Animal 05 · twelve-year cycle
Year of the
Dragon
Year of the Dragon runs from Chinese New Year to the day before the next, not 1 January to 31 December. See every exact Dragon year from 1900 to 2035 with its element.
Share the Year of the Dragon guide
Calendar and tradition: The Chinese New Year boundary is a calendar result. Personality, compatibility, career, and lucky-item material below are traditional interpretations, not scientific findings or predictions.
Immediate answer
The Dragon is #5 in the cycle
- Most recent complete Dragon year
- Wood Dragon 202410 February 2024 to 28 January 2025
- Cycle length
- Every 12 yearsThe element repeats every 60 years
- Traditional colors
- Gold · Silver · Grey
- Exact lookup
- Use the maintained date calculatorCoverage: 1900–2035 birth dates
Calendar fact
Every Dragon year and its exact dates
A Chinese zodiac year is not a Gregorian year. Each Dragon year opens on that year's Chinese New Year and closes the day before the next one, so it always straddles two Gregorian years. Every row below is derived from the maintained Chinese New Year boundary table rather than estimated, which is why the start and end dates move each cycle.
| Zodiac year | Element & quality | First day | Last day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Wood DragonYang | ||
| 2012 | Water DragonYang | ||
| 2000 | Metal DragonYang | ||
| 1988 | Earth DragonYang | ||
| 1976 | Fire DragonYang | ||
| 1964 | Wood DragonYang | ||
| 1952 | Water DragonYang | ||
| 1940 | Metal DragonYang | ||
| 1928 | Earth DragonYang | ||
| 1916 | Fire DragonYang | ||
| 1904 | Wood DragonYang |
Why this matters: someone born in early 2025, before that year's Chinese New Year, is still a Dragon rather than the following animal. A Gregorian birth year on its own gives the wrong answer for roughly the first five to seven weeks of every year. The calculator checks the boundary for you.
Traditional profile
How tradition describes the Dragon
The Dragon is the most powerful and auspicious sign in the Chinese zodiac. People born in the Year of the Dragon are confident, ambitious, and natural leaders. They're often destined for greatness.
Common themes
Ambitious · Energetic · Leadership · Confident · Innovative
Common cautions
Arrogant · Impatient · Impulsive · Aggressive · Unpredictable
Traditional interpretation
Compatibility themes
This simplified animal-sign tradition is not a relationship assessment. Chinese astrology can also consider elements and other factors.
Rat · Tiger · Snake
Dragon · Rabbit · Horse · Goat · Pig
Ox · Dog · Rooster
Traditional associations
Numbers, colors, flowers, and directions
- Traditional numbers
- 1 · 6 · 7
- Traditional colors
- Gold · Silver · Grey
- Traditional flowers
- Bleeding heart · Dragon flowers
- Traditional directions
- East · North · South
Interpretation label: “Lucky” and “unlucky” lists are traditional correspondences. They do not alter probability or predict an outcome.
Traditional interpretation
Career themes in animal-sign guides
Traditional profiles often associate the Dragon with these fields. Career fit depends on the individual, not their zodiac animal.
Boundary note: People born before Chinese New Year belong to the preceding animal year. Use a complete date, not the Gregorian year alone.