Hokudai/Cast 96: What Are the 12 Animals of the Chinese Zodiac?

Chinese New Year'sis just around the corner this year so we thought we'd introduce the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. They are:

rat
ox (cow)
tiger
rabbit
dragon
snake

horse
ram (sheep)
monkey
rooster (chicken)
dog
pig

Three of them, the ox, ram, and rooster, sometimes have different names. One, the dragon, is the only mythical animal. I've been told it's because the dragon is very strong. Also, the rat is a strong symbol rather than, like in the west, a dirty animal. It's always enlightening to view the world through different eyes, isn't it?

In other events, the school year in Japan goes from April to March. Today is mid-January so school is winding down right about now. Final exams are looming up and students are getting nervous. On the other hand, after the final exams comes spring vacation. Spring vacation goes from early February to the first week of April. Two months! Very nice, eh?

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Hokudai/Cast: Your fun-service podcast for learning Japanese, English, and Chinese.