Animal 02 · twelve-year cycle

Year of the
Ox

Year of the Ox runs from Chinese New Year to the day before the next, not 1 January to 31 December. See every exact Ox year from 1900 to 2035 with its element.

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 Ox is #2 in the cycle

Most recent complete Ox year: Water Ox 203331 January 2033 to 18 February 2034
Cycle length: Every 12 yearsThe element repeats every 60 years
Traditional colors: White · Yellow · Green
Exact lookup: Use the maintained date calculatorCoverage: 1900–2035 birth dates

Calendar fact

Every Ox year and its exact dates

A Chinese zodiac year is not a Gregorian year. Each Ox 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.

Ox years from 1900 to 2035, with the element and yin or yang quality of each.
Zodiac year	Element & quality	First day	Last day
2033	Water OxYin	31 Jan 2033	18 Feb 2034
2021	Metal OxYin	12 Feb 2021	31 Jan 2022
2009	Earth OxYin	26 Jan 2009	13 Feb 2010
1997	Fire OxYin	7 Feb 1997	27 Jan 1998
1985	Wood OxYin	20 Feb 1985	8 Feb 1986
1973	Water OxYin	3 Feb 1973	22 Jan 1974
1961	Metal OxYin	15 Feb 1961	4 Feb 1962
1949	Earth OxYin	29 Jan 1949	16 Feb 1950
1937	Fire OxYin	11 Feb 1937	30 Jan 1938
1925	Wood OxYin	25 Jan 1925	12 Feb 1926
1913	Water OxYin	6 Feb 1913	25 Jan 1914
1901	Metal OxYin	19 Feb 1901	7 Feb 1902

Why this matters: someone born in early 2034, before that year's Chinese New Year, is still a Ox 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 Ox

The Ox is known for diligence, dependability, and strength. People born in the Year of the Ox are honest and hardworking, with a strong sense of responsibility. They are the backbone of any team.

DiligentDependableStrongDeterminedPatient

Traditional strengths

Common themes

Honest · Patient · Cautious · Strong sense of responsibility · Hardworking

Traditional challenges

Common cautions

Stubborn · Narrow-minded · Indifferent · Prejudiced · Slow

Traditional interpretation

Compatibility themes

This simplified animal-sign tradition is not a relationship assessment. Chinese astrology can also consider elements and other factors.

Commonly described as strongest

Rat · Snake · Rooster

Commonly described as favorable

Ox · Monkey · Pig

Commonly described as challenging

Tiger · Dragon · Horse · Goat

Traditional associations

Numbers, colors, flowers, and directions

Traditional numbers: 1 · 4
Traditional colors: White · Yellow · Green
Traditional flowers: Tulip · Peach blossom
Traditional directions: 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 Ox with these fields. Career fit depends on the individual, not their zodiac animal.

AgricultureReal EstateEngineeringPoliticsMedicine

Boundary note: People born before Chinese New Year belong to the preceding animal year. Use a complete date, not the Gregorian year alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which years are Year of the Ox?▼

Ox years repeat every 12 years: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033. Each one begins at Chinese New Year rather than 1 January, so the 2033 Ox year ran from 31 January 2033 to 18 February 2034.

Why can a January or February birthday have the previous animal?▼

Chinese New Year falls between 21 January and 21 February depending on the year, because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar. A birthday before that year's boundary belongs to the preceding zodiac year, so a Gregorian birth year alone is unreliable for anyone born in the first weeks of a year.

What element is the Ox?▼

The animal repeats every 12 years while the five elements repeat every 10, so a full animal-and-element combination returns only every 60 years. The most recent complete Ox year was a Water Ox (Yin).

Are Year of the Ox personality readings scientific?▼

No. Animal traits, compatibility, lucky items, and career themes are cultural or astrological interpretations, not scientific measurements or predictions.