Chinese Zodiac — Your Sign, Element & Compatibility
Enter your birth date to find your Chinese zodiac animal, its element and your best and worst matches. Because the zodiac year begins at Chinese New Year — not January 1st — a January birthday often belongs to the previous animal. The finder handles that boundary for you.
See your Western chart too
Your animal is the Chinese half of the picture. Get your full Western birth chart — Sun, Moon, Rising and every planet — computed from real astronomy, free.
The 12 Chinese zodiac animals
| Animal | Recent years | Element cycle | Trait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | 1996, 2008 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Metal. | Quick-witted, resourceful, charming |
| Ox | 1997, 2009 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Metal. | Steady, dependable, determined |
| Tiger | 1998, 2010 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Water. | Bold, competitive, magnetic |
| Rabbit | 1999, 2011 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Water. | Gentle, elegant, diplomatic |
| Dragon | 2000, 2012 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Wood. | Confident, ambitious, lucky |
| Snake | 2001, 2013 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Wood. | Wise, intuitive, private |
| Horse | 2002, 2014 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Fire. | Free-spirited, energetic, warm |
| Goat | 2003, 2015 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Fire. | Kind, artistic, tender |
| Monkey | 2004, 2016 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Earth. | Clever, playful, inventive |
| Rooster | 2005, 2017 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Earth. | Observant, hardworking, honest |
| Dog | 2006, 2018 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Metal. | Loyal, fair, protective |
| Pig | 2007, 2019 | Runs through the five elements over 60 years — a recent turn was Metal. | Generous, sincere, easygoing |
Years shown are approximate zodiac years for quick reference. For a birthday near Chinese New Year, use the finder above — it places you on the correct side of the boundary.
Chinese zodiac compatibility
The twelve animals fall into four affinity groups called trines — sets of three animals born four years apart who share the same outlook and tend to get along famously. Your strongest matches are the other two animals in your trine (plus your “secret friend”). Your classic clash is the animal directly opposite you on the wheel, six years apart.
Ambitious, quick and driven — the doers.
Steady, thoughtful and diligent — the strategists.
Idealistic, warm and freedom-loving — the champions.
Gentle, artistic and kind — the peacemakers.
What is the Chinese zodiac?
The Chinese zodiac is a repeating cycle of twelve animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig — assigned one per year. Unlike the Western zodiac, which is tied to the month you were born, your Chinese sign comes from your birth year, so everyone born in the same lunar year shares the same animal. The animal is said to colour your temperament, your luck and how you get on with others.
Running alongside the twelve animals is a second cycle of five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water — that turns over every ten years. Because twelve and ten share factors, a full animal-and-element combination (say, a Water Rabbit) only comes around once every sixty years. That sixty-year cycle is the traditional backbone of the Chinese calendar, and it is why your grandparents may share your animal but never your element.
The Chinese New Year boundary
Here is the detail most online calculators get wrong: the Chinese zodiac year does not start on January 1st. It begins at Chinese New Year, which falls on a different date each year — anywhere from late January to the middle of February — because it tracks the lunar calendar rather than the Western one. If you were born in January, or in the first days of February, your true animal is often the one from the previous year, not the year printed on your birth certificate.
For example, a baby born on 15 January 1990 is a Snake, not a Horse, because Chinese New Year in 1990 did not arrive until late January. Our finder above uses an astronomically-derived table of New Year dates, so it places you on the correct side of the boundary automatically — just enter your full day, month and year.
Elements & yin-yang
Each animal is refined by one of the five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water — which shifts across the sixty-year cycle. Wood adds growth and cooperation, Fire adds passion and dynamism, Earth adds stability and patience, Metal adds resolve and precision, and Water adds intuition and adaptability. So a Fire Horse and a Water Horse share the Horse spirit but express it very differently.
Every animal also carries a fixed yin or yang polarity, alternating around the wheel: the Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Monkey and Dog are yang (outward, active), while the Ox, Rabbit, Snake, Goat, Rooster and Pig are yin (inward, receptive). Together, the animal, its element and its polarity give a richer portrait than the animal alone.
Chinese vs Western zodiac
The two systems answer different questions. The Chinese zodiac assigns an animal by your birth year, so it changes once every twelve months and everyone born in that lunar year shares it. The Western zodiac assigns a Sun sign by roughly which month you were born, so it changes about every thirty days. Neither replaces the other — many people enjoy knowing both, and they often describe complementary sides of a personality.
If you want the Western half of the picture, our free birth chart computes your real Sun, Moon and Rising signs from your exact birth date, time and place — the same astronomy, applied to the tropical zodiac. It is the natural companion to the animal you found above.
Chinese zodiac FAQ
How do I find my Chinese zodiac sign?+
Enter your full birth date — day, month and year — in the finder at the top of this page. Your Chinese zodiac sign is the animal of the lunar year you were born in. Because the finder knows the Chinese New Year date for every year, it gives the correct animal even for January and early-February birthdays.
Why might my animal be the previous year's?+
The Chinese zodiac year begins at Chinese New Year, which falls in late January or early February — not on January 1st. If you were born before that year's New Year, you belong to the previous animal. For instance, someone born on 15 January 1990 is a Snake, not a Horse. Our finder accounts for this automatically.
What are the five elements?+
The five elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. They cycle over ten years alongside the twelve animals, so a full animal-and-element pairing repeats every sixty years. The element modifies your animal — a Metal Tiger and a Wood Tiger share the Tiger nature but express it differently.
What is my most compatible animal?+
Your strongest matches are the two other animals in your trine — the four-year-apart group that shares your outlook (for example Rat, Dragon and Monkey) — plus your "secret friend," the animal paired with yours for mutual support. Your classic clash is the animal directly opposite you on the wheel, six years apart.