✦ Pluto Astrology ✦

Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Your date of birth in, your animal, element and yin or yang out, checked against the exact Chinese New Year date of your birth year.

Dates from February 5, 1924 to February 10, 2032.

Enter your date of birth to see your animal and element. January and early February birthdays are checked against that year's New Year date.

By · Updated October 23, 2026 · Free, no sign-up, nothing you type leaves your browser

Why the year starts in January or February

The Chinese zodiac follows the lunar calendar, so the animal changes at Chinese New Year, not on January 1. Someone born on February 1, 1985 is a Wood Rat, because the Wood Ox year began on February 20, 1985. Checking only the calendar year gets the animal wrong for many January and February birthdays.

The twelve animals and their fixed elements

  • Rat: fixed element water; 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
  • Ox: fixed element earth; 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
  • Tiger: fixed element wood; 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
  • Rabbit: fixed element wood; 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
  • Dragon: fixed element earth; 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
  • Snake: fixed element fire; 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025
  • Horse: fixed element fire; 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026
  • Goat: fixed element earth; 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027
  • Monkey: fixed element metal; 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028
  • Rooster: fixed element metal; 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
  • Dog: fixed element earth; 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030
  • Pig: fixed element water; 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031

See every year with its exact start and end date, and what 2027 holds for each animal, on the Chinese New Year 2027 page.

Questions

✦What is my Chinese zodiac sign if I was born in January or February?

Chinese New Year falls between January 21 and February 20, so a birthday in that window can belong to the previous year's animal. The calculator compares your date with the exact New Year date of your birth year.

✦How is the Chinese New Year date worked out?

New Year's Day is the day of the second new moon after the December solstice, counted in China Standard Time (UTC+8). The dates here are computed from the Moon's and Sun's positions and match the Hong Kong Observatory's table for every year from 1924 to 2031.

✦What is my Chinese zodiac element?

The element comes from the last digit of the lunar year: 0 and 1 metal, 2 and 3 water, 4 and 5 wood, 6 and 7 fire, 8 and 9 earth. Even years are yang, odd years yin. Each animal also has a fixed element of its own, which stays the same every cycle.

✦What animal is 2027?

The Goat, with the element fire: the yin Fire Goat year runs from February 6, 2027 to January 25, 2028.