Chinese Zodiac Calculator
Find your animal sign and element from your birth date. We follow the Lunar New Year, not January 1, so January and February birthdays come out right.
Month and day are optional. Add them if you were born in January or February.
- Rat
- Ox
- Tiger
- Rabbit
- Dragon
- Snake
- Horse
- Goat
- Monkey
- Rooster
- Dog
- Pig
Your sign will appear here.
The 12 animals
Each animal returns every 12 years. Here are the most recent years for each sign.
- Rat1996, 2008, 2020
- Ox (Cow)1997, 2009, 2021
- Tiger1998, 2010, 2022
- Rabbit (Bunny)1999, 2011, 2023
- Dragon2000, 2012, 2024
- Snake2001, 2013, 2025
- Horse2002, 2014, 2026
- Goat (Sheep / Ram)2003, 2015, 2027
- Monkey2004, 2016, 2028
- Rooster (Chicken)2005, 2017, 2029
- Dog2006, 2018, 2030
- Pig (Boar)2007, 2019, 2031
How the calculator works
The Chinese calendar follows the moon, so each Chinese year begins on Lunar New Year, a date between January 21 and February 20. Anyone born before that date belongs to the previous animal.
This calculator compares your birth date with the Lunar New Year date for your birth year (China Standard Time), then reads the animal, element and polarity from that Chinese year.
Lunar New Year dates
| Year | Lunar New Year | Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jan 22, 2023 | Water Rabbit |
| 2024 | Feb 10, 2024 | Wood Dragon |
| 2025 | Jan 29, 2025 | Wood Snake |
| 2026 | Feb 17, 2026 | Fire Horse |
| 2027 | Feb 6, 2027 | Fire Goat |
| 2028 | Jan 26, 2028 | Earth Monkey |
Questions
What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It is the animal of the Chinese year you were born in. Enter your birth date above. The Chinese year starts on Lunar New Year, not January 1, so the date matters for January and February birthdays.
What Chinese year is it now?
2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse. It runs from Feb 17, 2026 to Feb 5, 2027. The Year of the Fire Goat begins on Feb 6, 2027.
Is the Chinese zodiac based on birth year or birth date?
Both. The animal belongs to a Chinese year, and each Chinese year begins on Lunar New Year. If you were born in January or February, compare your birth date with the Lunar New Year date for that year.
What is my Chinese zodiac if I was born in January or February?
If your birthday falls before Lunar New Year that year, your sign is the animal of the previous year. Lunar New Year 1998 was January 28, so January 20, 1998 is an Ox, and January 28 or later is a Tiger.
How do I work out my Chinese zodiac from my birth year?
Subtract 4 from your birth year and divide by 12. The remainder gives the animal: 0 Rat, 1 Ox, 2 Tiger, 3 Rabbit, 4 Dragon, 5 Snake, 6 Horse, 7 Goat, 8 Monkey, 9 Rooster, 10 Dog, 11 Pig.
What are the 12 Chinese zodiac animals in order?
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The cycle repeats every 12 years.
What is the element of my Chinese zodiac sign?
Each year also carries one of five elements, set by the last digit of the year: 0 and 1 Metal, 2 and 3 Water, 4 and 5 Wood, 6 and 7 Fire, 8 and 9 Earth. Together with the 12 animals this makes a 60-year cycle.
Which animals have more than one name?
Ox is sometimes called Cow, Rabbit is Bunny, Goat is Sheep or Ram, Rooster is Chicken, and Pig is Boar. They are the same zodiac signs.