Chinese zodiac calculator

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By Cobra · Last updated

How to find your Chinese zodiac sign

  1. Enter your date of birth. The sign, element and yin or yang appear at once.
  2. Check the note. If you were born before Chinese New Year in your birth year, the tool says so and gives the previous year's sign.
  3. Only know the year? Choose Year only. You get that year's sign, plus the date range that belongs to the year before.

Why your birth date matters

The Chinese zodiac follows the lunar new year, not January 1. Someone born on January 20, 1990 is a Snake, not a Horse, because the Year of the Horse began on January 27, 1990. Charts that list only years get these birthdays wrong.

Animals and elements

The twelve animals repeat every 12 years: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each year also has one of five elements, set by the last digit of the Chinese 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 and odd years are yin. Together they make a 60 year cycle, so 2026 is a Fire Horse year and the next one is in 2086.

Zodiac years chart

AnimalYears
Rat1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032
Ox1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033
Tiger1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034
Rabbit1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023, 2035
Dragon1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036
Snake1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037
Horse1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038
Goat1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027, 2039
Monkey1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040
Rooster1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041
Dog1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042
Pig1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, 2043

For a birthday in January or February, check the New Year date for that year.

Chinese New Year dates

YearNew YearSign
2020January 25Metal Rat
2021February 12Metal Ox
2022February 1Water Tiger
2023January 22Water Rabbit
2024February 10Wood Dragon
2025January 29Wood Snake
2026February 17Fire Horse
2027February 6Fire Goat
2028January 26Earth Monkey
2029February 13Earth Rooster
2030February 3Metal Dog
2031January 23Metal Pig
2032February 11Water Rat
2033January 31Water Ox
2034February 19Wood Tiger
2035February 8Wood Rabbit

Good to know

New Year dates are for China time. In a few years the date is one day different in other time zones or in calendars such as the Vietnamese one. Some astrologers start the zodiac year at Lichun, around February 4, instead of New Year; this tool uses New Year, the most common way. Traits and matches are traditional beliefs, shown for fun.

Questions

What is my Chinese zodiac sign?

Enter your date of birth and the calculator shows your animal, element and yin or yang. It uses the Chinese New Year date for your birth year, so January and February birthdays are handled correctly.

I was born in January. Is my sign the previous year?

Often, yes. Chinese New Year falls between January 21 and February 20, so if you were born before it, your sign is the animal of the previous year.

What is the Chinese zodiac for 2026?

The Chinese year that starts on February 17, 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse. Births from January 1 to February 16, 2026 belong to the Wood Snake.

How do I find my element?

Look at the last digit of your Chinese zodiac year: 0 or 1 is Metal, 2 or 3 is Water, 4 or 5 is Wood, 6 or 7 is Fire and 8 or 9 is Earth.

Which signs are most compatible?

Traditionally the best matches come in groups of three: Rat, Dragon and Monkey; Ox, Snake and Rooster; Tiger, Horse and Dog; Rabbit, Goat and Pig. The sign six places away is the traditional clash.

Which years does the calculator cover?

Birth dates from January 1, 1900 to December 31, 2100. Birthdays in January 1900 before New Year on January 31 get the Earth Pig of 1899.