Chinese Zodiac Signs: 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals by Year

The twelve Chinese zodiac signs, in order, are the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each animal belongs to one lunar year, and the cycle starts over every twelve years. 2026 is a Horse year, and the Year of the Goat begins on February 6, 2027.

Your sign comes from the year you were born, with one catch: the zodiac year changes at Lunar New Year, not on January 1. If your birthday falls in January or early February, check the date table further down before you settle on an animal.

Chinese zodiac signs by birth year

Find your birth year in the row of years, then read across for the animal’s fixed element and whether it counts as yin or yang. The years come from the lookup page in our Zodiac Code guide, and each one matches the 1924–2043 year table in Wikipedia’s Chinese zodiac article.

Sign	Birth years	Fixed element	Yin or yang
Rat	1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032	Water	Yang
Ox	1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021	Earth	Yin
Tiger	1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022	Wood	Yang
Rabbit	1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023	Wood	Yin
Dragon	1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024	Earth	Yang
Snake	1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025	Fire	Yin
Horse	1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026	Fire	Yang
Goat	1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027	Earth	Yin
Monkey	1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028	Metal	Yang
Rooster	1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029	Metal	Yin
Dog	1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030	Earth	Yang
Pig	1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031	Water	Yin

A quick check on any row: yang signs land on even-numbered years and yin signs on odd ones. If you count back and get an odd year for the Dragon, you’ve slipped a row.

The animal in your row is also the one to look up in our Chinese zodiac compatibility chart, once you’ve done the January and February check below.

What is my Chinese zodiac sign? Three steps

Working out your sign takes a minute, but only if you do the steps in this order.

1. Find your birth year in the table above and note the animal.
2. If you were born in January or February, look up that year’s Lunar New Year date in the next table.
3. If your birthday comes before that date, your sign is the animal for the year before. On or after the date, keep the animal you found.

Here is how that plays out. Someone born on January 25, 1998, is an Ox, not a Tiger, because the Tiger year didn’t start until January 28. Someone born on February 10, 1985, is still a Rat, since Lunar New Year came late that year, on February 20.

Lunar New Year dates, 1950 to 2029

Read down the column for your decade to the row for the last digit of your birth year. For example, 1987 is in the 1980s column, row 7: January 29.

Year ends in	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
0	Feb 17	Jan 28	Feb 6	Feb 16	Jan 27	Feb 5	Feb 14	Jan 25
1	Feb 6	Feb 15	Jan 27	Feb 5	Feb 15	Jan 24	Feb 3	Feb 12
2	Jan 27	Feb 5	Feb 15	Jan 25	Feb 4	Feb 12	Jan 23	Feb 1
3	Feb 14	Jan 25	Feb 3	Feb 13	Jan 23	Feb 1	Feb 10	Jan 22
4	Feb 3	Feb 13	Jan 23	Feb 2	Feb 10	Jan 22	Jan 31	Feb 10
5	Jan 24	Feb 2	Feb 11	Feb 20	Jan 31	Feb 9	Feb 19	Jan 29
6	Feb 12	Jan 21	Jan 31	Feb 9	Feb 19	Jan 29	Feb 8	Feb 17
7	Jan 31	Feb 9	Feb 18	Jan 29	Feb 7	Feb 18	Jan 28	Feb 6
8	Feb 18	Jan 30	Feb 7	Feb 17	Jan 28	Feb 7	Feb 16	Jan 26
9	Feb 8	Feb 17	Jan 28	Feb 6	Feb 16	Jan 26	Feb 5	Feb 13

These dates follow Wikipedia’s year table for the Chinese zodiac. Our guide prints the same dates for 1984 to 2033, and all 50 of its years agree with that table.

When two charts give you different animals

This page, like our guide, switches the animal at Lunar New Year. Chinese astrology also has a second school that switches at the start of spring (lichun), around February 4.

The two methods only disagree for birthdays between about February 4 and a late Lunar New Year. Take the February 10, 1985, birthday from above. By Lunar New Year it’s a Rat; a chart that starts the year at lichun would call it an Ox.

If a fortune-teller or a four pillars reading gives you a different animal from the one you grew up with, this is usually why. Neither one is a mistake. They are two counting methods, and it’s worth asking which one a chart uses before comparing it with another.

The 12 Chinese zodiac animals in order

The best-known explanation for the order is a folk tale called the Great Race. The Jade Emperor held a race, and the animals were placed in the order they arrived.

The Rat rode across the river on the Ox’s back and jumped off at the finish to come first. The Pig stopped to eat, fell asleep, and came in twelfth. Some tellings add a cat that the Rat pushed into the river, which is why, the story goes, there’s no Cat year.

What follows for each sign is what tradition says about it, not a prediction. Our guide calls the zodiac “a personality framework” and tells readers to take what rings true and argue with the rest, which is a fair way to read every description below.

1. Rat (鼠, shǔ)

Years: 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020; next in 2032. Element: Water, yang. Hour: 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The Rat won the race by brains rather than strength, and tradition gives the sign the same reputation. Rat people are described as quick-witted, adaptable and resourceful, the ones who read a room before they speak. The usual caution is overthinking: waiting so long for the perfect moment that it never comes.

2. Ox (牛, niú)

Years: 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021; next in 2033. Element: Earth, yin. Hour: 1 a.m. to 3 a.m.

The Ox carried the Rat across the river and lost first place for it. The traits that go with the sign are patience, hard work and dependability: if an Ox says a job will be done, it gets done. Traditional descriptions also call the Ox stubborn and slow to change course.

3. Tiger (虎, hǔ)

Years: 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022; next in 2034. Element: Wood, yang. Hour: 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.

The Tiger is the sign of courage. Tradition describes Tiger people as brave, magnetic and protective of their own, quick to act and slow to take orders. The traditional caution is impulsiveness: a Tiger decides in seconds and rethinks for weeks.

4. Rabbit (兔, tù)

Years: 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023; next in 2035. Element: Wood, yin. Hour: 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.

The Rabbit is the diplomat of the twelve. Rabbit people are described as gentle, tactful and perceptive, the person others confide in and the one who calms an argument down. The usual caution is that a Rabbit will avoid conflict even when it needs to happen.

5. Dragon (龙, lóng)

Years: 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024; next in 2036. Element: Earth, yang. Hour: 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.

The Dragon is the only mythical animal in the cycle, and tradition counts it as the most fortunate sign to be born under. The traits that go with it are ambition, confidence and big plans. Dragon people are said to think in decades, and the usual caution is pride: a Dragon finds it hard to ask for help.

6. Snake (蛇, shé)

Years: 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025; next in 2037. Element: Fire, yin. Hour: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The Snake is the sign of wisdom. Snake people are described as intuitive, private and calm under pressure, the ones who watch the whole board before making a single move. In the traditional telling, what looks like luck in a Snake is usually patience that nobody saw.

7. Horse (马, mǎ)

Years: 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026; next in 2038. Element: Fire, yang. Hour: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The current Horse year began on February 17, 2026, and runs through February 5, 2027. Tradition describes Horse people as energetic, warm and independent, the friend who says yes to the trip and changes the plan halfway. The traditional caution is impatience with the slow middle of a project.

8. Goat (羊, yáng)

Years: 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027. Element: Earth, yin. Hour: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The next Year of the Goat runs from February 6, 2027, to January 25, 2028. Goat people are described as gentle, creative and kind, with a quiet stubborn streak about the things they care about. The traditional caution is worry, and leaning on others to make the hard decisions.

You’ll see the 2027 Goat called both “Goat” and “Sheep,” and sometimes “Ram.” The Chinese word 羊 (yáng) covers all three, so they are the same sign. Goat is the name used most often in English.

9. Monkey (猴, hóu)

Years: 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028. Element: Metal, yang. Hour: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Monkey is the inventor of the cycle. Tradition calls Monkey people clever, witty and quick to learn anything new, and just as quick to get bored with it. In the Great Race the Monkey worked with the Goat and the Rooster to clear a river crossing, so it’s a sign that’s also linked with teamwork.

10. Rooster (鸡, jī)

Years: 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029. Element: Metal, yin. Hour: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Rooster is the sign of precision. Rooster people are described as hardworking, observant and honest, the one who catches the mistake everyone else skimmed past and says so. That honesty is also the traditional warning: Roosters can come across as critical. Some charts call this sign the Chicken or the Hen; it’s the same animal.

11. Dog (狗, gǒu)

Years: 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030. Element: Earth, yang. Hour: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Dog is the sign of loyalty. Tradition describes Dog people as faithful, fair and protective, willing to stand up for a principle at real cost to themselves. They are also said to worry more than most, which tradition reads as the price of caring a great deal.

12. Pig (猪, zhū)

Years: 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031. Element: Water, yin. Hour: 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The Pig came last in the race and, in most tellings, didn’t mind. Pig people are described as generous, sincere and content, giving freely and assuming the best of everyone. The traditional caution is that this trust can be taken advantage of.

Elements, yin and yang, and hour animals

Two different element systems appear in zodiac charts, and mixing them up causes more confusion than anything else after the January birthday problem.

The first is the fixed element in the birth-year table above. Every sign keeps the same one: the Goat is always Earth, the Tiger is always Wood. Our guide uses this system.

The second runs on a 60-year cycle and changes every two years. You can read it from the last digit of the year:

Year ends in	Element that year
0 or 1	Metal
2 or 3	Water
4 or 5	Wood
6 or 7	Fire
8 or 9	Earth

That’s why 2026 is called the Fire Horse and 2027 the Fire Goat, even though the Goat’s fixed element is Earth. It’s also why 1972 and 2020 are both Rat years without being the same Rat year: 1972 was a Water Rat and 2020 a Metal Rat. When a calendar names an element with the animal, it’s using this second system.

Each animal also rules a two-hour stretch of the day, from the Rat at 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. around to the Pig at 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. If you know your birth time, that gives you an hour animal as well. Full Chinese astrology (the four pillars, or BaZi) adds a month and a day animal too. The year animal is the one people mean when they ask your sign.

Make a family or class zodiac chart before Lunar New Year

Looking up everyone’s sign together is an easy way to start the new year, at a dinner table or in a classroom. These are our planning suggestions, so adjust them to your group.

Who and how long: a family of any size, or a class of up to about 30, in roughly 30 minutes. Children who can find a number in a table can look up their own year; younger ones need an adult beside them for the January and February check.

What to prepare: one picture of each of the twelve animals, printed and cut out, plus the two tables on this page. You’ll also need a list of birthdays with years, sticky notes or name tags, and a stretch of wall or table about six feet long.

How to run it:

1. Line the animals up in race order while someone tells the Great Race story. Ask the group to guess who wins before the Rat jumps off the Ox.
2. Each person finds their birth year in the first table and writes their name on a note.
3. Anyone born in January or February checks the date table, then sticks the note under the right animal.
4. Grown-ups go last, which gives children the chance to work out a parent’s or grandparent’s sign.

How it ends: count the names under each animal and see which sign the group has the most of. In a classroom, most names usually bunch under two neighboring animals, because one grade tends to span two calendar years of birthdays.

The step people get wrong: a child born in early February is placed under the new animal because “that’s my year.” Have them check the date table before the note goes up. If a Vietnamese American student says they’re a Cat, they’re right too. The Vietnamese zodiac uses the Cat where the Chinese one has the Rabbit, and the Water Buffalo in place of the Ox.

The animals in the picture above come from our Chinese zodiac clipart, which has the twelve signs in three drawing styles. Any clear picture of each animal will work for this activity.

Where to go from here

Once you know your sign, the most common next question is which signs it gets along with. The compatibility chart linked near the top of this page covers the traditional best matches and clashes for every pair. If you’re planning for the holiday itself, Chinese New Year traditions walks through Lunar New Year 2027 day by day, including what people do in their own animal year.

The Zodiac Code puts all of this in one printable guide: the year and date tables, a two-page spread for each of the twelve signs, and a notes page to fill in with your own sign, element and hour animal.