Mood and Interpersonal Metafunction in Japanese Horoscope Texts

Abstract

Horoscope texts play an important role in building trust and influencing readers through predictions and advice, however, how the moods used can realize the interpersonal metafunction from the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) still requires further analysis. This study aims to describe the moods that appear in Japanese horoscope texts and how each mood realizes the interpersonal metafunction. The data consist of annual horoscope texts for the first half of 2026 from the NYLON JAPAN website, which were analyzed using a descriptive-qualitative method with a glossing technique based on the Leipzig Glossing Rules. The results show that declarative mood dominates at 74%, followed by suggestive at 18%, while jussive and requestive each account for 3%, and oblative is not found. These findings indicate that, in addition to providing predictions, horoscope texts also offer guidance and invitations to readers. For future research, it is recommended to explore other aspects of SFL, such as the transitivity system or theme-rheme, in order to gain a deeper understanding of communication strategies and meaning construction in horoscope texts.