Cancer (The Crab)

Cancer (The Crab) is the fourth sign of the zodiac, for people born June 21 – July 22. It's a Cardinal Water sign ruled by the Moon, known for being nurturing, intuitive, and deeply loyal, with strong ties to home and family.

Dates

June 21 – July 22

Element

Water

Modality

Cardinal

Ruling planet

the Moon

Symbol

The Crab

Strengths

Nurturing, Intuitive, Loyal, Empathetic

Challenges

Moody, Over-sensitive, Clingy

Most compatible with

Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus, Virgo

Cancer personality & traits

Cancer is the zodiac's nurturer — intuitive, caring, and emotionally deep. Ruled by the Moon, Cancerians feel everything strongly and are exquisitely attuned to the moods of others. Home and family are sacred to them, and their loyalty runs deep. That sensitivity is their gift and their challenge: they can be moody or retreat into their shell when hurt. At their best, Cancer offers warmth, protection, and profound emotional insight.

Cancer in love & compatibility

In love, Cancer is devoted, tender, and protective — it loves with its whole heart and wants security in return. It bonds most easily with the water signs Scorpio and Pisces, and with the earth signs Taurus and Virgo that offer the stability it craves. Its lesson is not to take things too personally, and to ask for reassurance rather than withdraw.

Cancer at work & career

Cancer thrives in caring, creative, or protective roles: healthcare, teaching, hospitality, real estate, and any work that helps or nurtures others. It has a strong memory and business instinct beneath the soft exterior. A sense of emotional safety at work brings out a Cancer's best.

Cancer is only your Sun sign

Your Sun sign — Cancer — describes your core identity, but it's only one part of your birth chart. Your Moon sign shapes your emotions, your Rising sign shapes how you come across, and the planets in their houses fill in the rest. That's why two Cancer people can feel quite different.

On Zodigram you can generate your full natal chart from your birth date, time, and place — and read AI interpretations of every placement in your language, alongside your Human Design and Gene Keys.

What are the Cancer zodiac dates?

Cancer covers birthdays from June 21 – July 22. If you were born on the edge of these dates (on a "cusp"), your exact Sun sign depends on the year and time of birth, so it's worth checking your birth chart.

What element and ruling planet is Cancer?

Cancer is a Cardinal Water sign ruled by the Moon. This combination shapes its core temperament — the Water element gives its basic drive, and the Cardinal modality shapes how it acts.

Who is Cancer most compatible with?

Cancer tends to be most compatible with Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus and Virgo. That said, real compatibility depends on both people's full charts, not just their Sun signs.