| Cancer Dates | April 21 - May 20* |
| Zodiac Symbol: | Crab |
| Element: | Water |
| Ruling Planet: | Moon |
| Ruling House: | 4th |
| Quality: | Cardinal |
| Polarity: | Positive |
| Power Color: | Blue, Pale Gray, White |
| Birthstones: | Moonstone, Pearl, Emerald, Ruby |
| Flowers: | White Rose |
| Key Traits: | Nurturing, Vulnerable, Sentimental |
| Desires: | Simplicity, Security, Connection |
| Compatible Signs: | Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio, Pisces |
| Mantra: | "I feel" |
A Summary of the Cancer Zodiac Sign
Intuition and strong emotional intelligence serve as major strengths for the Cancer spirit.
Cancer zodiac signs strongly connect to their feelings and emotions and are strong empathizers that make outstanding lifelong friends. They commonly seek critical emotional support from their friends and loved ones and pride themselves in the depth of care and love they can share.
Cancer is the fourth sign in the zodiac and rules the stomach.
The start of Cancer season marks the Summer Solstice and is the zodiac sign often associated with many successful people.
One of the key Cancer characteristics is their ability to find common ground with different people. They are sociable, intelligent, and able to relate to other zodiac signs in warm, diplomatic ways. The Crab is also a very generous zodiac sign that seeks to focus on the good of the group instead of self-serving themselves.
* The dates of each zodiac page change every three years due to the nature of the Earth’s rotation around the Sun—just like a leap year.
Read Your Free Daily Cancer Horoscopes
Symbol: The Crab
The Crab represents Cancer in the constellations.
They are considered a very emotional astrology sign, but one that can manage their emotions in feelings in healthy, mature ways. They love friends and family because they desire to feel secure in their surroundings, just like a crab.
Unlike the other heavy feelers in the zodiac, Cancer demonstrates the greatest emotional intelligence—they can relate, empathize, and sympathize like no other.
The greatest strength of the Crab is the ability to read rooms and intuitively understand the underlying tones of others present, a near-mythical ability that other zodiacs do not possess. Crabs are loyal and will guard their spheres of loved ones just as a Crab would guard its cave.
The Crab is a steadfast, resilient zodiac sign willing to invest unlimited time and resources to serve friends.
Element: Water
The Water element reflects the internal well of emotions and feelings from within zodiac spirits. Much like a roaring river or a deep ocean, water reflects the depth of human emotion and the ability to connect feelings to people, things, and situations.
Water is also a symbol of strong creativity and passion. Those who carry the Water sign are naturally attracted to bodies of water and seek harmony in all aspects of their lives. Imbalance or conflict for any of the zodiac signs that carry the Water sign is a cause of concern and will become a top priority needed to be resolved.
Water signs are also more willing to enjoy the small things in life. They might seem slower because they take the time to process their thoughts and understand their feelings, but overall, this contributes to their strong emotional intelligence.
When looking for a friend that can sit for long conversations and offer empathy, you can find comfort in Cancer as well as these other Water signs:
Ruling Planet: The Moon
Cancer is ruled by the Moon, showing the strong connection between this zodiac sign and water.
As a Water element, the Crab holds a special relationship with the Moon just as Earth’s oceans have a symbiotic relationship with the Moon and its effects on the changing tides.
The Moon rules Cancer, showing control and dominion over the emotional self. Just as the Moon changes the oceans and tides on Earth, the Moon is also closely responsible for the changing emotions and moods Cancers experience in their spirits.
Being ruled by the Moon means having tremendous depth in how many feelings and emotions they can carry.
Cancer Quadruplicity
Even though all Water signs will be very similar, the differences come from triplicities—the qualities of those signs. Like there are four elements, there are three triplicities. These are Cardinal, Mutable, and Fixed.
The Cancer zodiac is the Cardinal Water sign—an instigator of ideas and a leader. Cancers are also energetic, enterprising, outgoing, and often impulsive.
However, this sign can be afraid to take risks and can be assertive to the point of being aggressive.
Key Personality Characteristics
Cancers are a well-guarded personality type with strong emotional strength and social intelligence characteristics. Like their symbol, the Crab feels exposed and vulnerable when trust is not established in relationships.
Those who carry this zodiac sign are often introverted personalities that focus much of their energy inward.
They are known for being moody, emotional, and often unpredictable—due to the ever-moving Moon that rules over this sign.
This is a sensitive personality type that takes words very seriously. It takes time to develop a sense of trust and acceptance with this zodiac sign to feel safe. Cancer signs are well guarded and can use their intuitions for best judgment in whether or not to trust others. The Crab is incredibly caring and values relationships as one of the essential things in life.
As a Cardinal zodiac sign, the Cancer sign is also very goal-oriented and works hard to be a high achiever. As a Water sign, the Crab is also profoundly creative and draws upon its ocean of emotions to express itself in creative outputs.
Yet however emotional this zodiac may be, they are also incredibly strong in their ability to confront challenges in life.
Top Traits
Emotional strength and intuition will always define Cancer’s strengths and best traits. This emotional, kind-hearted, compassionate personality type makes for an outstanding friend. They are internally focused and able to guard secrets well, making them excellent confidants.
Private, introverted, and soft-spoken are other top personality traits that Cancers possess.
The ability to draw upon emotions to provide empathy and sympathy gives a unique set of strengths that allow this zodiac to connect to other signs unlike any other.
Challenges & Weaknesses
The shadow of a Cancer’s top traits is also focused on the intense emotions they carry. The Crab may be a very guarded, sensitive zodiac sign that can display distance and isolation when feeling unsafe or unwanted.
Moods are ever-changing for this zodiac, so they may seem unpredictable and challenging to deal with in conflict because of their ability to take things too personally at times.
Of course, Cancers take these blows seriously and are not quick to forgive or let go of grudges.
In addition, the strong emotional attachment to this zodiac sign causes them to be clingy and need constant approval and reassurance of their value in relationships.
Cancer During Conflict
The top challenges for Cancer are actively managing their emotions and being aware of the strong source of feelings that flows from within them.
During conflict, Cancers would fare well in managing their emotions and taking time to cool down before responding. In conflict, responding in an emotional state will only cause further conflict, and as such, those under this zodiac need to be aware of their knee-jerk reactions to words that can fly out when upset.
Relationships & Sex: Understanding the Cancer Lover
One trait stands out above all else to the Cancer lover: trust. Cancers do not open up freely. They are often known as treasure chests that take years to open.
These natural caregivers want to feel safe and respected in loving relationships and will reciprocate when they feel contentment in safe and open environments. Cancers are caring, loyal, and deeply dependent on those around them.
Cancers are intense, deep lovers that focus on feelings and connection. These facets are the foundation of the incredible sexual relationships they have. Because, for Cancer, focuses on connection, sexuality and intimacy are best expressed when trust and comfortability are present.
The Cancer Man
- Shy and reserved
- Kind and gentle
- Have a good sense of humor
- Romantic and affectionate
- Responsible, polite, and chivalrous
- Have refined tastes
- Conventional
- Determined and have high expectations
- Have old-fashioned values
- Patient
- Judgmental
- Need attention and affection
- Moody and wistful
The Cancer Woman
- Enjoy food and socializing
- Often collect things
- Like to be pampered and spoiled
- Protective and make sacrifices for their loved ones
- Rarely aggressive
- Prone to mood swings
- Don’t like to be criticized
- Insecure, need lots of reassurance
- Take rejection very hard
- Can be vain and jealous
- Sentimental
The Cancer Child
- Moody
- Observant, good memories
- Need a lot of attention
- Imaginative
- Need a secure home environment, very influenced by their families
- Shy and easily disciplined
- Can entertain themselves
- Independent thinkers
- Nervous and fearful
- Can easily learn how to be cynical and bitter
- Withdrawn and lonely from time to time
- Do not like to be teased
- will throw tantrums
- Get hurt feelings easily
Love Compatibility
Because of the vast amount of emotions and feelings in the Cancer sign, they will need to find someone who can manage the storms of ever-changing moods they will bring.
Taking things slowly, and enjoying all the small moments in between, are the name of the game when it comes to finding a compatible suitor for the Cancer lover.
How to Attract a Cancer
It can be easy to find yourself attracted to a Cancer sign because of their ability to connect feelings on a deep emotional level. There is something keen about how Cancer signs will be able to make other zodiac signs feel deeply for them, drawing on their negative polarity.
This is a guarded zodiac sign, so those seeking to gain the attention of the Crab need to be honest and sensitive.
They are very sentimental and will appreciate the quality time invested in getting to know this person. Making the most of quality time by asking questions about the Cancer’s life and experiences is a good starting point in establishing trust and opening up the doors.
Career & Money: Cancer at Work
Cancers are professional problem solvers. Because of their unique abilities to observe, analyze and assess situations before rushing into action – they are well known for being able to produce creative solutions to complex problems.
Cancers are proud of the success that they find in their careers. The unexplainable, metaphysical relationship that Cancers have with their intuition is also reflected in how they manage their wealth and finances. If it doesn’t feel right to spend money at certain points, they will refrain and wait until a more opportune time. They are more focused on security, developing financial game plans that help them establish strong foundations of financial peace.
Birthstones
The Cancer zodiac birthstones are:
- Moonstone: reflects love and sexuality, exuding emotional energy that connects spirits together.
- Pearl: reflects the deep inner value of the Crab and symbolizes the treasure within.
- Emerald: reflects the inner power that they are able to possess.
- Ruby: used to prove the Cancer crab with the fiery powers of the Sun to harness their emotional intelligence and feelings outward.
Influential Cancer People & Celebrities
- Princess Diana
- Elon Musk
- Tom Cruise
- Tom Hanks
- Robin Williams
- Julius Caesar
- Alexander the Great
- Nelson Mandela
- Ariana Grande
- Selena Gomez
- Christ Pratt
- Meryl Streep
- Solange Knowles
- Nick Offerman
- Khloe Kardashian
- Elon Musk
- Will Ferrell
- Vin Diesel
- Kristen Bell
- Pamela Anderson