Chinese Zodiac Years Chart: Find Your Animal Sign by Birth Year

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Years Chart · 生肖年份表

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.

Chinese zodiac years chart quick answer

The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year animal cycle: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each year also has one of five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water.

Before using the chart:
The year label below means the zodiac year after Chinese Lunar New Year begins. For January and February birthdays, use the Chinese Zodiac Calculator 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.

Year Lunar New Year starts Animal sign Element Full year label Guide
2024February 10, 2024DragonWoodWood Dragon2024 Chinese Zodiac
2025January 29, 2025SnakeWoodWood Snake2025 Chinese Zodiac
2026February 17, 2026HorseFireFire Horse2026 Chinese Zodiac
2027February 6, 2027GoatFireFire Goat2027 Chinese Zodiac
2028January 26, 2028MonkeyEarthEarth Monkey2028 Chinese Zodiac
2029February 13, 2029RoosterEarthEarth Rooster2029 Chinese Zodiac
2030February 3, 2030DogMetalMetal Dog2030 Chinese Zodiac
2031January 23, 2031PigMetalMetal Pig2031 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.

YearAnimalElementFull label YearAnimalElementFull label
1960RatMetalMetal Rat1996RatFireFire Rat
1961OxMetalMetal Ox1997OxFireFire Ox
1962TigerWaterWater Tiger1998TigerEarthEarth Tiger
1963RabbitWaterWater Rabbit1999RabbitEarthEarth Rabbit
1964DragonWoodWood Dragon2000DragonMetalMetal Dragon
1965SnakeWoodWood Snake2001SnakeMetalMetal Snake
1966HorseFireFire Horse2002HorseWaterWater Horse
1967GoatFireFire Goat2003GoatWaterWater Goat
1968MonkeyEarthEarth Monkey2004MonkeyWoodWood Monkey
1969RoosterEarthEarth Rooster2005RoosterWoodWood Rooster
1970DogMetalMetal Dog2006DogFireFire Dog
1971PigMetalMetal Pig2007PigFireFire Pig
1972RatWaterWater Rat2008RatEarthEarth Rat
1973OxWaterWater Ox2009OxEarthEarth Ox
1974TigerWoodWood Tiger2010TigerMetalMetal Tiger
1975RabbitWoodWood Rabbit2011RabbitMetalMetal Rabbit
1976DragonFireFire Dragon2012DragonWaterWater Dragon
1977SnakeFireFire Snake2013SnakeWaterWater Snake
1978HorseEarthEarth Horse2014HorseWoodWood Horse
1979GoatEarthEarth Goat2015GoatWoodWood Goat
1980MonkeyMetalMetal Monkey2016MonkeyFireFire Monkey
1981RoosterMetalMetal Rooster2017RoosterFireFire Rooster
1982DogWaterWater Dog2018DogEarthEarth Dog
1983PigWaterWater Pig2019PigEarthEarth Pig
1984RatWoodWood Rat2020RatMetalMetal Rat
1985OxWoodWood Ox2021OxMetalMetal Ox
1986TigerFireFire Tiger2022TigerWaterWater Tiger
1987RabbitFireFire Rabbit2023RabbitWaterWater Rabbit
1988DragonEarthEarth Dragon2024DragonWoodWood Dragon
1989SnakeEarthEarth Snake2025SnakeWoodWood Snake
1990HorseMetalMetal Horse2026HorseFireFire Horse
1991GoatMetalMetal Goat2027GoatFireFire Goat
1992MonkeyWaterWater Monkey2028MonkeyEarthEarth Monkey
1993RoosterWaterWater Rooster2029RoosterEarthEarth Rooster
1994DogWoodWood Dog2030DogMetalMetal Dog
1995PigWoodWood Pig2031PigMetalMetal Pig

How to read the chart correctly

Use birth date Not only year

January and February birthdays need the exact Lunar New Year date.

Check animal + element Full label

The animal gives the sign. The element adds the 60-year cycle layer.

Use symbolism carefully Cultural reading

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.

FAQ

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.

What is the Chinese zodiac sign for 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.

Next steps

Chinese Zodiac CalculatorFind your exact animal and element.Calculate → How We CalculateUnderstand the calculator logic.Read method → January & February BirthdaysCheck boundary cases carefully.Read boundary → 12 Chinese Zodiac SignsLearn all animal signs.Read signs → Chinese Zodiac AgeUnderstand zodiac age and birth-year cycles.Read age → Zodiac MeaningRead the cultural meaning behind the system.Read meaning →

Editorial note

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.