Capricorn in the tenth sign of the zodiac and is one of the most ambitious and authoritarian of zodiac signs. Planets in Capricorn express their energy carefully and prudently, with great discipline. Capricorn planets always have an eye to the future – as does the Capricorn personality when Capricorn is the Sun sign.

Key Facts About Capricorn

Symbol: Sea Goat
Element: Earth
Quality: Cardinal
Ruling Planet: Saturn
Traditional Colors: Grey, Black, Brown
Traditional Gemstone: Amethyst

Energy Expression Keywords: careful, pessimistic, prudent, ambitious, patient, conventional, rigid, grumbling, responsible, dutiful

Capricorn Sun Sign Personality Traits

Capricorn Sun sign people are ambitious, self-controlled and wise to the ways of the world. A highly practical earth sign, Capricorn people are happy to take a slow and steady, step by step approach towards the success they crave. This long-term strategic gift can be their greatest strength, but it can also make them come across as rather dour and cold.

This is a very conventional zodiac sign, keen to uphold tradition and to do what is expected of them. Methodical and hard-working, many Capricorn personalities go on to have great success in life, but some lack the self-confidence to reach their full potential. In some cases, the Capricorn personality may even self-sabotage their chances of success, through a sense of pessimism or a desire to avoid the risk of failure.

Despite their somewhat cold and sober reputation, the Capricorn personality does have a good sense of humor, if rather a dry one. They will only show this when appropriate, however, and may seem rather stiff and formal on other occasions. Status is enormously important to this zodiac sign, who will want to be seen in the right places, doing the right things, and is very conscious of what other people think.

Patience is a strong Capricorn trait; it doesn’t matter how long it takes, if it’s worth waiting for and aiming for, Capricorn is on board. A huge amount of self-discipline keeps Capricorn on track across many years if necessary. However, a certain amount of inbuilt pessimism, courtesy of the ruling planet Saturn, does mean that Capricorn people can come across as grumbling or moaning a lot.

Nobody could doubt the Capricorn personality’s level of inner responsibility, though. This is the most dutiful of all zodiac signs and will always try to do the right thing.

Capricorn in Love

The Capricorn Sun sign in love is loyal, faithful and dependable. However, their fixation with status does mean that they can sometimes find themselves marrying for the wrong reasons. Capricorn is not an emotionally expressive sign and there will be no grand romantic gestures here – when a Capricorn is in love, however, they will be tender, helpful and supportive to their spouse.

When dating, the Capricorn personality may come across as very serious and perhaps a little bit boring. More fool the person who turns down a Capricorn, however, because beneath the admittedly quite cool exterior burns a sensual earth sign heart and a lot of kindness and compassion.

Best Capricorn Compatibility

Capricorn compatibility often works well with their fellow earth signs, Taurus and Virgo. Perhaps less obviously, there’s also a lot of chemistry between Capricorn and the water signs, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. The water signs help Capricorn to tap into their intuition and instincts, while Capricorn in turn provides grounding and stability for the all-at-sea water signs.

It may not be plain sailing for a Capricorn in a relationship with Gemini or Leo, however. Capricorn and Gemini simply have different priorities and approaches to life which don’t mix especially well. With Leo, while Capricorn may approve of Leo’s social standing and social graces, all those demands for attention are simply too much. In return, Leo finds Capricorn to be far too autocratic.

Astrology compatibility is based on the whole birth chart, however, not just on Sun signs – so take this as a very rough guide only.

Capricorn at Work

Capricorn is one of the hardest working zodiac signs, deeply committed to the job and always striving to do better. The Capricorn personality is a natural with responsibility and can handle high levels of stress more easily than most other signs. The Capricorn Sun sign does best in a career which can be worked at throughout life, with a natural ladder of progression.

As a boss, Capricorn’s autocratic trait comes out strongly, so these individuals are not necessarily easy to work for. They do, however, provide strong leadership and clear communication. As an employee, Capricorn is dutiful and responsible, but can be resentful if they feel that their talents are not being sufficiently recognized and rewarded.

The Capricorn personality is money motivated, not least because of their love of status and their desire to live the right kind of life. A careful approach to money can lead to accusations of miserliness, but it’s usually Capricorn who has the last laugh here.

Great career choices for Capricorn include accountancy and insurance, local government, banking and self-employment. Some Capricorns also enjoy working in the medical profession, particularly in osteopathy, orthotics and orthopaedics.

A Capricorn in the Family

Capricorn Children

Capricorn children are often a little inhibited or shy in their early years, but careful encouragement from parents and siblings can mitigate this. Highly conventional, these children like to follow the rules and will rarely rebel. They may however become troubled if they’re not sure what is expected of them – this zodiac sign child definitely needs a fixed routine in order to feel secure.

At school, Capricorn kids work very hard but may make slow progress at first. They will catch up later but can become easily demoralized and need strong parental support if this is the case. A good way to encourage young Capricorn self-esteem is to reward tasks and responsibilities at home.

Capricorn Parent

The Capricorn parent is loving but can be a little bit emotionally aloof. Capricorn people with kids tend to work very hard and as such, family time can be a bit limited. A conscious effort to inject more fun into the family will benefit everyone.

Capricorn Health

Traditionally, Capricorn as a zodiac sign rules the skeleton and the teeth, and all Capricorns should take good care with their bone health and their dentistry. Long hours working can result in stiffness or a lack of flexibility, so this sign benefits from yoga and similar exercises.

The Capricorn trait for perseverance and determination is reflected in this zodiac sign’s choice of sporting activities, which may include marathon running or endurance sports.

Thanks to the ruling planet Saturn, Capricorn people can be easily prone to pessimism or depression, which is the biggest threat to their mental health. One of the best ways of preventing this is through a varied social life and lots of hobbies. Getting out in the fresh air is always good for this sign – it is an earth sign, after all, but music and literature are also high on the Capricorn enjoyment and fulfilment list.

Capricorn people tend to be more creative than they think and developing a creative hobby can also help to keep depression at bay. Many Capricorns like to work with stone or clay in some way, whether painting it or sculpting with it.