How the Chinese Zodiac Works
The Chinese zodiac, or shengxiao, gives each year one of 12 animals in a fixed order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each year also has one of five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water), and each element lasts two years in a row. Together they make a 60-year cycle, so a Fire Horse year like 2026 comes around only once every 60 years.
Born in January or February? Check the Date
The zodiac year does not start on January 1. It starts on Lunar New Year, which falls between January 21 and February 20. If you were born in January or early February, before that year's Lunar New Year, your animal is the one for the previous year. For example, the Year of the Horse began on January 27, 1990, so someone born on February 1, 1990 is a Horse, but someone born on January 20, 1990 is still a Snake, the animal of 1989. The calculator uses the exact Lunar New Year date for each birth year, so it handles this for you.
Chinese Zodiac Years by Animal
| Animal | Years |
|---|---|
| Rat | 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 |
| Ox | 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| Tiger | 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| Rabbit | 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| Dragon | 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 |
| Snake | 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 |
| Horse | 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 |
| Goat | 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 |
| Monkey | 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 |
| Rooster | 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 |
| Dog | 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 |
| Pig | 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 |
Years start on Lunar New Year, not January 1. See the full chart below for exact start and end dates.
The 12 Animals and Their Traits
- Rat: quick-witted, resourceful and adaptable.
- Ox: diligent, dependable and determined.
- Tiger: brave, confident and competitive.
- Rabbit: gentle, elegant and kind.
- Dragon: ambitious, energetic and charismatic.
- Snake: wise, intuitive and calm.
- Horse: free-spirited, active and warm-hearted.
- Goat: creative, gentle and compassionate.
- Monkey: clever, curious and playful.
- Rooster: observant, hardworking and honest.
- Dog: loyal, sincere and protective.
- Pig: generous, easygoing and diligent.
Compatibility
Traditionally, the animals form four groups of three that get along well: Rat, Dragon and Monkey; Ox, Snake and Rooster; Tiger, Horse and Dog; and Rabbit, Goat and Pig. Animals six years apart are said to clash: Rat and Horse, Ox and Goat, Tiger and Monkey, Rabbit and Rooster, Dragon and Dog, and Snake and Pig. Your benmingnian, the year of your own animal, comes every 12 years and is traditionally considered a year to be careful, which is why many people wear red during it.
Chinese Zodiac Year Chart, 1950 to 2026
| Year | Sign | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Metal Tiger | Feb 17, 1950 – Feb 5, 1951 |
| 1951 | Metal Rabbit | Feb 6, 1951 – Jan 26, 1952 |
| 1952 | Water Dragon | Jan 27, 1952 – Feb 13, 1953 |
| 1953 | Water Snake | Feb 14, 1953 – Feb 3, 1954 |
| 1954 | Wood Horse | Feb 4, 1954 – Jan 23, 1955 |
| 1955 | Wood Goat | Jan 24, 1955 – Feb 11, 1956 |
| 1956 | Fire Monkey | Feb 12, 1956 – Jan 30, 1957 |
| 1957 | Fire Rooster | Jan 31, 1957 – Feb 17, 1958 |
| 1958 | Earth Dog | Feb 18, 1958 – Feb 7, 1959 |
| 1959 | Earth Pig | Feb 8, 1959 – Jan 27, 1960 |
| 1960 | Metal Rat | Jan 28, 1960 – Feb 14, 1961 |
| 1961 | Metal Ox | Feb 15, 1961 – Feb 4, 1962 |
| 1962 | Water Tiger | Feb 5, 1962 – Jan 24, 1963 |
| 1963 | Water Rabbit | Jan 25, 1963 – Feb 12, 1964 |
| 1964 | Wood Dragon | Feb 13, 1964 – Feb 1, 1965 |
| 1965 | Wood Snake | Feb 2, 1965 – Jan 20, 1966 |
| 1966 | Fire Horse | Jan 21, 1966 – Feb 8, 1967 |
| 1967 | Fire Goat | Feb 9, 1967 – Jan 29, 1968 |
| 1968 | Earth Monkey | Jan 30, 1968 – Feb 16, 1969 |
| 1969 | Earth Rooster | Feb 17, 1969 – Feb 5, 1970 |
| 1970 | Metal Dog | Feb 6, 1970 – Jan 26, 1971 |
| 1971 | Metal Pig | Jan 27, 1971 – Feb 14, 1972 |
| 1972 | Water Rat | Feb 15, 1972 – Feb 2, 1973 |
| 1973 | Water Ox | Feb 3, 1973 – Jan 22, 1974 |
| 1974 | Wood Tiger | Jan 23, 1974 – Feb 10, 1975 |
| 1975 | Wood Rabbit | Feb 11, 1975 – Jan 30, 1976 |
| 1976 | Fire Dragon | Jan 31, 1976 – Feb 17, 1977 |
| 1977 | Fire Snake | Feb 18, 1977 – Feb 6, 1978 |
| 1978 | Earth Horse | Feb 7, 1978 – Jan 27, 1979 |
| 1979 | Earth Goat | Jan 28, 1979 – Feb 15, 1980 |
| 1980 | Metal Monkey | Feb 16, 1980 – Feb 4, 1981 |
| 1981 | Metal Rooster | Feb 5, 1981 – Jan 24, 1982 |
| 1982 | Water Dog | Jan 25, 1982 – Feb 12, 1983 |
| 1983 | Water Pig | Feb 13, 1983 – Feb 1, 1984 |
| 1984 | Wood Rat | Feb 2, 1984 – Feb 19, 1985 |
| 1985 | Wood Ox | Feb 20, 1985 – Feb 8, 1986 |
| 1986 | Fire Tiger | Feb 9, 1986 – Jan 28, 1987 |
| 1987 | Fire Rabbit | Jan 29, 1987 – Feb 16, 1988 |
| 1988 | Earth Dragon | Feb 17, 1988 – Feb 5, 1989 |
| 1989 | Earth Snake | Feb 6, 1989 – Jan 26, 1990 |
| 1990 | Metal Horse | Jan 27, 1990 – Feb 14, 1991 |
| 1991 | Metal Goat | Feb 15, 1991 – Feb 3, 1992 |
| 1992 | Water Monkey | Feb 4, 1992 – Jan 22, 1993 |
| 1993 | Water Rooster | Jan 23, 1993 – Feb 9, 1994 |
| 1994 | Wood Dog | Feb 10, 1994 – Jan 30, 1995 |
| 1995 | Wood Pig | Jan 31, 1995 – Feb 18, 1996 |
| 1996 | Fire Rat | Feb 19, 1996 – Feb 6, 1997 |
| 1997 | Fire Ox | Feb 7, 1997 – Jan 27, 1998 |
| 1998 | Earth Tiger | Jan 28, 1998 – Feb 15, 1999 |
| 1999 | Earth Rabbit | Feb 16, 1999 – Feb 4, 2000 |
| 2000 | Metal Dragon | Feb 5, 2000 – Jan 23, 2001 |
| 2001 | Metal Snake | Jan 24, 2001 – Feb 11, 2002 |
| 2002 | Water Horse | Feb 12, 2002 – Jan 31, 2003 |
| 2003 | Water Goat | Feb 1, 2003 – Jan 21, 2004 |
| 2004 | Wood Monkey | Jan 22, 2004 – Feb 8, 2005 |
| 2005 | Wood Rooster | Feb 9, 2005 – Jan 28, 2006 |
| 2006 | Fire Dog | Jan 29, 2006 – Feb 17, 2007 |
| 2007 | Fire Pig | Feb 18, 2007 – Feb 6, 2008 |
| 2008 | Earth Rat | Feb 7, 2008 – Jan 25, 2009 |
| 2009 | Earth Ox | Jan 26, 2009 – Feb 13, 2010 |
| 2010 | Metal Tiger | Feb 14, 2010 – Feb 2, 2011 |
| 2011 | Metal Rabbit | Feb 3, 2011 – Jan 22, 2012 |
| 2012 | Water Dragon | Jan 23, 2012 – Feb 9, 2013 |
| 2013 | Water Snake | Feb 10, 2013 – Jan 30, 2014 |
| 2014 | Wood Horse | Jan 31, 2014 – Feb 18, 2015 |
| 2015 | Wood Goat | Feb 19, 2015 – Feb 7, 2016 |
| 2016 | Fire Monkey | Feb 8, 2016 – Jan 27, 2017 |
| 2017 | Fire Rooster | Jan 28, 2017 – Feb 15, 2018 |
| 2018 | Earth Dog | Feb 16, 2018 – Feb 4, 2019 |
| 2019 | Earth Pig | Feb 5, 2019 – Jan 24, 2020 |
| 2020 | Metal Rat | Jan 25, 2020 – Feb 11, 2021 |
| 2021 | Metal Ox | Feb 12, 2021 – Jan 31, 2022 |
| 2022 | Water Tiger | Feb 1, 2022 – Jan 21, 2023 |
| 2023 | Water Rabbit | Jan 22, 2023 – Feb 9, 2024 |
| 2024 | Wood Dragon | Feb 10, 2024 – Jan 28, 2025 |
| 2025 | Wood Snake | Jan 29, 2025 – Feb 16, 2026 |
| 2026 | Fire Horse | Feb 17, 2026 – early Feb 2027 |
Want your Western star sign too? Use the zodiac sign calculator.
