Enter any year to find the exact date of Chinese New Year for that year. This Chinese New Year Date Calculator returns the Gregorian date, the Chinese zodiac animal, the Chinese element, and the Yin/Yang polarity for your chosen year. Works for years from 1900 through 2100.
Chinese New Year Date
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Zodiac Animal
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Element
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Yin / Yang
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Chinese Year Name
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Days Until / Since (from today)
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Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, which places it between January 21 and February 20. Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar — based on both moon phases and solar terms — the exact Gregorian date shifts every year. This is why Chinese New Year never falls on a fixed date the way January 1 does.
The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle, with each year assigned one of twelve animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. The cycle repeats endlessly, so every 12 years the same animal returns. Your zodiac sign is determined by your birth year according to the Chinese lunar calendar, so if you were born before Chinese New Year in a given year, you may actually belong to the previous year's animal.
The five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water — rotate on a 10-year cycle (each element lasts two consecutive years). Combined with the 12-year zodiac cycle, this creates a 60-year cycle known as the sexagenary cycle. For example, 2024 is the Year of the Wood Dragon, while 2025 is the Year of the Wood Snake.
In Chinese cosmology, every year alternates between Yin and Yang polarity. Odd-numbered years in the zodiac cycle (Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Monkey, Dog) are Yang years, associated with energy and outward expression, while even-numbered positions (Ox, Rabbit, Snake, Goat, Rooster, Pig) are Yin years, associated with receptivity and inner focus.
Chinese New Year is calculated based on astronomical new moon events observed from the meridian of China Standard Time (UTC+8). Different sources may use slightly different astronomical algorithms or time zones, which can cause a one-day discrepancy for certain years. The dates in this calculator are based on widely accepted tabulated values.
Yes. To stay synchronized with the solar year, the Chinese lunisolar calendar adds a leap month (intercalary month) roughly every three years. This means some Chinese calendar years have 13 months instead of 12. Leap months do not affect the date of Chinese New Year itself, but they do affect other Chinese calendar dates within that year.
This calculator covers years from 1900 to 2100. The Chinese New Year dates are based on established astronomical tables and are accurate for all years within this range.
The traditional Chinese New Year celebration lasts 15 days, culminating in the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. The main public holiday in mainland China typically lasts 7 days, but festivities and customs extend across the full 15-day period.