Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Year

Result

The yearmetal horse
AnimalHorse
Elementmetal
Years of the same animal1978, 1990, 2002
Same combination returns in2,050
What mattersThe Chinese year starts not on 1 January but at the new moon between 21 January and 20 February: births in January and early February need the exact date checked.

Twelve animals and five elements

Gives the animal and element for a year in the Chinese calendar and shows when the same combination comes round again.

The Chinese calendar runs on two cycles: twelve animals and five elements. Each element holds for two consecutive years, so the full cycle of combinations is not twelve years but sixty. Born in a wood dragon year, you wait sixty years for the next one.

The main caveat is when the year begins. Chinese New Year falls on the new moon between 21 January and 20 February, so anyone born in January or early February technically belongs to the previous year of the calendar.

What this calculator shows

The animal and element, with the full name of the combination
The years of the same animal before and after
When exactly the same animal-and-element pairing returns

What to keep in mind

The calculation uses the Gregorian year. Births between 1 January and 20 February need checking against the exact Chinese New Year date.
The cycle is counted from 1984, the wood rat year that opened the current sixty-year round.

FAQs

How do I find the animal for a year?

Count from 1984, which was the year of the rat, then ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

When does the Chinese year start?

At the new moon between 21 January and 20 February, so the date changes every year. People born in January almost always belong to the previous animal.

What do the elements mean?

Wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each holds for two consecutive years, so the full animal-and-element cycle takes sixty years.

Does it line up with the Western zodiac?

No, they are separate systems. The Western one keys off the month of birth, the Chinese one off the year, and no correspondence is intended.

Worked example

A horse year

Input: 1990

Output: Metal horse

Note: The horse returns every twelve years — 1978, 1990, 2002. The metal horse specifically does not come round again until 2050, a full sixty-year cycle later.

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Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Result

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