Chinese zodiac
Chinese zodiac animals and years
Twelve animals, five elements and one rule that trips people up: the year changes at Lunar New Year, not on 1 January.
The Chinese zodiac is a 12-year cycle of animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each year also carries one of five elements and a yin or yang polarity, so the full pattern repeats every 60 years. Lunar New Year falls between 21 January and 20 February, so anyone born in January or February needs to check the date before naming their animal.
Orrery Lane computes the boundaries from the positions of the Sun and the new Moon, in China Standard Time (UTC+8). Pick an animal for its years, element cycle, traits as reflection and a compatibility table.
The twelve animals
- Rat Recent years: 1996, 2008, 2020
- Ox Recent years: 1997, 2009, 2021
- Tiger Recent years: 1998, 2010, 2022
- Rabbit Recent years: 1999, 2011, 2023
- Dragon Recent years: 2000, 2012, 2024
- Snake Recent years: 2001, 2013, 2025
- Horse Recent years: 2002, 2014, 2026
- Goat Recent years: 2003, 2015, 2027
- Monkey Recent years: 2004, 2016, 2028
- Rooster Recent years: 2005, 2017, 2029
- Dog Recent years: 2006, 2018, 2030
- Pig Recent years: 2007, 2019, 2031
Find your animal by birth year (1924 to 2031)
Find your birth year, then compare your birth date with the start date in the same row. If you were born before the start date, your animal is the one from the row above.
| Year | Animal | Element and polarity | Starts (Lunar New Year) | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Rat | Wood (Yang) | ||
| 1925 | Ox | Wood (Yin) | ||
| 1926 | Tiger | Fire (Yang) | ||
| 1927 | Rabbit | Fire (Yin) | ||
| 1928 | Dragon | Earth (Yang) | ||
| 1929 | Snake | Earth (Yin) | ||
| 1930 | Horse | Metal (Yang) | ||
| 1931 | Goat | Metal (Yin) | ||
| 1932 | Monkey | Water (Yang) | ||
| 1933 | Rooster | Water (Yin) | ||
| 1934 | Dog | Wood (Yang) | ||
| 1935 | Pig | Wood (Yin) | ||
| 1936 | Rat | Fire (Yang) | ||
| 1937 | Ox | Fire (Yin) | ||
| 1938 | Tiger | Earth (Yang) | ||
| 1939 | Rabbit | Earth (Yin) | ||
| 1940 | Dragon | Metal (Yang) | ||
| 1941 | Snake | Metal (Yin) | ||
| 1942 | Horse | Water (Yang) | ||
| 1943 | Goat | Water (Yin) | ||
| 1944 | Monkey | Wood (Yang) | ||
| 1945 | Rooster | Wood (Yin) | ||
| 1946 | Dog | Fire (Yang) | ||
| 1947 | Pig | Fire (Yin) | ||
| 1948 | Rat | Earth (Yang) | ||
| 1949 | Ox | Earth (Yin) | ||
| 1950 | Tiger | Metal (Yang) | ||
| 1951 | Rabbit | Metal (Yin) | ||
| 1952 | Dragon | Water (Yang) | ||
| 1953 | Snake | Water (Yin) | ||
| 1954 | Horse | Wood (Yang) | * | |
| 1955 | Goat | Wood (Yin) | ||
| 1956 | Monkey | Fire (Yang) | ||
| 1957 | Rooster | Fire (Yin) | ||
| 1958 | Dog | Earth (Yang) | ||
| 1959 | Pig | Earth (Yin) | ||
| 1960 | Rat | Metal (Yang) | ||
| 1961 | Ox | Metal (Yin) | ||
| 1962 | Tiger | Water (Yang) | ||
| 1963 | Rabbit | Water (Yin) | ||
| 1964 | Dragon | Wood (Yang) | ||
| 1965 | Snake | Wood (Yin) | ||
| 1966 | Horse | Fire (Yang) | ||
| 1967 | Goat | Fire (Yin) | ||
| 1968 | Monkey | Earth (Yang) | ||
| 1969 | Rooster | Earth (Yin) | ||
| 1970 | Dog | Metal (Yang) | ||
| 1971 | Pig | Metal (Yin) | ||
| 1972 | Rat | Water (Yang) | ||
| 1973 | Ox | Water (Yin) | ||
| 1974 | Tiger | Wood (Yang) | ||
| 1975 | Rabbit | Wood (Yin) | ||
| 1976 | Dragon | Fire (Yang) | ||
| 1977 | Snake | Fire (Yin) | ||
| 1978 | Horse | Earth (Yang) | ||
| 1979 | Goat | Earth (Yin) | ||
| 1980 | Monkey | Metal (Yang) | ||
| 1981 | Rooster | Metal (Yin) | ||
| 1982 | Dog | Water (Yang) | ||
| 1983 | Pig | Water (Yin) | ||
| 1984 | Rat | Wood (Yang) | ||
| 1985 | Ox | Wood (Yin) | ||
| 1986 | Tiger | Fire (Yang) | ||
| 1987 | Rabbit | Fire (Yin) | ||
| 1988 | Dragon | Earth (Yang) | * | |
| 1989 | Snake | Earth (Yin) | ||
| 1990 | Horse | Metal (Yang) | ||
| 1991 | Goat | Metal (Yin) | ||
| 1992 | Monkey | Water (Yang) | ||
| 1993 | Rooster | Water (Yin) | ||
| 1994 | Dog | Wood (Yang) | ||
| 1995 | Pig | Wood (Yin) | ||
| 1996 | Rat | Fire (Yang) | ||
| 1997 | Ox | Fire (Yin) | ||
| 1998 | Tiger | Earth (Yang) | ||
| 1999 | Rabbit | Earth (Yin) | ||
| 2000 | Dragon | Metal (Yang) | ||
| 2001 | Snake | Metal (Yin) | ||
| 2002 | Horse | Water (Yang) | ||
| 2003 | Goat | Water (Yin) | ||
| 2004 | Monkey | Wood (Yang) | ||
| 2005 | Rooster | Wood (Yin) | ||
| 2006 | Dog | Fire (Yang) | ||
| 2007 | Pig | Fire (Yin) | ||
| 2008 | Rat | Earth (Yang) | ||
| 2009 | Ox | Earth (Yin) | ||
| 2010 | Tiger | Metal (Yang) | ||
| 2011 | Rabbit | Metal (Yin) | ||
| 2012 | Dragon | Water (Yang) | ||
| 2013 | Snake | Water (Yin) | ||
| 2014 | Horse | Wood (Yang) | ||
| 2015 | Goat | Wood (Yin) | ||
| 2016 | Monkey | Fire (Yang) | ||
| 2017 | Rooster | Fire (Yin) | ||
| 2018 | Dog | Earth (Yang) | ||
| 2019 | Pig | Earth (Yin) | ||
| 2020 | Rat | Metal (Yang) | ||
| 2021 | Ox | Metal (Yin) | ||
| 2022 | Tiger | Water (Yang) | ||
| 2023 | Rabbit | Water (Yin) | ||
| 2024 | Dragon | Wood (Yang) | ||
| 2025 | Snake | Wood (Yin) | ||
| 2026 | Horse | Fire (Yang) | ||
| 2027 | Goat | Fire (Yin) | * | |
| 2028 | Monkey | Earth (Yang) | ||
| 2029 | Rooster | Earth (Yin) | ||
| 2030 | Dog | Metal (Yang) | * | |
| 2031 | Pig | Metal (Yin) |
* In 1954, 1988, 2027 and 2030 the new Moon falls within minutes of midnight in China, so a calendar built another way can differ by a day. Orrery Lane follows the astronomical definition.
Two kinds of Chinese year
The popular animal year, shown above, begins at Lunar New Year. The Four Pillars (BaZi) system begins its year at Lichun, the moment the Sun reaches 315 degrees of ecliptic longitude, around 4 February. For birthdays in early February the two systems can name different animals. Orrery Lane's free chart shows both and labels each; see how we calculate.
See your Chinese zodiac year
The free chart shows your animal and element beside your Western Sun, Moon and Rising signs, calculated in your browser from your birth details.
Where to go next
- Western signs, dates and rulers: The 12 zodiac signs
- Today's sky: Today
- Two charts side by side: Compatibility report
- Where these traditions come from: Origins and sources
Astrology is a symbolic framework that mainstream science does not recognize. These lines are prompts for reflection, not advice or a forecast. Orrery Lane offers astrology for reflection and entertainment. It does not predict events and is not professional advice.