Chinese Zodiac Calculator
Enter your date of birth to find your Chinese zodiac animal, its element and whether it is yin or yang. The calculator uses the real Lunar New Year date for each year, so January and February birthdays are handled correctly.
Uses the exact Lunar New Year date for every year from 1900 to 2100, so January and early February birthdays get the right sign.
Horse personality
Metal element
Compatibility
Traditional lucky things
Your animal years
Check compatibility between two signs
Lunar New Year dates
| Year | Lunar New Year | Sign | Yin/Yang |
|---|
How to use the Chinese Zodiac Calculator
- Enter your date of birth. Add your birth time too if you want to know your secret animal.
- Press Calculate my sign (the result also updates as soon as you change the date).
- Read your result: your animal, element, yin or yang and the exact dates of your lunar year.
- Scroll down for personality traits, best and worst matches and traditional lucky numbers and colors.
- Compare two signs in the compatibility checker, or browse the Lunar New Year table by decade.
The 12 animals and their recent years
| Animal | Yin/Yang | Recent years (Gregorian, from Lunar New Year) |
|---|---|---|
| 🐀 Rat | Yang | 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032 |
| 🐂 Ox | Yin | 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033 |
| 🐅 Tiger | Yang | 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034 |
| 🐇 Rabbit | Yin | 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023, 2035 |
| 🐉 Dragon | Yang | 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036 |
| 🐍 Snake | Yin | 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037 |
| 🐴 Horse | Yang | 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038 |
| 🐐 Goat | Yin | 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027, 2039 |
| 🐒 Monkey | Yang | 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040 |
| 🐓 Rooster | Yin | 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041 |
| 🐕 Dog | Yang | 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042 |
| 🐖 Pig | Yin | 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, 2043 |
Each year begins on Lunar New Year, not January 1. Someone born on January 24, 2020 is an Earth Pig (lunar year 2019), while a baby born the next day, January 25, 2020 – Lunar New Year itself – is a Metal Rat. The calculator checks this for you.
How the calculation works
- Find the lunar year. Look up Lunar New Year for your birth year. If your birthday is earlier, use the previous year.
- Animal: (lunar year − 4) mod 12 gives 0 = Rat, 1 = Ox … 11 = Pig. Example: (1990 − 4) mod 12 = 6 → Horse.
- Element: (lunar year − 4) mod 10 gives the heavenly stem; stems 0–1 are Wood, 2–3 Fire, 4–5 Earth, 6–7 Metal, 8–9 Water. Example: (1990 − 4) mod 10 = 6 → Metal.
- Yin or yang: even stems are yang, odd stems are yin. 1990 → stem 6 → yang, so a Metal Horse is yang.
| Last digit of lunar year | Element | Polarity | Heavenly stem |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 / 5 | Wood | Yang / Yin | 甲 jiǎ / 乙 yǐ |
| 6 / 7 | Fire | Yang / Yin | 丙 bǐng / 丁 dīng |
| 8 / 9 | Earth | Yang / Yin | 戊 wù / 己 jǐ |
| 0 / 1 | Metal | Yang / Yin | 庚 gēng / 辛 xīn |
| 2 / 3 | Water | Yang / Yin | 壬 rén / 癸 guǐ |
Compatibility groups
- Trines (best matches): Rat – Dragon – Monkey; Ox – Snake – Rooster; Tiger – Horse – Dog; Rabbit – Goat – Pig.
- Six harmonies (secret friends): Rat & Ox, Tiger & Pig, Rabbit & Dog, Dragon & Rooster, Snake & Monkey, Horse & Goat.
- Clashes (opposites): Rat & Horse, Ox & Goat, Tiger & Monkey, Rabbit & Rooster, Dragon & Dog, Snake & Pig.
- Six harms: Rat & Goat, Ox & Horse, Tiger & Snake, Rabbit & Dragon, Monkey & Pig, Rooster & Dog.
Birth hours map to animals in two-hour blocks: Rat 11 pm–1 am, Ox 1–3 am, Tiger 3–5 am, Rabbit 5–7 am, Dragon 7–9 am, Snake 9–11 am, Horse 11 am–1 pm, Goat 1–3 pm, Monkey 3–5 pm, Rooster 5–7 pm, Dog 7–9 pm and Pig 9–11 pm.
Frequently asked questions
What is my Chinese zodiac sign if I was born in January or February?
The Chinese zodiac year starts on Lunar New Year, which falls between January 21 and February 20. If you were born before that date, your sign is the animal of the previous year. For example, someone born on February 9, 2024 is a Water Rabbit, because the Year of the Wood Dragon began on February 10, 2024.
How is the element worked out?
Each year has a heavenly stem that cycles every 10 years and gives the element: years ending in 0 or 1 are Metal, 2 or 3 Water, 4 or 5 Wood, 6 or 7 Fire, and 8 or 9 Earth (using the lunar year). Combined with the 12 animals this makes the 60-year cycle.
Am I yin or yang?
Lunar years ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) are yang and years ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) are yin. Yang animals are Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Monkey and Dog; yin animals are Ox, Rabbit, Snake, Goat, Rooster and Pig.
What is the secret animal?
In Chinese astrology each two-hour period of the day belongs to an animal, starting with the Rat from 11 pm to 1 am. The animal of your birth hour is often called your secret animal and is said to describe your inner self. Enter your local birth time to see it.
How accurate are the Lunar New Year dates?
The table was computed from astronomical new moons in China Standard Time (UTC+8), checked against the Chinese calendar rules, and covers 1900 to 2101. Lunar New Year is the date of the new moon that starts the first month, so it always falls between January 21 and February 20.
Is the compatibility score scientific?
No. It follows traditional Chinese astrology – trines, six harmonies, clashes and harms between the animals – and is meant for fun and cultural interest, not as advice on real relationships.