Zodiac · 生肖
The 12 zodiac animals
Every year, every sign, its element, and the pairings matchmakers used to check. Read it for fun. Plenty of families still bring it up.
How the years work
The animals take turns, one per year, in a fixed order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. Each year also has one of five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and each element lasts two years in a row. Twelve animals and five elements line up again every 60 years, so a 2026 Fire Horse is the first since 1966.
The animal year starts at Lunar New Year, not January 1. Lunar New Year falls between January 21 and February 20, so anyone born in January or February, up to the 20th, may belong to the year before. The lookup on the home page works this out from your exact birth date.
The order comes from a folk story about a race called by the Jade Emperor. The Rat finished first by riding on the Ox, and the Pig came last after stopping to eat. Versions differ on the details, and they're meant to be told to kids, not taken as history.
Each animal also stands for one of the twelve earthly branches (地支), the old system for counting years, months and two-hour blocks of the day. That's why every sign below has its own hours: a baby born at 4 a.m. was born in the hour of the Tiger.
01 of 12 · Earthly branch 子 · 11 pm – 1 am
Rat
Quick-witted, resourceful, good with money and quick to spot an opening.
Rat years
- 1924Wood 木
- 1936Fire 火
- 1948Earth 土
- 1960Metal 金
- 1972Water 水
- 1984Wood 木
- 1996Fire 火
- 2008Earth 土
- 2020Metal 金
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
First of the twelve. In the race story the Rat rode across the river on the Ox's back and jumped off at the finish line.
02 of 12 · Earthly branch 丑 · 1 – 3 am
Ox
Steady, dependable and stubborn in the useful way. Finishes what they start.
Ox years
- 1925Wood 木
- 1937Fire 火
- 1949Earth 土
- 1961Metal 金
- 1973Water 水
- 1985Wood 木
- 1997Fire 火
- 2009Earth 土
- 2021Metal 金
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
The Ox was about to finish first until the Rat jumped off its head. 牛 also turns up in slang: 很牛 hěn niú means "really impressive."
03 of 12 · Earthly branch 寅 · 3 – 5 am
Tiger
Brave, competitive and warm. Leads from the front and rarely backs down.
Tiger years
- 1926Fire 火
- 1938Earth 土
- 1950Metal 金
- 1962Water 水
- 1974Wood 木
- 1986Fire 火
- 1998Earth 土
- 2010Metal 金
- 2022Water 水
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
The stripes on a tiger's forehead are said to form the character 王 wáng, king. In parts of northern China, babies are given tiger-head shoes and hats (虎头鞋 hǔ tóu xié) for protection.
04 of 12 · Earthly branch 卯 · 5 – 7 am
Rabbit
Gentle, careful and diplomatic. Avoids a fight if there's another way.
Rabbit years
- 1927Fire 火
- 1939Earth 土
- 1951Metal 金
- 1963Water 水
- 1975Wood 木
- 1987Fire 火
- 1999Earth 土
- 2011Metal 金
- 2023Water 水
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
The Jade Rabbit (玉兔 yù tù) lives on the moon with Chang'e, pounding medicine. In Vietnam's zodiac the Cat takes the Rabbit's place.
05 of 12 · Earthly branch 辰 · 7 – 9 am
Dragon
Confident and ambitious. Long seen as the luckiest sign.
Dragon years
- 1928Earth 土
- 1940Metal 金
- 1952Water 水
- 1964Wood 木
- 1976Fire 火
- 1988Earth 土
- 2000Metal 金
- 2012Water 水
- 2024Wood 木
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
Some families do time a baby for it: births have risen in Dragon years in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and mainland China saw a rise in 2024. Chinese dragons bring rain and rule water. They don't breathe fire.
06 of 12 · Earthly branch 巳 · 9 – 11 am
Snake
Thoughtful, private and perceptive.
Snake years
- 1929Earth 土
- 1941Metal 金
- 1953Water 水
- 1965Wood 木
- 1977Fire 火
- 1989Earth 土
- 2001Metal 金
- 2013Water 水
- 2025Wood 木
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
People often say "little dragon" (小龙 xiǎo lóng) instead of Snake, which sounds nicer when someone asks your sign.
07 of 12 · Earthly branch 午 · 11 am – 1 pm
Horse
Energetic, independent and restless. Happiest when moving.
Horse years
- 1930Metal 金
- 1942Water 水
- 1954Wood 木
- 1966Fire 火
- 1978Earth 土
- 1990Metal 金
- 2002Water 水
- 2014Wood 木
- 2026Fire 火
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
Horse years bring out the blessing 马到成功 mǎ dào chéng gōng, "success as soon as the horse arrives," on cards and red envelopes.
08 of 12 · Earthly branch 未 · 1 – 3 pm
Goat
Creative, kind and calm. Values a peaceful home over winning an argument.
Goat years
- 1931Metal 金
- 1943Water 水
- 1955Wood 木
- 1967Fire 火
- 1979Earth 土
- 1991Metal 金
- 2003Water 水
- 2015Wood 木
- 2027Fire 火
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
羊 covers sheep and goats alike, so you'll see Goat, Sheep and Ram in English. All three are the same sign.
09 of 12 · Earthly branch 申 · 3 – 5 pm
Monkey
Clever, playful and curious. Solves problems by finding the side door.
Monkey years
- 1932Water 水
- 1944Wood 木
- 1956Fire 火
- 1968Earth 土
- 1980Metal 金
- 1992Water 水
- 2004Wood 木
- 2016Fire 火
- 2028Earth 土
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
The Monkey King, Sun Wukong (孙悟空 Sūn Wùkōng), from Journey to the West, is the most famous monkey in Chinese culture by a long way.
10 of 12 · Earthly branch 酉 · 5 – 7 pm
Rooster
Observant, hardworking and honest, sometimes bluntly so.
Rooster years
- 1933Water 水
- 1945Wood 木
- 1957Fire 火
- 1969Earth 土
- 1981Metal 金
- 1993Water 水
- 2005Wood 木
- 2017Fire 火
- 2029Earth 土
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
鸡 jī sounds close to 吉 jí, luck, in Mandarin, and many families, especially in the south, put a whole chicken on the New Year table.
11 of 12 · Earthly branch 戌 · 7 – 9 pm
Dog
Loyal, fair and protective of the people close to them.
Dog years
- 1934Wood 木
- 1946Fire 火
- 1958Earth 土
- 1970Metal 金
- 1982Water 水
- 1994Wood 木
- 2006Fire 火
- 2018Earth 土
- 2030Metal 金
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
A dog's bark in Chinese is 汪汪 wāng wāng, which sounds like 旺旺 wàng wàng, thriving. Dog-year cards lean on that pun hard.
12 of 12 · Earthly branch 亥 · 9 – 11 pm
Pig
Generous, easygoing and sincere. Loves good food and good company.
Pig years
- 1935Wood 木
- 1947Fire 火
- 1959Earth 土
- 1971Metal 金
- 1983Water 水
- 1995Wood 木
- 2007Fire 火
- 2019Earth 土
- 2031Metal 金
Born in January or February? Check the exact date with the lookup.
A plump pig means plenty. 2007 was marketed in China as a "golden pig" year, and hospitals reported a rush of births.
A note on matches
The pairings come from the branches: animals four years apart form a group of three (三合), six fixed pairs get along well (六合), and animals six years apart clash (六冲). Some families still check them before a wedding. Plenty of happy couples have never heard of them.