Animal 03 · twelve-year cycle

Year of the
Tiger

Year of the Tiger runs from Chinese New Year to the day before the next, not 1 January to 31 December. See every exact Tiger 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 Tiger is #3 in the cycle

Most recent complete Tiger year: Wood Tiger 203419 February 2034 to 7 February 2035
Cycle length: Every 12 yearsThe element repeats every 60 years
Traditional colors: Blue · Grey · Orange
Exact lookup: Use the maintained date calculatorCoverage: 1900–2035 birth dates

Calendar fact

Every Tiger year and its exact dates

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

Tiger years from 1900 to 2035, with the element and yin or yang quality of each.
Zodiac year	Element & quality	First day	Last day
2034	Wood TigerYang	19 Feb 2034	7 Feb 2035
2022	Water TigerYang	1 Feb 2022	21 Jan 2023
2010	Metal TigerYang	14 Feb 2010	2 Feb 2011
1998	Earth TigerYang	28 Jan 1998	15 Feb 1999
1986	Fire TigerYang	9 Feb 1986	28 Jan 1987
1974	Wood TigerYang	23 Jan 1974	10 Feb 1975
1962	Water TigerYang	5 Feb 1962	24 Jan 1963
1950	Metal TigerYang	17 Feb 1950	5 Feb 1951
1938	Earth TigerYang	31 Jan 1938	18 Feb 1939
1926	Fire TigerYang	13 Feb 1926	1 Feb 1927
1914	Wood TigerYang	26 Jan 1914	13 Feb 1915
1902	Water TigerYang	8 Feb 1902	28 Jan 1903

Why this matters: someone born in early 2035, before that year's Chinese New Year, is still a Tiger 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 Tiger

The Tiger symbolizes bravery, competitiveness, and confidence. People born in the Year of the Tiger are natural leaders with magnetic personalities. They're adventurous and not afraid to take risks.

BraveCompetitiveConfidentUnpredictableCharming

Traditional strengths

Common themes

Courageous · Enthusiastic · Leadership · Confidence · Charismatic

Traditional challenges

Common cautions

Arrogant · Short-tempered · Hasty · Reckless · Self-centered

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

Dragon · Horse · Pig

Commonly described as favorable

Rat · Rabbit · Goat · Dog

Commonly described as challenging

Ox · Tiger · Snake · Monkey

Traditional associations

Numbers, colors, flowers, and directions

Traditional numbers: 1 · 3 · 4
Traditional colors: Blue · Grey · Orange
Traditional flowers: Yellow lily · Cineraria
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 Tiger with these fields. Career fit depends on the individual, not their zodiac animal.

LeaderManagerActorWriterArtist

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 Tiger?▼

Tiger years repeat every 12 years: 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034. Each one begins at Chinese New Year rather than 1 January, so the 2034 Tiger year ran from 19 February 2034 to 7 February 2035.

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 Tiger?▼

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 Tiger year was a Wood Tiger (Yang).

Are Year of the Tiger personality readings scientific?▼

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