Chinese zodiac · Yin · animal number 10 of 12

Year of the Rooster: years, element cycle and traits

The tenth animal, traditionally linked with punctuality, pride in work and plain speaking.

Animal: 雞 jī · Earthly branch: 酉 yǒu

The Rooster is tenth and is the only bird in the zodiac. Roosters crow at dawn, so the animal has long stood for the start of the day and for diligence. In Chinese folk belief the crowing of the rooster is thought to drive off dark spirits.

Rooster years from 1924 to 2031

The Chinese zodiac animal changes at Lunar New Year, not on 1 January. Each row shows the date the Rooster year begins and the last day before the next animal takes over. Dates follow China Standard Time (UTC+8) and are computed from the positions of the Sun and the new Moon.

If you were born in January or February, check the start date before assuming your animal. For example, a person born on 15 January 2029 was born before the 2029 Lunar New Year on 2029-02-13, so their zodiac animal is the Monkey from the previous year, not the Rooster. Birth place can also matter near the boundary, because the date is set in China time.

The element cycle for the Rooster

The Chinese calendar pairs the 12 animals with five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each element covers two consecutive years, first yang and then yin, so the full pairing of animal and element repeats only every 60 years. The Rooster is a yin animal, and in the Four Pillars (BaZi) system its own fixed element is Metal, which is separate from the element of the year.

• Wood Rooster (1945, 2005): the Wood element is read as growth, planning and reaching outward.
• Fire Rooster (1957, 2017): the Fire element is read as warmth, expression and quick action.
• Earth Rooster (1969, 2029): the Earth element is read as steadiness, care and holding things together.
• Metal Rooster (1981): the Metal element is read as clarity, precision and firm edges.
• Water Rooster (1933, 1993): the Water element is read as adaptability, depth and flowing around obstacles.

The traditional hour of the Rooster is 17:00 to 19:00. The popular zodiac year begins at Lunar New Year, while the Four Pillars system begins its year at Lichun, around 4 February; the two can give different animals for dates in early February, as explained on how we calculate.

Traits as reflection

People born in a Rooster year are traditionally described as precise, candid and proud of good work. The character is often said to notice details, speak plainly and prefer a clear plan. None of this describes every person born in a Rooster year; read it as a mirror to hold up, not a rule.

Rooster compatibility table

Traditional folk compatibility compares animals by position on the 12-step cycle. The Rooster's trine allies are the Ox and Snake; its sixth-harmony partner is the Dragon; the opposite animal, the traditional clash, is the Rabbit. These are folk groupings, offered as conversation starters rather than verdicts on any relationship.

The animal is only one part of a Chinese chart, and Western signs add another layer. See the compatibility report for two-chart comparisons, or browse the 12 zodiac signs.

Questions to reflect on

• Is this the right time to say it, or only the right thing?
• What would good enough look like for this task?
• Who would like to hear what I admire in them?

Explore other animals

Next in the cycle: Dog. Before: Monkey. The full year-by-year table lists every year from 1924 to 2031, and the origins and sources page explains where these traditions come from.

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.