Decan 1 · 1–10°
Sub-ruler: Mars
Double Mars — the most forceful version. Impatient, competitive, first out of the gate.
Roughly the first ten days of the sign.
March 21 – April 19 · Fire · Cardinal · ruled by Mars
♈ Aries
Initiative, appetite and the willingness to go first.
DatesMarch 21 – April 19
SymbolRam ♈
ElementFire
ModalityCardinal
Ruling planetMars
House1
PolarityPositive
Lucky numbers1, 9
Lucky dayTuesday
ColourRed
BirthstoneDiamond, bloodstone
Best matches
Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini
Hardest matches
Pisces, Virgo, Scorpio
Rules the bodyHead and face
Calculated, not approximated
Exact Aries dates for 2026
Sun enters Aries
20 March, 14:38 UTC
Sun leaves Aries
20 April, 01:30 UTC
Length this year
30.5 days
Every other site prints "March 21 – April 19" with a note that dates "may vary by a day". They vary because the Sun crosses the boundary at a specific moment, and that moment shifts each year — but it is not unknowable.
The figures above are computed: the Sun enters Aries when its ecliptic longitude reaches 0°, and that crossing is found to the minute. If you were born near a boundary, this is the answer you actually needed.
Rarely covered
The three Aries decans
Each sign divides into three ten-degree segments, and each has its own sub-ruler. Two people can both be Aries and read as noticeably different because they fall in different decans — roughly, early, middle or late in the sign.
Decan 2 · 11–20°
Sub-ruler: Sun
Warmer and more theatrical. Wants recognition as well as victory.
Roughly the middle ten days of the sign.
Decan 3 · 21–30°
Sub-ruler: Jupiter
Broader and more philosophical. Channels the drive into causes and travel.
Roughly the last ten days of the sign.
Aries personality
Direct
Competitive
Impatient
Courageous
Blunt
Strengths
Starts things other people are still discussing. Recovers from setbacks faster than almost any other sign.
Weaknesses
Bores quickly, interrupts constantly, and treats patience as a personal insult.
Aries is the one cardinal fire sign — and that pairing is the whole explanation. The element sets temperament: fire signs act first and consider afterwards. The modality decides what happens when circumstances change: cardinal signs start the change themselves.
There are exactly twelve combinations of four elements and three modalities, and each is occupied by one sign. That is why no two signs are interchangeable, and why Aries cannot be swapped for the other fire signs without changing the meaning.
The Aries man and woman
Aries man
Direct to the point of bluntness. Pursues openly, loses interest in games, and would rather be told no than left guessing.
Aries woman
Independent and unwilling to be handled. Initiates rather than waits, and reads excessive caution in a partner as a lack of interest.
Worth saying plainly: nothing in astrology assigns different meanings to a sign by gender. These descriptions reflect how the traits are conventionally written about, not a separate system — and plenty of people will recognise themselves in the other one.
Aries in each area of life
In love and relationships
Pursues openly and dislikes ambiguity. Wants a partner who can hold their own ground rather than yield.
As a friend
The one who turns up when something needs doing. Loyal, blunt, and forgets arguments faster than you do.
At work
Best at launching. Loses interest in maintenance, so pairs well with a sign that finishes things.
Career that suits
Best where speed matters and someone has to decide — founding, sales, emergency work, anything with a clock on it.
With money
Earns readily and spends impulsively. Budgeting is the lifelong weak point.
As a child
Physical, competitive and loud. Needs somewhere to burn energy or the energy turns into conflict.
As a parent
Encouraging and hands-on, occasionally pushing a child toward the parent's own ambition rather than the child's.
Health and the body
Head and face — Aries rules the top of the body, and headaches are the traditional weak spot.
Aries compatibility with every sign
Ranked by the angle between the two signs on the wheel — the same geometry astrology uses for aspects. Signs 120° apart share an element and form a trine; 90° apart is a square. Nothing here is a matter of opinion.
| With | Aspect | Angle | Score | Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ♌ Leo | Trine | 120° | 88% | Fire |
| ♐ Sagittarius | Trine | 120° | 88% | Fire |
| ♊ Gemini | Sextile | 60° | 82% | Air |
| ♒ Aquarius | Sextile | 60° | 82% | Air |
| ♈ Aries | Conjunction | 0° | 78% | Fire |
| ♎ Libra | Opposition | 180° | 75% | Air |
| ♋ Cancer | Square | 90° | 62% | Water |
| ♑ Capricorn | Square | 90° | 62% | Earth |
| ♉ Taurus | Semi-sextile | 30° | 58% | Earth |
| ♓ Pisces | Semi-sextile | 30° | 58% | Water |
| ♍ Virgo | Quincunx | 150° | 55% | Earth |
| ♏ Scorpio | Quincunx | 150° | 55% | Water |
Famous Ariess
Lady Gaga, Robert Downey Jr, Maya Angelou, Vincent van Gogh
Lists like this are the weakest evidence in astrology and the most quoted. With roughly a twelfth of all people in any sign, every sign has impressive members — picking four of them proves nothing. Read it as trivia, not as support.
Common questions about Aries
What are the exact Aries dates?
March 21 – April 19 as usually published. In 2026 specifically the Sun enters on 20 March pm31 14:38 UTC and leaves on 20 April am30 01:30 UTC.
Who is Aries most compatible with?
By aspect, Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini. Those sit at the easiest angles on the wheel — but sun signs are one factor of many, and a difficult angle describes friction rather than failure.
What is a Aries decan?
A ten-degree third of the sign with its own sub-ruler: Mars, Sun, Jupiter. It is why two people of the same sign born three weeks apart can read quite differently.
What body part does Aries rule?
Head and face — Aries rules the top of the body, and headaches are the traditional weak spot.
Is the Aries man different from the woman?
Not in the system itself — astrology assigns no gendered meaning to a sign. The separate descriptions above reflect convention in how signs are written about, nothing more.