Chinese Zodiac: Find Your Animal by Exact Birth Date
The short answer
The Chinese zodiac gives each lunar year one of 12 animals, starting at Chinese New Year, which falls between 21 January and 20 February. The current year of the Fire Horse began on 17 February 2026.
The Chinese zodiac gives each lunar year one of 12 animals, starting at Chinese New Year, which falls between 21 January and 20 February. The current year of the Fire Horse began on 17 February 2026.
Enter a birth date on this page to find the animal and element for that exact day. Chinese New Year moves every year, so anyone born in January or February needs the date, not just the year.
The 12 animals
- Rat (子 Zǐ): 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032
- Ox (丑 Chǒu): 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
- Tiger (寅 Yín): 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
- Rabbit (卯 Mǎo): 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
- Dragon (辰 Chén): 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
- Snake (巳 Sì): 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025
- Horse (午 Wǔ): 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026
- Goat (未 Wèi): 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027
- Monkey (申 Shēn): 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028
- Rooster (酉 Yǒu): 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
- Dog (戌 Xū): 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030
- Pig (亥 Hài): 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031
How the dates are worked out
Each Chinese New Year here is worked out from the sky, not copied from a list. A lunar month starts on the day of a New Moon in China Standard Time (UTC+8, or Beijing local time before 1929). The month holding the December solstice is the 11th month. When 13 New Moons fall between two of those months, the first month with no principal solar term (the Sun reaching a multiple of 30 degrees) is a leap month. New Year is the first day of the 1st month, which is why it moves between 21 January and 20 February. New Moons and solar terms follow Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms. The rules follow the Chinese calendar.