Two dates for the start of the year
There are two traditional answers to "when does the Chinese year begin?", and they can give different animals for anyone born between late January and mid-February.
- Lunar New Year (春节) — the second new moon after the winter solstice, between 21 January and 20 February. This is the date people celebrate, and the one most zodiac guides use.
- The start of spring (立春, Lichun) — a fixed point in the solar year, on 3, 4 or 5 February. BaZi (Four Pillars) astrology and feng shui calculations such as the Kua number and the annual flying stars use this one.
Neither is "wrong". If you're reading a horoscope or celebrating New Year, use the Lunar New Year sign. If you're working out a BaZi chart or Eight Mansions directions, use the start-of-spring sign. The calculator shows both and tells you whether they differ.
Animal, element and polarity
Each year combines one of twelve animals (the Earthly Branches) with one of five elements (from the Heavenly Stems), giving a sixty-year cycle. 2027 is a Fire Goat year (丁未, Ding Wei): the stem Ding is yin fire, and the branch Wei is the Goat. The same animal–element pair comes round once every sixty years — the last Fire Goat year was 1967.
Polarity simply alternates: years ending in an even digit are yang, odd digits are yin. For the other meanings of "your element", see the birth element calculator; to compare two signs, see zodiac compatibility.
Chinese zodiac years 1924–2043
Each row shows the Lunar New Year date that begins the year. If your birthday is before it, you belong to the previous row's animal.
| Animal | Years (Lunar New Year date) |
|---|---|
| Rat | 1924 (5 Feb, Wood) · 1936 (24 Jan, Fire) · 1948 (10 Feb, Earth) · 1960 (28 Jan, Metal) · 1972 (15 Feb, Water) · 1984 (2 Feb, Wood) · 1996 (19 Feb, Fire) · 2008 (7 Feb, Earth) · 2020 (25 Jan, Metal) · 2032 (11 Feb, Water) |
| Ox | 1925 (24 Jan, Wood) · 1937 (11 Feb, Fire) · 1949 (29 Jan, Earth) · 1961 (15 Feb, Metal) · 1973 (3 Feb, Water) · 1985 (20 Feb, Wood) · 1997 (7 Feb, Fire) · 2009 (26 Jan, Earth) · 2021 (12 Feb, Metal) · 2033 (31 Jan, Water) |
| Tiger | 1926 (13 Feb, Fire) · 1938 (31 Jan, Earth) · 1950 (17 Feb, Metal) · 1962 (5 Feb, Water) · 1974 (23 Jan, Wood) · 1986 (9 Feb, Fire) · 1998 (28 Jan, Earth) · 2010 (14 Feb, Metal) · 2022 (1 Feb, Water) · 2034 (19 Feb, Wood) |
| Rabbit | 1927 (2 Feb, Fire) · 1939 (19 Feb, Earth) · 1951 (6 Feb, Metal) · 1963 (25 Jan, Water) · 1975 (11 Feb, Wood) · 1987 (29 Jan, Fire) · 1999 (16 Feb, Earth) · 2011 (3 Feb, Metal) · 2023 (22 Jan, Water) · 2035 (8 Feb, Wood) |
| Dragon | 1928 (23 Jan, Earth) · 1940 (8 Feb, Metal) · 1952 (27 Jan, Water) · 1964 (13 Feb, Wood) · 1976 (31 Jan, Fire) · 1988 (17 Feb, Earth) · 2000 (5 Feb, Metal) · 2012 (23 Jan, Water) · 2024 (10 Feb, Wood) · 2036 (28 Jan, Fire) |
| Snake | 1929 (10 Feb, Earth) · 1941 (27 Jan, Metal) · 1953 (14 Feb, Water) · 1965 (2 Feb, Wood) · 1977 (18 Feb, Fire) · 1989 (6 Feb, Earth) · 2001 (24 Jan, Metal) · 2013 (10 Feb, Water) · 2025 (29 Jan, Wood) · 2037 (15 Feb, Fire) |
| Horse | 1930 (30 Jan, Metal) · 1942 (15 Feb, Water) · 1954 (3 Feb, Wood) · 1966 (21 Jan, Fire) · 1978 (7 Feb, Earth) · 1990 (27 Jan, Metal) · 2002 (12 Feb, Water) · 2014 (31 Jan, Wood) · 2026 (17 Feb, Fire) · 2038 (4 Feb, Earth) |
| Goat | 1931 (17 Feb, Metal) · 1943 (5 Feb, Water) · 1955 (24 Jan, Wood) · 1967 (9 Feb, Fire) · 1979 (28 Jan, Earth) · 1991 (15 Feb, Metal) · 2003 (1 Feb, Water) · 2015 (19 Feb, Wood) · 2027 (6 Feb, Fire) · 2039 (24 Jan, Earth) |
| Monkey | 1932 (6 Feb, Water) · 1944 (25 Jan, Wood) · 1956 (12 Feb, Fire) · 1968 (30 Jan, Earth) · 1980 (16 Feb, Metal) · 1992 (4 Feb, Water) · 2004 (22 Jan, Wood) · 2016 (8 Feb, Fire) · 2028 (26 Jan, Earth) · 2040 (12 Feb, Metal) |
| Rooster | 1933 (26 Jan, Water) · 1945 (13 Feb, Wood) · 1957 (31 Jan, Fire) · 1969 (17 Feb, Earth) · 1981 (5 Feb, Metal) · 1993 (23 Jan, Water) · 2005 (9 Feb, Wood) · 2017 (28 Jan, Fire) · 2029 (13 Feb, Earth) · 2041 (1 Feb, Metal) |
| Dog | 1934 (14 Feb, Wood) · 1946 (2 Feb, Fire) · 1958 (18 Feb, Earth) · 1970 (6 Feb, Metal) · 1982 (25 Jan, Water) · 1994 (10 Feb, Wood) · 2006 (29 Jan, Fire) · 2018 (16 Feb, Earth) · 2030 (3 Feb, Metal) · 2042 (22 Jan, Water) |
| Pig | 1935 (4 Feb, Wood) · 1947 (22 Jan, Fire) · 1959 (8 Feb, Earth) · 1971 (27 Jan, Metal) · 1983 (13 Feb, Water) · 1995 (31 Jan, Wood) · 2007 (18 Feb, Fire) · 2019 (5 Feb, Earth) · 2031 (23 Jan, Metal) · 2043 (10 Feb, Water) |
The twelve animals at a glance
These are the qualities traditionally attached to each sign in Chinese folk culture. They're a cultural shorthand, not a personality test.
| Animal | Branch | Traditionally associated with |
|---|---|---|
| Rat | Zi 子 | Quick wit, resourcefulness, thrift |
| Ox | Chou 丑 | Patience, reliability, hard work |
| Tiger | Yin 寅 | Courage, confidence, impulsiveness |
| Rabbit | Mao 卯 | Gentleness, tact, caution |
| Dragon | Chen 辰 | Ambition, energy, good fortune |
| Snake | Si 巳 | Wisdom, intuition, privacy |
| Horse | Wu 午 | Freedom, enthusiasm, restlessness |
| Goat | Wei 未 | Kindness, creativity, calm |
| Monkey | Shen 申 | Cleverness, curiosity, mischief |
| Rooster | You 酉 | Precision, honesty, confidence |
| Dog | Xu 戌 | Loyalty, fairness, worry |
| Pig | Hai 亥 | Generosity, sincerity, comfort |
Questions
What is the Chinese zodiac animal for 2027?
The Goat (also called the Sheep or Ram), with the element Fire. By Lunar New Year it begins on 6 February 2027; by the start of spring it begins on 4 February 2027.
Why do some websites give me a different animal?
Usually because they use 1 January, or because they use one start date and you were born between the two. Check the result above — it shows both.
Does the time zone matter?
Only if you were born on the boundary day. Lunar New Year and the start of spring are calculated for China Standard Time (UTC+8), so someone born late on the boundary day in the Americas may already be in the new year by Chinese reckoning.