The Psychic Studio
Cancer zodiac dates run from about June 21 to July 22. If your birthday is July 4, June 28 or any day between those two, your Sun sign is Cancer. The first and last day of the range move around by a day, because the Sun changes signs at a different hour each year.
This guide covers the date range, the edge dates and what defines the sign. It uses the Western tropical zodiac, the system most horoscope sites follow.
Cancer date range
Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac. The Sun enters it around June 20 or 21, at the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, and leaves around July 22 or 23. In most years the range is June 21 to July 22.
Quick checks. A June 21 birthday is Cancer in most years but Gemini in some. A July 10 birthday is always Cancer. A July 23 birthday is Leo in most years.
Why the dates shift
The Sun takes about 365.24 days to move around the zodiac. Leap years reset the count, so the exact moment of the solstice slides between June 20 and June 21. Cancer starts on that moment, and the exit date moves with it between July 22 and July 23.
For a birthday on June 20, June 21, July 22 or July 23, find the Sun's entry time for your birth year and place. The birth chart tool uses your date, time and location, so you get the answer for your own birthday.
Cancer on the cusp
A birthday near the edge gets the label "Gemini-Cancer cusp" or "Cancer-Leo cusp". Astrology does not treat the cusp as a separate sign. You have one Sun sign, and the neighbor shows up in how you describe your style.
Read the Gemini dates and the Leo dates next to your birthday if you are close to an edge.
What defines Cancer
Cancer is a water sign and a cardinal sign, which means it starts a season. The Moon rules it, the fastest-moving body in the sky and the one tied to mood and memory. Astrology describes Cancer as protective, intuitive and tied to home, with a hard shell that protects a soft center.
The usual critique is moodiness. A Cancer who holds a grudge for six months is the classic case. The strength is the same trait pointed outward: Cancer remembers your birthday, your coffee order and the name of your childhood dog.
The tarot card often linked to the sign is the Moon, which stands for intuition, dreams and what is not yet clear. Open the full Cancer sign guide for love, work and strengths.
Cancer compatibility by element
Water signs share Cancer's emotional range: Scorpio and Pisces read as the closest fits. Earth signs such as Taurus and Virgo give Cancer the stability it likes. Fire and air signs can work, though they move faster than Cancer prefers.
Look up any pair in the compatibility guide, and open your daily card on the Cancer horoscope page.
Cancer season
Cancer season opens with the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Many Cancers say they feel the pull toward home, family and a quiet night in. The timing fits a sign that treats the front door as the center of the world.
Cancer questions
What are the Cancer dates?
Cancer runs from about June 21 to July 22 in the tropical zodiac. The exact start and end shift by a day from year to year.
Is June 21 Cancer or Gemini?
June 21 is Cancer in most years. In some years the Sun enters Cancer on June 20, and in a few it enters on June 22. Check your birth year.
Is July 22 Cancer or Leo?
July 22 is Cancer in most years and Leo in some. A birth chart with your birth time settles it.
What planet rules Cancer?
The Moon rules Cancer. Astrology links the Moon with emotion, memory and the home.
Is the cusp a real sign?
No. Astrology gives you one Sun sign. The cusp label describes a birthday near the edge.
To pull a card for your sign right now, draw a free tarot reading. It takes under a minute and needs no sign-up. Tarot and horoscope content is for reflection and does not predict events.