Chinese Zodiac Years Chart: Find Your Animal Sign by Birth Year
This Chinese zodiac years chart helps you find the animal sign and element for a birth year. It is a quick lookup table, but the most important detail is the Lunar New Year boundary.
If you were born in January or February, do not rely on the Gregorian year alone. Your Chinese zodiac sign may still belong to the previous lunar year.
Tabelle der chinesischen Tierkreiszeichen kurze Antwort
The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year animal cycle: Ratte, Ochse, Tiger, Kaninchen, Drache, Schlange, Pferd, Ziege, Affe, Hahn, Hund, und Schwein. Each year also has one of five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water.
The year label below means the zodiac year after Chinese Lunar New Year begins. For January and February birthdays, use the Rechner für das chinesische Tierkreiszeichen or read January and February Zodiac.
Recent and upcoming Chinese zodiac years
This table adds the Lunar New Year start date, so you can see when each zodiac year actually begins in the Gregorian calendar.
| Jahr | Lunar New Year starts | Tierzeichen | Element | Full year label | Leitfaden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | February 10, 2024 | Drache | Holz | Holzdrache | 2024 Chinese Zodiac |
| 2025 | January 29, 2025 | Schlange | Holz | Holzschlange | 2025 Chinese Zodiac |
| 2026 | February 17, 2026 | Pferd | Feuer | Feuerpferd | 2026 Chinese Zodiac |
| 2027 | February 6, 2027 | Ziege | Feuer | Feuerziege | 2027 Chinese Zodiac |
| 2028 | January 26, 2028 | Affe | Erde | Erd-Affe | 2028 Chinese Zodiac |
| 2029 | February 13, 2029 | Hahn | Erde | Erd-Hahn | 2029 Chinese Zodiac |
| 2030 | February 3, 2030 | Hund | Metall | Metallhund | 2030 Chinese Zodiac |
| 2031 | January 23, 2031 | Schwein | Metall | Metallschwein | 2031 Chinese Zodiac |
Chinese zodiac years chart: 1960–2031
Use this chart as a starting point. It assumes the zodiac year after Chinese Lunar New Year begins. If your birthday is before Lunar New Year, check the exact boundary before deciding the sign. Each year links to its full guide.
| Jahr | Tier | Element | Full label | Jahr | Tier | Element | Full label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Ratte | Metall | Metallratte | 1996 | Ratte | Feuer | Feuerratte |
| 1961 | Ochse | Metall | Metal Ox | 1997 | Ochse | Feuer | Feuer-Ochse |
| 1962 | Tiger | Wasser | Wassertiger | 1998 | Tiger | Erde | Erdtiger |
| 1963 | Kaninchen | Wasser | Wasserkaninchen | 1999 | Kaninchen | Erde | Erdkaninchen |
| 1964 | Drache | Holz | Holzdrache | 2000 | Drache | Metall | Metal Dragon |
| 1965 | Schlange | Holz | Holzschlange | 2001 | Schlange | Metall | Metallschlange |
| 1966 | Pferd | Feuer | Feuerpferd | 2002 | Pferd | Wasser | Wasserpferd |
| 1967 | Ziege | Feuer | Feuerziege | 2003 | Ziege | Wasser | Wasserziege |
| 1968 | Affe | Erde | Erd-Affe | 2004 | Affe | Holz | Holzaffe |
| 1969 | Hahn | Erde | Erd-Hahn | 2005 | Hahn | Holz | Holzhahn |
| 1970 | Hund | Metall | Metallhund | 2006 | Hund | Feuer | Feuerhund |
| 1971 | Schwein | Metall | Metallschwein | 2007 | Schwein | Feuer | Feuerschwein |
| 1972 | Ratte | Wasser | Wasserratte | 2008 | Ratte | Erde | Erdratte |
| 1973 | Ochse | Wasser | Wasser-Ochse | 2009 | Ochse | Erde | Erd-Ochse |
| 1974 | Tiger | Holz | Holz-Tiger | 2010 | Tiger | Metall | Metall-Tiger |
| 1975 | Kaninchen | Holz | Holzkaninchen | 2011 | Kaninchen | Metall | Metall-Hase |
| 1976 | Drache | Feuer | Feuerdrache | 2012 | Drache | Wasser | Wasserdrache |
| 1977 | Schlange | Feuer | Feuerschlange | 2013 | Schlange | Wasser | Wasserschlange |
| 1978 | Pferd | Erde | Erdpferd | 2014 | Pferd | Holz | Holzpferd |
| 1979 | Ziege | Erde | Erdziege | 2015 | Ziege | Holz | Holzziege |
| 1980 | Affe | Metall | Metal Monkey | 2016 | Affe | Feuer | Feueraffe |
| 1981 | Hahn | Metall | Metall-Hahn | 2017 | Hahn | Feuer | Feuer-Hahn |
| 1982 | Hund | Wasser | Wasserhund | 2018 | Hund | Erde | Erdhund |
| 1983 | Schwein | Wasser | Wasserschwein | 2019 | Schwein | Erde | Erdschwein |
| 1984 | Ratte | Holz | Waldratte | 2020 | Ratte | Metall | Metallratte |
| 1985 | Ochse | Holz | Holz-Ochse | 2021 | Ochse | Metall | Metal Ox |
| 1986 | Tiger | Feuer | Feuertiger | 2022 | Tiger | Wasser | Wassertiger |
| 1987 | Kaninchen | Feuer | Feuerkaninchen | 2023 | Kaninchen | Wasser | Wasserkaninchen |
| 1988 | Drache | Erde | Erddrachen | 2024 | Drache | Holz | Holzdrache |
| 1989 | Schlange | Erde | Erdschlange | 2025 | Schlange | Holz | Holzschlange |
| 1990 | Pferd | Metall | Metallpferd | 2026 | Pferd | Feuer | Feuerpferd |
| 1991 | Ziege | Metall | Metallziege | 2027 | Ziege | Feuer | Feuerziege |
| 1992 | Affe | Wasser | Wasseraffe | 2028 | Affe | Erde | Erd-Affe |
| 1993 | Hahn | Wasser | Wasser-Hahn | 2029 | Hahn | Erde | Erd-Hahn |
| 1994 | Hund | Holz | Holzhund | 2030 | Hund | Metall | Metallhund |
| 1995 | Schwein | Holz | Holzschwein | 2031 | Schwein | Metall | Metallschwein |
How to read the chart correctly
January and February birthdays need the exact Lunar New Year date.
The animal gives the sign. The element adds the 60-year cycle layer.
Zodiac signs are cultural symbols, not scientific personality categories.
Why the same Gregorian year can still be tricky
The chart shows the zodiac label for each Chinese zodiac year. But the Chinese zodiac year does not begin on January 1. It begins at Lunar New Year.
For example, 2026 is the Fire Horse year after February 17, 2026. A person born before that date in 2026 may still belong to the previous Wood Snake year. This is why the calculator is safer for boundary birthdays.
Browse Chinese zodiac years by decade
For easier browsing, use the decade pages below. They are helpful when you want to compare nearby birth years or find a family member’s sign quickly.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
How do I find my Chinese zodiac sign by year?
Find your birth year in the chart, then check whether your birthday falls before or after Chinese Lunar New Year for that year.
Why can January and February birthdays be different?
Because the Chinese zodiac year usually begins at Lunar New Year, not January 1.
Was ist das chinesische Tierkreiszeichen für das Jahr 2026?
2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse after the 2026 Lunar New Year begins on February 17, 2026.
What is the difference between animal and element?
The animal is the 12-year sign, while the element is part of the 60-year cycle.
Is this chart enough for exact birth dates?
For most birthdays after Lunar New Year, yes. For January and February birthdays, use the calculator for the exact boundary.
Where can I calculate my exact sign?
Use the Chinese Zodiac Calculator on the homepage.
Nächste Schritte
Anmerkung der Redaktion
This page is a practical lookup chart. It separates quick year lookup from exact birth-date calculation because the Lunar New Year boundary can change the correct sign.