Calculate your Chinese sign and the Chinese New Year date
Find your Chinese animal and element with a simple division, then check the exact Chinese New Year dates from 1940 to 2035.
Key points
| Animal rule | Remainder of the Chinese year divided by 12: 4 Rat, 5 Ox, 6 Tiger, 7 Rabbit, 8 Dragon, 9 Snake, 10 Horse, 11 Goat, 0 Monkey, 1 Rooster, 2 Dog, 3 Pig |
|---|---|
| Element rule | Last digit: 0-1 Metal, 2-3 Water, 4-5 Wood, 6-7 Fire, 8-9 Earth |
| Polarity | Even digit: yang; odd digit: yin |
| Chinese New Year date | From 21 January to 20 February (years 1920 to 2039) |
| Reference year | If you were born before the Chinese New Year, use the previous year |
| Current year | Fire Horse: from 17 February 2026 to 5 February 2027 |
| Check | Rules verified over 120 years (1920-2039) against the Hong Kong Observatory |
The answer in three steps
To find your Chinese sign, you only need your complete date of birth. Here is the method, followed by the explanations.
- Check the Chinese New Year date for your year of birth (table further down). If you were born before that date, subtract 1 from your year: this is the “Chinese year” you need to use.
- Animal: divide this year by 12 and look at the remainder, then read the animal in the table of remainders.
- Element and polarity: look at the last digit of that same year. An even digit is yang, an odd digit is yin.
These rules have been checked by computer for all the years from 1920 to 2039: they give the same animal, element and polarity as the tables of the Hong Kong Observatory.
Rule for the animal: the remainder after division by 12
The animals return every twelve years. Since the year 4 CE was a Rat year in the usual convention, a remainder of 4 corresponds to the Rat. The following table gives the remainder for each animal; knowing it is enough to cover all twelve cases.
| Remainder of the year divided by 12 | Animal | Years (examples) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Rat | 1996, 2008, 2020 |
| 5 | Ox | 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| 6 | Tiger | 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| 7 | Rabbit | 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| 8 | Dragon | 2000, 2012, 2024 |
| 9 | Snake | 2001, 2013, 2025 |
| 10 | Horse | 1990, 2002, 2014 |
| 11 | Goat | 1991, 2003, 2015 |
| 0 | Monkey | 1992, 2004, 2016 |
| 1 | Rooster | 1993, 2005, 2017 |
| 2 | Dog | 1994, 2006, 2018 |
| 3 | Pig | 1995, 2007, 2019 |
Example: 2026 divided by 12 gives 168 with a remainder of 10; remainder 10 is the Horse. For 1999, the remainder is 7: it is the Rabbit. Another method: subtract 4, divide by 12, and the remainder 0, 1, 2… gives the rank of the Rat (0), the Ox (1), the Tiger (2), and so on.
Rule for the element and polarity: the last digit
The ten “heavenly stems” give two consecutive years to each of the five elements, one yang and then one yin. The last digit of the year is therefore enough to determine it.
| Last digit of the year | Element | Polarity | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Metal | yang | 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020 |
| 1 | Metal | yin | 1991, 2001, 2011, 2021 |
| 2 | Water | yang | 1992, 2002, 2012, 2022 |
| 3 | Water | yin | 1993, 2003, 2013, 2023 |
| 4 | Wood | yang | 1994, 2004, 2014, 2024 |
| 5 | Wood | yin | 1995, 2005, 2015, 2025 |
| 6 | Fire | yang | 1996, 2006, 2016, 2026 |
| 7 | Fire | yin | 1997, 2007, 2017, 2027 |
| 8 | Earth | yang | 1998, 2008, 2018, 2028 |
| 9 | Earth | yin | 1999, 2009, 2019, 2029 |
There are therefore 60 combinations (5 elements × 12 animals, the polarity being set by the animal); see the introduction to Chinese astrology for the sixty-year cycle. Be aware that some sites also mention the nayin element, a different system in which each pair of the cycle receives its own element. It sometimes gives an element other than that of the stem: both approaches coexist, but the popular version, the one used on our pages, follows the stem.
Why the Chinese New Year, and not 1 January?
The Chinese year begins at the lunar new year. According to the Hong Kong Observatory, which publishes conversion tables from 1901 to 2100, this date has varied from 21 January to 20 February over the years 1920 to 2039. It is calculated from the new moon, by convention at China’s time (UTC+8): the new year almost always falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, sometimes on the third, when an extra month is inserted.
Here are four examples, calculated step by step.
- Born on 12 March 1987: the Chinese New Year of 1987 was on 29 January, so you were born after it. Chinese year: 1987. Remainder of 1987 divided by 12: 7, the Rabbit. Last digit: 7, so Fire. Result: Fire Rabbit.
- Born on 15 January 1990: the Chinese New Year of 1990 was on 27 January, so you were born before it. Chinese year: 1989. Remainder: 9, the Snake. Last digit: 9, so Earth. Result: Earth Snake.
- Born on 4 February 2000: the Chinese New Year of 2000 was on 5 February, so you were born the day before. Chinese year: 1999. Remainder: 7, the Rabbit. Last digit: 9, so Earth. Result: Earth Rabbit.
- Born on 5 February 2000: this is the day of the new year, which already counts for the new year. Chinese year: 2000. Remainder: 8, the Dragon. Last digit: 0, so Metal. Result: Metal Dragon.
Chinese New Year dates from 1940 to 2035
This table gives, year by year, the day on which the Chinese year begins and the sign that opens on that day. The dates come from the conversion tables of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) and have been cross-checked with the table of Chinese calendar correspondences on English Wikipedia for 1984 to 2035. Dates after 2026 are astronomical calculations, not official announcements.
| Year | Chinese New Year | Sign | Year | Chinese New Year | Sign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 8 February | Metal Dragon | 1988 | 17 February | Earth Dragon |
| 1941 | 27 January | Metal Snake | 1989 | 6 February | Earth Snake |
| 1942 | 15 February | Water Horse | 1990 | 27 January | Metal Horse |
| 1943 | 5 February | Water Goat | 1991 | 15 February | Metal Goat |
| 1944 | 25 January | Wood Monkey | 1992 | 4 February | Water Monkey |
| 1945 | 13 February | Wood Rooster | 1993 | 23 January | Water Rooster |
| 1946 | 2 February | Fire Dog | 1994 | 10 February | Wood Dog |
| 1947 | 22 January | Fire Pig | 1995 | 31 January | Wood Pig |
| 1948 | 10 February | Earth Rat | 1996 | 19 February | Fire Rat |
| 1949 | 29 January | Earth Ox | 1997 | 7 February | Fire Ox |
| 1950 | 17 February | Metal Tiger | 1998 | 28 January | Earth Tiger |
| 1951 | 6 February | Metal Rabbit | 1999 | 16 February | Earth Rabbit |
| 1952 | 27 January | Water Dragon | 2000 | 5 February | Metal Dragon |
| 1953 | 14 February | Water Snake | 2001 | 24 January | Metal Snake |
| 1954 | 3 February | Wood Horse | 2002 | 12 February | Water Horse |
| 1955 | 24 January | Wood Goat | 2003 | 1 February | Water Goat |
| 1956 | 12 February | Fire Monkey | 2004 | 22 January | Wood Monkey |
| 1957 | 31 January | Fire Rooster | 2005 | 9 February | Wood Rooster |
| 1958 | 18 February | Earth Dog | 2006 | 29 January | Fire Dog |
| 1959 | 8 February | Earth Pig | 2007 | 18 February | Fire Pig |
| 1960 | 28 January | Metal Rat | 2008 | 7 February | Earth Rat |
| 1961 | 15 February | Metal Ox | 2009 | 26 January | Earth Ox |
| 1962 | 5 February | Water Tiger | 2010 | 14 February | Metal Tiger |
| 1963 | 25 January | Water Rabbit | 2011 | 3 February | Metal Rabbit |
| 1964 | 13 February | Wood Dragon | 2012 | 23 January | Water Dragon |
| 1965 | 2 February | Wood Snake | 2013 | 10 February | Water Snake |
| 1966 | 21 January | Fire Horse | 2014 | 31 January | Wood Horse |
| 1967 | 9 February | Fire Goat | 2015 | 19 February | Wood Goat |
| 1968 | 30 January | Earth Monkey | 2016 | 8 February | Fire Monkey |
| 1969 | 17 February | Earth Rooster | 2017 | 28 January | Fire Rooster |
| 1970 | 6 February | Metal Dog | 2018 | 16 February | Earth Dog |
| 1971 | 27 January | Metal Pig | 2019 | 5 February | Earth Pig |
| 1972 | 15 February | Water Rat | 2020 | 25 January | Metal Rat |
| 1973 | 3 February | Water Ox | 2021 | 12 February | Metal Ox |
| 1974 | 23 January | Wood Tiger | 2022 | 1 February | Water Tiger |
| 1975 | 11 February | Wood Rabbit | 2023 | 22 January | Water Rabbit |
| 1976 | 31 January | Fire Dragon | 2024 | 10 February | Wood Dragon |
| 1977 | 18 February | Fire Snake | 2025 | 29 January | Wood Snake |
| 1978 | 7 February | Earth Horse | 2026 | 17 February | Fire Horse |
| 1979 | 28 January | Earth Goat | 2027 | 6 February | Fire Goat |
| 1980 | 16 February | Metal Monkey | 2028 | 26 January | Earth Monkey |
| 1981 | 5 February | Metal Rooster | 2029 | 13 February | Earth Rooster |
| 1982 | 25 January | Water Dog | 2030 | 3 February | Metal Dog |
| 1983 | 13 February | Water Pig | 2031 | 23 January | Metal Pig |
| 1984 | 2 February | Wood Rat | 2032 | 11 February | Water Rat |
| 1985 | 20 February | Wood Ox | 2033 | 31 January | Water Ox |
| 1986 | 9 February | Fire Tiger | 2034 | 19 February | Wood Tiger |
| 1987 | 29 January | Fire Rabbit | 2035 | 8 February | Wood Rabbit |
To know whether you were born before or after the new year, compare your day and month with the date for your year. If your birthday is earlier than that date, take the line for the previous year.
Borderline cases and nuances
- Born on the day of the new year: you belong to the new year, which begins at midnight, China time.
- Time difference: China is 7 hours ahead of France in winter. A person born in France in the evening on the day before the Chinese New Year is already, at that moment, on the next day in China. Common practice uses the local date of birth; a strict reading may differ by one day in this particular case.
- Earlier years: before the calendar reform at the beginning of the 20th century, dates may have been calculated with other methods or other meridians, and some sources give a one-day difference. For a birth before 1930, compare two sources.
- Other countries: Vietnam (Tết), Korea (Seollal) or Singapore celebrate a lunar new year close to the Chinese one, but calculated according to their own time zone. In 1968, for example, North and South Vietnam, which did not use the same time zone, did not celebrate Tết at exactly the same moment.
- Beginning of spring: in the eight-character method (bazi), the year changes rather at the “beginning of spring” (lichun), around 4 February, and the months follow the solar terms. If the Chinese New Year of your year falls before 4 February and you were born between the two dates, these astrologers still place you in the previous year; if the new year falls after 4 February and you were born between the two dates, they already place you in the new year. This guide follows the popular usage, the lunar new year.
For the months and hours, which are used for the full reading of the eight characters, here are the traditional correspondences (the start dates of the solar months are approximate and vary by a day from year to year):
| Animal (branch) | Traditional hour | Start of the solar month (eight-character method) |
|---|---|---|
| Rat (子 zǐ) | 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. | from about 7 December |
| Ox (丑 chǒu) | 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. | from about 5 January |
| Tiger (寅 yín) | 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. | from about 4 February |
| Rabbit (卯 mǎo) | 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. | from about 5 March |
| Dragon (辰 chén) | 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. | from about 5 April |
| Snake (巳 sì) | 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. | from about 5 May |
| Horse (午 wǔ) | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | from about 6 June |
| Goat (未 wèi) | 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. | from about 7 July |
| Monkey (申 shēn) | 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. | from about 7 August |
| Rooster (酉 yǒu) | 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. | from about 8 September |
| Dog (戌 xū) | 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. | from about 8 October |
| Pig (亥 hài) | 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. | from about 7 November |
Once you have found your sign
Read the portrait of your animal (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig), then the page on your element (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Remember that these texts describe symbols of tradition: they predict nothing and do not replace any medical, financial or legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my Chinese sign?
Take your year of birth (or the previous year if you were born before the Chinese New Year), divide it by 12 and read the animal according to the remainder: 4 Rat, 5 Ox, 6 Tiger, 7 Rabbit, 8 Dragon, 9 Snake, 10 Horse, 11 Goat, 0 Monkey, 1 Rooster, 2 Dog, 3 Pig.
What is the date of the Chinese New Year?
It changes every year and falls between 21 January and 20 February. In 2026 it fell on 17 February; in 2027 it will fall on 6 February. The table on this page gives the dates from 1940 to 2035.
I was born in January: what is my sign?
Compare your day of birth with the date of the Chinese New Year of your year. Almost always, a January birthday falls before that date, so your sign is that of the previous year.
How do I find my Chinese element?
With the last digit of the Chinese year: 0 and 1 Metal, 2 and 3 Water, 4 and 5 Wood, 6 and 7 Fire, 8 and 9 Earth. An even digit is yang, an odd digit is yin.
Does the sign change on 1 January?
No. It changes at the Chinese New Year. In the eight-character method, some astrologers instead use the beginning of spring, around 4 February.
Why do different websites give different results?
The differences mainly come from the date of the change of year (lunar new year or beginning of spring), the time zone used and the element system (heavenly stem or nayin).
Also read
The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Chinese astrology.