Enter your birth year (or any year) to discover your Chinese Zodiac animal sign. Get your zodiac animal, element, lucky numbers, lucky colors, and personality traits — all based on the traditional 12-year lunar cycle.
Your Chinese Zodiac Sign
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Element
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Lucky Numbers
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Lucky Colors
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Personality Traits
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Recent Year Range
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Your Chinese Zodiac sign is primarily determined by your birth year according to the Chinese lunar calendar. The 12-year cycle repeats in order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. If you were born in January or February, the exact date matters because the Chinese New Year typically falls between January 21 and February 20, meaning you might belong to the previous year's sign.
The 12 animals in order are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. According to legend, the Jade Emperor held a race and the animals' finishing order determined their place in the zodiac cycle. Each animal rules one year in the 12-year repeating cycle.
Each Chinese Zodiac year is also associated with one of five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Each element governs two consecutive years before cycling to the next, creating a 60-year cycle before both the animal and element combination repeats. For example, 1990 is a Metal Horse year, while 2002 is a Water Horse year.
2024 is the Year of the Dragon, beginning on February 10, 2024 (Chinese New Year) and ending on January 28, 2025. People born during this period are considered Wood Dragons. 2025 is the Year of the Snake, starting January 29, 2025.
The Chinese New Year does not fall on January 1st — it shifts each year based on the lunar calendar, usually landing between January 21 and February 20. If you were born in January or early February, you may actually belong to the zodiac sign of the previous year. For example, someone born on February 5, 1990 would be a Snake (1989) rather than a Horse (1990) if that date fell before the 1990 Chinese New Year.
Each zodiac animal is associated with distinct personality traits. For example, Rats are considered clever and resourceful, Dragons are bold and ambitious, and Rabbits are gentle and kind. While these are traditional generalizations rooted in Chinese culture and astrology, many people find them a fun and insightful lens for self-reflection.
Your Chinese Zodiac animal sign repeats every 12 years. So if you were born in a Year of the Tiger, you will encounter your zodiac year again at ages 12, 24, 36, 48, and so on. Interestingly, in Chinese tradition your own zodiac year (Ben Ming Nian) is considered an unlucky year requiring extra caution — wearing red is thought to ward off bad luck.
Yes, Chinese Zodiac compatibility is a popular tradition used in relationships, friendships, and even business partnerships. Some pairings are considered highly compatible (e.g., Rat and Ox, Tiger and Horse), while others are traditionally seen as clashing (e.g., Rat and Horse, Ox and Goat). These are cultural beliefs rather than scientific predictions, but they remain widely referenced across Chinese communities.