April zodiac sign: Aries, then Taurus
By Nick Krüger · Updated October 31, 2026 · How we write these pages
The short answer
People born in April are Aries or Taurus. April 1 to about April 19 is Aries, the cardinal fire sign ruled by Mars, and about April 20 to 30 is Taurus, the fixed earth sign ruled by Venus. In US Eastern time the Sun has entered Taurus on April 19 in more years than on April 20.
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Read my whole chartApril birthdays: from fire to earth
April starts in the fast lane and ends in a meadow. Its first nineteen days are Aries, the sign of the spark: bold, impatient, competitive, always first through the door. The last eleven are Taurus, the sign of the field after planting: calm, sensual, patient and very hard to move. Mars rules the first and Venus the second, the two planets tradition pairs as lovers and opposites.
April 1 being April Fools' Day in Aries, the sign of pranks and quick wits, and April 22 being Earth Day in Taurus, the first of the earth signs, are coincidences that astrologers enjoy pointing out.
April 19 and April 20: the cusp most tables get wrong
Most zodiac tables print Taurus from April 20. For a US birth that is often a day late. The Sun enters Taurus at a different minute each year, and on the Eastern clock that moment has landed on April 19 in more of the years from 1970 to 2035 than on April 20. On the Pacific clock, three hours earlier, April 19 is more common still. The day table below shows how each date of the month splits.
Mars or Venus leads. What follows?
Your April sign is one placement. Get your Moon, rising sign and every planet read from your birth chart, plus a daily horoscope from today's sky.
Read my whole chartApril zodiac signs, day by day
On the US Eastern clock, April 1 to 18 is always Aries and April 21 onward is always Taurus. In between is the change: from 1970 to 2035 the Sun entered Taurus on April 19 in 37 of the 66 years and April 20 in 29. On the change day itself, a birth before the moment in the year table below is Aries and a birth after it is Taurus.
| Birthday | Sun sign (US Eastern time) |
|---|---|
| April 1 to 18 | Aries |
| April 19 | Aries all day in 29 years, the change day in 37 |
| April 20 | The change day in 29, Taurus all day in 37 |
| April 21 to 30 | Taurus |
When Taurus begins each year, in Eastern time
The Sun's entry into Taurus slides about six hours later each year and jumps back after a leap day. The next two are April 20, 2027 at 3:20 am Eastern, then April 19, 2028 at 9:00 am Eastern. Times are good to within 15 minutes. For Central time take one hour off, for Mountain two and for Pacific three, which can move the change to the day before; the sign page lists the same moments in UTC.
| Year | Taurus begins (ET) | Year, cont. | Taurus begins, cont. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Apr 20, 7:10 am | 2003 | Apr 20, 8:00 am |
| 1971 | Apr 20, 1:00 pm | 2004 | Apr 19, 1:50 pm |
| 1972 | Apr 19, 6:40 pm | 2005 | Apr 19, 7:30 pm |
| 1973 | Apr 20, 12:30 am | 2006 | Apr 20, 1:20 am |
| 1974 | Apr 20, 7:20 am | 2007 | Apr 20, 7:10 am |
| 1975 | Apr 20, 1:10 pm | 2008 | Apr 19, 12:50 pm |
| 1976 | Apr 19, 6:00 pm | 2009 | Apr 19, 6:40 pm |
| 1977 | Apr 19, 11:50 pm | 2010 | Apr 20, 12:30 am |
| 1978 | Apr 20, 5:40 am | 2011 | Apr 20, 6:20 am |
| 1979 | Apr 20, 11:30 am | 2012 | Apr 19, 12:10 pm |
| 1980 | Apr 19, 5:20 pm | 2013 | Apr 19, 6:00 pm |
| 1981 | Apr 19, 11:10 pm | 2014 | Apr 19, 11:50 pm |
| 1982 | Apr 20, 5:00 am | 2015 | Apr 20, 5:40 am |
| 1983 | Apr 20, 10:50 am | 2016 | Apr 19, 11:30 am |
| 1984 | Apr 19, 4:40 pm | 2017 | Apr 19, 5:20 pm |
| 1985 | Apr 19, 10:30 pm | 2018 | Apr 19, 11:10 pm |
| 1986 | Apr 20, 4:10 am | 2019 | Apr 20, 5:00 am |
| 1987 | Apr 20, 11:00 am | 2020 | Apr 19, 10:50 am |
| 1988 | Apr 19, 4:50 pm | 2021 | Apr 19, 4:40 pm |
| 1989 | Apr 19, 10:30 pm | 2022 | Apr 19, 10:20 pm |
| 1990 | Apr 20, 4:20 am | 2023 | Apr 20, 4:10 am |
| 1991 | Apr 20, 10:10 am | 2024 | Apr 19, 10:00 am |
| 1992 | Apr 19, 3:50 pm | 2025 | Apr 19, 3:40 pm |
| 1993 | Apr 19, 9:40 pm | 2026 | Apr 19, 9:30 pm |
| 1994 | Apr 20, 3:30 am | 2027 | Apr 20, 3:20 am |
| 1995 | Apr 20, 9:20 am | 2028 | Apr 19, 9:00 am |
| 1996 | Apr 19, 3:10 pm | 2029 | Apr 19, 2:50 pm |
| 1997 | Apr 19, 9:00 pm | 2030 | Apr 19, 8:40 pm |
| 1998 | Apr 20, 2:50 am | 2031 | Apr 20, 2:30 am |
| 1999 | Apr 20, 8:50 am | 2032 | Apr 19, 8:20 am |
| 2000 | Apr 19, 2:40 pm | 2033 | Apr 19, 2:10 pm |
| 2001 | Apr 19, 8:20 pm | 2034 | Apr 19, 8:00 pm |
| 2002 | Apr 20, 2:10 am | 2035 | Apr 20, 1:50 am |
Aries in April, Taurus in April
The diamond is April's birthstone, the hardest natural material, which suits both the Aries will and the Taurus refusal to budge. The decans in the table use the traditional Chaldean order of sub-rulers.
| Trait | Aries (April 1 to 19) | Taurus (April 20 to 30) |
|---|---|---|
| Element and modality | Cardinal fire | Fixed earth |
| Ruler | Mars | Venus |
| Pace | Starts now, asks later | Takes its time, then holds firm |
| In love | Direct and fast | Slow and loyal |
| Decan in April | Second and third: Sun, then Venus | First: Mercury |
Mars or Venus leads. What follows?
Your April sign is one placement. Get your Moon, rising sign and every planet read from your birth chart, plus a daily horoscope from today's sky.
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