Zodiac sign 5 of 12 · सिंह
Leo zodiac sign: dates, traits, love and career
Leo runs from 23 July to 22 August. It is a fixed fire sign ruled by Sun.
Leo falls in the height of the northern summer and is the sign of the Sun. People born under Leo are often warm, generous and confident, and they enjoy bringing people together.
Leo at a glance
| Dates | 23 July to 22 August (a day either way, by year) |
|---|---|
| Symbol | ♌︎ The lion |
| Place in the zodiac | 5 of 12 |
| Element | Fire |
| Modality | Fixed |
| Ruling planet | Sun |
| Polarity | Positive (outgoing; called masculine in older texts) |
| Opposite sign | Aquarius |
| In Hindi | सिंह |
The dates follow the Western (tropical) zodiac. The Sun changes sign at a different hour each year, so if you were born around 23 July or 22 August, the exact sign depends on your birth year, time and place.
Leo traits and nature
In short: Leo people tend to be warm, confident and generous, and they like to lead. The lesson is to listen as well as to shine.
Leo people usually like to lead and to be noticed for what they do well. They put heart into their work, play and friendships, and they are loyal to people who are loyal to them.
Under the confidence there is often a wish to be appreciated. Honest praise brings out their best; feeling ignored can make them proud or hurt.
Strengths
- Warmth and generosity
- Natural leadership
- Creativity
- Loyalty
- Courage to be seen
Things to watch
- Pride
- Needing too much praise
- Taking over a group
- Finding it hard to admit a mistake
Element, modality and ruling planet
Leo is a fire sign. Fire signs are commonly linked with drive, warmth and enthusiasm. The other fire signs are Aries and Sagittarius.
It is a fixed sign. Fixed signs sit in the middle of a season and are said to hold steady and finish what they start. The other fixed signs are Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius.
Its ruling planet is Sun, on which traditional and modern Western astrology agree. Its opposite sign is Aquarius, often read as its complement.
Leo in love and compatibility
In love Leo is often romantic, open and generous, and likes to make a partner feel special. They want warmth and respect in return. A partner who appreciates them and is secure in themselves usually suits them.
The table reads the match with all 12 signs by a common rule: the same element and complementary elements (fire with air, earth with water) read as easy, signs a square apart as tense, and signs that share nothing as mixed.
| With | Element | Aspect | Reading | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Fire | Trine | Easy | Same element: natural understanding. |
| Taurus | Earth | Square | Tense | Same modality, clashing elements: friction that needs patience. |
| Gemini | Air | Sextile | Easy | Complementary elements: friendly and easy going. |
| Cancer | Water | Neighbour | Mixed | Different element and modality: little in common at first, can grow with effort. |
| Leo | Fire | Same sign | Easy | Same element and outlook: easy to understand each other, and the same blind spots. |
| Virgo | Earth | Neighbour | Mixed | Different element and modality: little in common at first, can grow with effort. |
| Libra | Air | Sextile | Easy | Complementary elements: friendly and easy going. |
| Scorpio | Water | Square | Tense | Same modality, clashing elements: friction that needs patience. |
| Sagittarius | Fire | Trine | Easy | Same element: natural understanding. |
| Capricorn | Earth | Quincunx | Mixed | Nothing shared: needs adjustment on both sides. |
| Aquarius | Air | Opposite | Mixed | Complementary elements, same modality: a strong pull that needs give and take. |
| Pisces | Water | Quincunx | Mixed | Nothing shared: needs adjustment on both sides. |
This is a general guide from the sun signs alone. How two people get on shows in their full birth charts; in India, marriage matching uses the Moon sign and nakshatra in Kundli milan. Kundli matching by date of birth · Love calculator
Leo career themes
Fields commonly linked with Leo: Management, Performing arts, Politics and public life, Teaching, Event work, Design.
These are tendencies of the sun sign as commonly described, not predictions. Your rising sign, Moon and the other planets shape each person far more than the sun sign alone.
Western Leo and the Vedic sign
Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac, tied to the seasons: Aries always begins at the March equinox. Indian astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, tied to the stars, which now sits about 24° behind (the Lahiri ayanamsa). That is why most people’s Vedic sun sign is the sign before their Western one.
In 2026 the Sun enters sidereal Simha rashi on 17 August. So of the people born 23 July to 22 August, those born 23 July to 16 August have the Sun in Karka (Cancer) in Vedic astrology, and those born 17 August to 22 August have it in Simha. These are the Sankranti dates.
Your Indian rashi (janma rashi) is a third thing: the sign the Moon was in at your birth. The Moon changes sign about every two and a quarter days, so it needs your date, time and place of birth: use the rashi calculator.
- Leo horoscope: today, weekly, monthly and yearly
- Zodiac sign calculator: by date of birth, with cusp days flagged
- Rashi calculator: your Vedic Moon sign
- Simha rashi (the Vedic Leo)
- Leo tarot card
← Cancer · All 12 zodiac signs · Virgo →
Questions about Leo
What are the Leo dates?
23 July to 22 August. The Sun changes sign at a different hour each year, so the first and last day can shift by a day. If you were born on one of those days, check with the zodiac sign calculator.
What is the ruling planet of Leo?
Sun. Traditional and modern Western astrology agree on it.
Which signs are compatible with Leo?
By the common element and modality rule, Aries, Gemini, Libra and Sagittarius read as easy matches for Leo, and Taurus and Scorpio as tense. It is a general guide: a real match is seen from both full birth charts.
What are Leo traits?
Strengths commonly given for people born under Leo: warmth and generosity, natural leadership and creativity. Things they are often told to watch: pride and needing too much praise. These are tendencies of the sun sign, not certainties.
Is Leo the same as Simha rashi?
No. Leo is the Sun's sign in the Western tropical zodiac. In Indian astrology your rashi is the Moon's sign at birth in the sidereal zodiac, and it can be any of the twelve. Find it with the rashi calculator.
What is a Leo's sun sign in Vedic astrology?
The sidereal zodiac sits about 24° behind, so in 2026 people born 23 July to 16 August have the Sun in Karka (Cancer) in Vedic astrology, and those born 17 August to 22 August have it in Simha.