Chinese Zodiac Signs: All 12 Animals and the Years Chart

Maybe a friend mentioned she's a Dragon, or you saw the Lunar New Year lanterns and wondered which animal is yours. Either way, you're in the right place. This page gives you the full chart of Chinese zodiac years, with exact dates, plus a short guide to each of the twelve signs.

If you'd like the bigger picture first, including the history, the five elements and the 60 year cycle, start with our guide to Chinese astrology.

What Is My Chinese Zodiac Sign?

Finding your sign takes about a minute:

1. Find your birth year in the chart below.
2. Check the start date. If you were born in January or February, compare your birthday with the Lunar New Year date for that year. Born before it? You belong to the previous year's animal.
3. Note your element. Every year also carries one of five elements, so you're not just a Horse, you're a Fire Horse or a Metal Horse.

Here's an example. Someone born on January 25, 1990 is not a Horse, even though 1990 is a Horse year, because the 1990 Horse year didn't begin until January 27. She's an Earth Snake, from the 1989 Snake year.

One more detail: practitioners of Bāzì (八字), the Four Pillars birth chart, use Lìchūn (立春), the start of spring around February 4, as the year boundary instead of Lunar New Year. Most people use Lunar New Year. If your birthday falls between the two, you may see your sign listed both ways.

The 12 Chinese Zodiac Signs at a Glance

Each animal is tied to one of the twelve Earthly Branches, Dìzhī (地支), and has a fixed element and a yin or yang nature that never change. The traits below are traditional associations. They describe tendencies, never a fixed fate.

1. Rat (鼠 shǔ)

Branch 子 zǐ, fixed element Water, yang. Recent years: 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020. The Rat opens the cycle and is known as quick witted, resourceful and sharp at spotting opportunity. In legend, it won the Great Race by riding on the Ox's back. Read more about the Year of the Rat.

2. Ox (牛 niú)

Branch 丑 chǒu, fixed element Earth, yin. Recent years: 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021. The Ox is steady, patient and dependable, the one who quietly gets things done. In Vietnam, the Water Buffalo often takes this place. Read more about the Year of the Ox.

3. Tiger (虎 hǔ)

Branch 寅 yín, fixed element Wood, yang. Recent years: 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022. The Tiger is brave, protective and drawn to a challenge, with natural confidence. Read more about the Year of the Tiger.

4. Rabbit (兔 tù)

Branch 卯 mǎo, fixed element Wood, yin. Recent years: 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023. The Rabbit is gentle, tactful and graceful, with a strong sense of beauty. It's also the Jade Rabbit of moon legend. In Vietnam, the Cat takes this place. Read more about the Year of the Rabbit.

5. Dragon (龙 lóng)

Branch 辰 chén, fixed element Earth, yang. Recent years: 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024. The Dragon is the only legendary creature in the twelve, a benevolent power linked with water and rain. Dragon people are seen as confident, ambitious and full of presence. Read more about the Year of the Dragon.

6. Snake (蛇 shé)

Branch 巳 sì, fixed element Fire, yin. Recent years: 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025. The Snake is wise, intuitive and private, with quiet elegance and sharp judgment. Read more about the Year of the Snake.

7. Horse (马 mǎ)

Branch 午 wǔ, fixed element Fire, yang. Recent years: 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026. The Horse is lively, independent and always moving, with a warm, adventurous spirit. 2026 is a Fire Horse year. Read more about the Year of the Horse.

8. Goat (羊 yáng)

Branch 未 wèi, fixed element Earth, yin. Recent years: 1991, 2003, 2015, and the coming year, 2027. The character 羊 covers goat, sheep and ram, so you'll see all three names in English. The Goat is kind, artistic and deeply caring. Read more about the Year of the Goat.

9. Monkey (猴 hóu)

Branch 申 shēn, fixed element Metal, yang. Recent years: 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016. The Monkey is clever, curious and inventive, a natural problem solver with a playful streak. Its most famous figure is Sūn Wùkōng, the Monkey King. Read more about the Year of the Monkey.

10. Rooster (鸡 jī)

Branch 酉 yǒu, fixed element Metal, yin. Recent years: 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017. The Rooster is observant, honest and hardworking, with high standards and plenty of confidence. Read more about the Year of the Rooster.

11. Dog (狗 gǒu)

Branch 戌 xū, fixed element Earth, yang. Recent years: 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018. The Dog is loyal, fair and protective of the people it loves, the friend who tells you the truth and stands by you. Read more about the Year of the Dog.

12. Pig (猪 zhū)

Branch 亥 hài, fixed element Water, yin. Recent years: 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019. The Pig closes the cycle and is known as generous, warm and easy to be around, with a big heart. Read more about the Year of the Pig.

Chinese Zodiac Years Chart, 1924 to 2031

Each row shows the animal, the year element and the exact dates. The year begins on the Lunar New Year date in the fourth column and ends the day before the next Lunar New Year.

Every date in this chart was generated with lunar calendar software, cross checked against two other independent calendar libraries, and compared with a published table of Lunar New Year dates.

Elements, Yin and Yang, and the 60 Year Cycle

Your animal is only part of your sign. Each year also carries one of the five elements of Wǔxíng (五行): Wood (木), Fire (火), Earth (土), Metal (金) or Water (水). The element comes from the year's Heavenly Stem, Tiāngān (天干), and the animal comes from its Earthly Branch.

Ten stems and twelve branches pair up in a 60 year cycle, so the same animal and element combination returns every 60 years. That's why 1966 and 2026 are both Fire Horse years. Yin and yang (阴阳) alternate year by year, so each animal is always yin or always yang.

Each element shapes its animal differently, so a Wood Rabbit and a Metal Rabbit can feel quite different. Our guide to the Chinese zodiac elements explains what each element year is like.

If you'd like to talk through what your animal and element might mean for this season of your life, a reading can look at your own situation with you, one on one.

Why the Animals Are in This Order

The order follows the twelve Earthly Branches, which were used to count days and years in China for thousands of years. Popular tradition explains it with the legend of the Great Race, in which the Jade Emperor, Yùhuáng Dàdì (玉皇大帝), ranked the animals by the order they crossed a river. The Rat rode on the Ox and jumped ahead to win, and the Pig strolled in last. It's a legend, told in many versions, not history, but it's how many children first learn the twelve.

Your Own Animal Year: Běnmìngnián

When your animal comes back around, every twelve years, that year is your Běnmìngnián (本命年). In Chinese tradition it's said to put you at odds with Tài Suì (太岁), the deity associated with the current year, so it's treated as a year to move with care. Many people wear red during their Běnmìngnián as a protective custom, often a gift from a parent or relative. We see it as a season to be thoughtful and grounded, not something to fear.

The Zodiac Beyond China

The twelve animal cycle is shared across much of East and Southeast Asia, and some places made it their own. In Vietnam, the Cat takes the Rabbit's place and the Water Buffalo often takes the Ox's. In Japan, the twelfth animal is the wild boar rather than the domestic pig, and the zodiac year there starts on January 1. These are traditions in their own right, each worth knowing on its own terms.

This Year and Next

The current year is the Fire Horse year, 丙午 (bǐngwǔ), which began on February 17, 2026 and runs to February 5, 2027. The next is the Fire Goat year, 丁未 (dīngwèi), which begins on February 6, 2027. For what that year holds for each animal, see our Chinese New Year 2027 forecast. If you'd like to see your Chinese sign beside your Western birth chart, our guide to Chinese zodiac and Western astrology compares the two side by side. You'll find more in our astrology collection.

Chinese Zodiac Signs FAQ

What are the 12 Chinese zodiac signs in order?
The twelve signs, in order, are the Rat (鼠), Ox (牛), Tiger (虎), Rabbit (兔), Dragon (龙), Snake (蛇), Horse (马), Goat (羊), Monkey (猴), Rooster (鸡), Dog (狗) and Pig (猪). The order follows the twelve Earthly Branches and repeats every twelve years, with a new animal each Lunar New Year.

How do I find my Chinese zodiac sign?
Look up your birth year in the chart above. If you were born in January or February, check whether your birthday came before that year's Lunar New Year. If it did, you belong to the previous year's animal. Then note the element, such as Wood or Fire, for your full sign.

What Chinese zodiac year is 2026?
2026 is the Year of the Horse, specifically the Fire Horse, 丙午. It began on February 17, 2026 and ends on February 5, 2027. Anyone born between those dates is a Fire Horse. The Fire Horse combination last appeared in 1966 and returns every 60 years.

What Chinese zodiac year is 2027?
2027 is the Year of the Goat, also called the Sheep or Ram, specifically the Fire Goat, 丁未. It begins on February 6, 2027 and runs to January 25, 2028. Our Chinese New Year 2027 forecast covers what the year may bring for each animal.

Why does my Chinese zodiac sign depend on Lunar New Year?
The Chinese zodiac follows the Chinese lunisolar calendar, where the year begins at Lunar New Year, Chūnjié (春节). That date moves each year between January 21 and February 20. So a January birthday often belongs to the previous year's animal. Some Four Pillars practitioners use Lìchūn, around February 4, instead.

What is my Chinese zodiac element?
Your element comes from the Heavenly Stem of your birth year. Years ending in 0 or 1 are Metal, 2 or 3 are Water, 4 or 5 are Wood, 6 or 7 are Fire, and 8 or 9 are Earth, using the Lunar New Year boundary. So 1984 is Wood and 1990 is Metal.

Is the Chinese zodiac the same in every country?
The twelve animal cycle is shared widely, but some places have their own versions. Vietnam has the Cat in place of the Rabbit and often the Water Buffalo in place of the Ox. In Japan, the twelfth sign is the wild boar, and the zodiac year starts on January 1.