Lunisolar calendar & tradition
The twelve
zodiac animals
The cycle follows Chinese zodiac years, which change at Chinese New Yearβnot on January 1. A full birthday is needed for an exact result.
Share the Chinese zodiac directory
Calendar and tradition: The year boundary is a testable calendar result. Traits, compatibility, lucky items, and element meanings are traditional interpretations.
The five elements
A sixty-year combined cycle
Each animal year also carries one of five elements and a yin or yang quality within the traditional system.
- Woodgrowth and creativity
- Fireenergy and expression
- Earthstability and grounding
- Metalstrength and resolve
- Wateradaptability and reflection
Calendar fact
Chinese zodiac years with their exact start and end dates
A Chinese zodiac year never matches a Gregorian year. It opens on Chinese New Year β which falls somewhere between 21 January and 21 February β and closes the day before the next one. Every row below comes from the maintained boundary table covering 1900 to 2035, not from an estimate.
| Zodiac year | Animal | Element & quality | First day | Last day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2032 | Rat | WaterYang | ||
| 2031 | Pig | MetalYin | ||
| 2030 | Dog | MetalYang | ||
| 2029 | Rooster | EarthYin | ||
| 2028 | Monkey | EarthYang | ||
| 2027 | Goat | FireYin | ||
| 2026 | Horse | FireYang | ||
| 2025 | Snake | WoodYin | ||
| 2024 | Dragon | WoodYang | ||
| 2023 | Rabbit | WaterYin | ||
| 2022 | Tiger | WaterYang | ||
| 2021 | Ox | MetalYin | ||
| 2020 | Rat | MetalYang | ||
| 2019 | Pig | EarthYin | ||
| 2018 | Dog | EarthYang | ||
| 2017 | Rooster | FireYin | ||
| 2016 | Monkey | FireYang | ||
| 2015 | Goat | WoodYin | ||
| 2014 | Horse | WoodYang | ||
| 2013 | Snake | WaterYin | ||
| 2012 | Dragon | WaterYang | ||
| 2011 | Rabbit | MetalYin | ||
| 2010 | Tiger | MetalYang | ||
| 2009 | Ox | EarthYin | ||
| 2008 | Rat | EarthYang | ||
| 2007 | Pig | FireYin | ||
| 2006 | Dog | FireYang | ||
| 2005 | Rooster | WoodYin | ||
| 2004 | Monkey | WoodYang | ||
| 2003 | Goat | WaterYin | ||
| 2002 | Horse | WaterYang | ||
| 2001 | Snake | MetalYin | ||
| 2000 | Dragon | MetalYang | ||
| 1999 | Rabbit | EarthYin | ||
| 1998 | Tiger | EarthYang | ||
| 1997 | Ox | FireYin | ||
| 1996 | Rat | FireYang |
The common mistake: reading an animal off the Gregorian birth year. Anyone born in the first five to seven weeks of a year belongs to the preceding animal, and the exact cut-off moves every year because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar. Each animal page lists every one of its years with dates.
Exact date logic
Why January and February need care
Someone born before Chinese New Year belongs to the preceding zodiac year. The calculator uses maintained Gregorian-to-lunar boundary data for supported dates from 1900 through 2035.
It does not silently assign an animal from the Gregorian year alone, and it does not extrapolate past the maintained table. This matters most for January and February birthdays.
The animal repeats every 12 years and the five elements every 10, so a full animal-and-element pairing such as Fire Horse returns only once every 60 years. That 60-year cycle is why two people born 12 years apart share an animal but not an element.
Calculate an exact animal year or review the boundary method and sources.