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About the Chinese zodiac calculator
The Chinese zodiac has 12 animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig — that follow one after the other, year by year. Each year also has one of five elements (metal, water, wood, fire, earth) and is yin or yang.
There is a catch: the Chinese year does not start on 1 January. It starts at Chinese New Year, on a day between 21 January and 20 February. If you were born in January or February, your animal may be the one of the year before.
This calculator uses your browser's lunar calendar, so it works this out for you. Pick your date of birth and see your animal, the element of the year, yin or yang, the date of Chinese New Year that year, a few words often used to describe your animal, your best matches and the opposite animal.
How to use it
- Pick your date of birth
- Read your animal, the element and yin or yang
- Check the date of Chinese New Year that year
- Look at the table of years of your animal
The 12 animals and their years
| Animal | Recent years |
|---|---|
| 🐀 Rat | 1996, 2008, 2020 |
| 🐂 Ox | 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| 🐅 Tiger | 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| 🐇 Rabbit | 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| 🐉 Dragon | 2000, 2012, 2024 |
| 🐍 Snake | 2001, 2013, 2025 |
| 🐎 Horse | 2002, 2014, 2026 |
| 🐐 Goat | 2003, 2015, 2027 |
| 🐒 Monkey | 2004, 2016, 2028 |
| 🐓 Rooster | 2005, 2017, 2029 |
| 🐕 Dog | 2006, 2018, 2030 |
| 🐖 Pig | 2007, 2019, 2031 |
Chinese New Year dates
| Year | Chinese New Year | Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 25 January | Rat |
| 2021 | 12 February | Ox |
| 2022 | 1 February | Tiger |
| 2023 | 22 January | Rabbit |
| 2024 | 10 February | Dragon |
| 2025 | 29 January | Snake |
| 2026 | 17 February | Horse |
Someone born on 15 January 2024 is still a Rabbit, because the Dragon year began on 10 February.
The five elements
The element comes from the last digit of the year: 0 or 1 — metal, 2 or 3 — water, 4 or 5 — wood, 6 or 7 — fire, 8 or 9 — earth. Even years are yang, odd years are yin. So 2026 is a Fire Horse year, and 1990 was a Metal Horse year. After 60 years the same animal and element come back together.
Matches
The animals are put in four groups of three that get on best:
- Rat, Dragon, Monkey
- Ox, Snake, Rooster
- Tiger, Horse, Dog
- Rabbit, Goat, Pig
The animal six places away (for example Rat and Horse) is the opposite — said to clash. It is a game for fun.
Frequently asked questions
What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
Pick your date of birth above. For dates in January or February, the calculator checks Chinese New Year of your year.
Why is my sign different from the one for my birth year?
If your birthday is before Chinese New Year, you belong to the animal of the year before.
When is Chinese New Year?
It falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, between 21 January and 20 February. The table lists recent years.
What is a Fire Horse or a Wood Dragon?
That is the element plus the animal. The elements move in a cycle of ten years (two years each) and the animals in a cycle of twelve, so the full combination repeats every 60 years.
Which animal is lucky?
All animals have good and bad sides. Ideas of luck are traditions and not science. Enjoy them as culture.
Does it work in all browsers?
It uses the lunar calendar of your browser. If a browser has no lunar calendar, the calculator uses the year of your date and shows a note.
Good to know
- Your date is saved only in this browser
- Names follow your language
- Nothing you type is sent anywhere
Related tools
- Zodiac Sign Calculator — your western star sign
- Lunar Calendar Converter — convert dates to the lunar calendar
- Age Calculator — your exact age
- Moon Phase Calculator — the moon on any date
- Day of the Week Calculator — what day you were born
