness, comfort, patience, loyalty, sensuality.

Taurus in love and compatibility

In love, Taurus is described as steady, affectionate and physical, preferring consistency to drama. Traditional advice stresses reliability, shared everyday pleasures and patience with a slow-to-commit start.

Traditionally, Taurus gets on most easily with Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces. Signs described as more challenging are Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius.

Taurus compatibility with every sign (traditional symbolism)
Taurus withAspectElement · modalityTraditional reading
AriesSemi-sextileFire · CardinalMixed
GeminiSemi-sextileAir · MutableMixed
CancerSextileWater · CardinalHarmonious
LeoSquareFire · FixedChallenging
VirgoTrineEarth · MutableMost harmonious
LibraQuincunxAir · CardinalChallenging
ScorpioOppositionWater · FixedComplementary
SagittariusQuincunxFire · MutableChallenging
CapricornTrineEarth · CardinalMost harmonious
AquariusSquareAir · FixedChallenging
PiscesSextileWater · MutableHarmonious

Compare Taurus with any sign in the compatibility checker.

Taurus in friendship and family

In traditional sign symbolism, Taurus brings themes of steadiness and comfort. These examples are prompts for reflection, not descriptions of every person born under the sign.

Friendship

Regular check-ins, familiar places and a promise kept fit the Taurus theme. If a friend proposes something unfamiliar, try a small version before ruling it out.

Family and shared life

Routines can make shared life easier. Before insisting that a household habit stay unchanged, ask which part actually provides security and which part others would like to adjust.

A person’s actions, circumstances and boundaries matter more than a sign label. Explore the symbolism of sign pairings without using it to decide who deserves trust.

Taurus at work

Taurus is linked with finance, agriculture, cooking, design, building, music and any craft where quality accumulates over time. Astrologers say it performs best with clear expectations and time to do things properly.

Emotional needs and communication

Emotional security, physical closeness and predictability are the needs astrologers most often name for Taurus.

Taurus is said to speak slowly and mean it. An apology from the bull is traditionally expressed through actions, such as cooking a meal or keeping a promise, more than through words.

The Taurus symbol and its mythology

The glyph ♉ represents the bull. Taurus is identified with the white bull whose form Zeus took to carry the princess Europa across the sea to Crete. Much older Mesopotamian sources already knew this star group as the Bull of Heaven.

The constellation Taurus gave the sign its name, but the sign and the constellation are no longer aligned. Its brightest star is Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri). See when the Sun actually passes through each constellation.

Taurus traditional associations

AssociationIn Western astrology
DatesApril 20 to May 20 (conventional)
SymbolBull
Glyph♉
ElementEarth
ModalityFixed
PolarityNegative (yin)
Ruling planetVenus
ExaltationMoon
Opposite signScorpio
Natural house2nd house
Body area (melothesia)Neck and throat
Tarot card (Golden Dawn)The Hierophant
Colors often citedGreen
Stones often citedEmerald, rose quartz, sapphire
ConstellationTaurus
Brightest starAldebaran (Alpha Tauri)

Colors and stones vary between modern sources and have no single historical standard. The other associations are long-standing conventions of Western astrology.

A prompt, not a prediction

Which routines support you, and which are simply familiar?

Keep one habit that makes daily life easier. Try a small adjustment to another and notice whether the change helps.

Taurus questions

What are the dates for Taurus?

Taurus runs from April 20 to May 20 in the conventional tropical table. Between 1950 and 2050 the Sun entered Taurus on April 19 in 55 of those years, April 20 in 46 of those years (US Eastern Time).

What element is Taurus?

Taurus is a earth sign, together with Virgo and Capricorn. It is also a fixed sign.

What is Taurus’s ruling planet?

Taurus is traditionally ruled by Venus.

Which signs are most compatible with Taurus?

In traditional astrology the easiest matches are the other signs of the same element and the signs of the complementary element: Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces. These are symbolic tendencies, not predictions.

What is the Taurus symbol?

The Taurus symbol is the bull, written with the glyph ♉. Taurus is identified with the white bull whose form Zeus took to carry the princess Europa across the sea to Crete.

More about Taurus

Other earth signs

Continue around the zodiac

Sources

Updated · How we write and check this guide