Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Written byOleh Soloninupdated 25 September 2026

Year

Result

The yearRed Fire Goat
AnimalGoat
Elementfire
When this year runsfrom 6 February 2027 to 25 January 2028
Years of the same animal2015, 2027, 2039
Same combination returns in2087
What matters
The Chinese year starts not on 1 January but, as a rule, at the second new moon after the winter solstice, Beijing time — between 21 January and 20 February; in rare years with a leap month, such as 2034, at the third. Anyone born before that date belongs to the previous year's animal.

Twelve animals, five elements and the real start date

The animal of any year in the Chinese calendar, with its element and colour, the exact dates the year begins and ends, and the years of the same animal.

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. 2027 is the year of the Fire Goat, and the next Fire Goat year is not until 2087.

The main caveat is when the year begins. Chinese New Year falls on a new moon between 21 January and 20 February, so the calculator gives the exact dates: the Year of the Goat runs from 6 February 2027 to 25 January 2028.

How to use

Enter a year — a birth year, or the year you are asking about. It opens on 2027.
The animal, the element and the full name of the combination with its colour appear at once — Red Fire Goat.
For a birthday in January or February, check the line When this year runs: anyone born before its first date belongs to the previous year's animal.
The years of the same animal and the year the combination returns show who else was born under the same sign.

Which animal is it: 2024–2031

The colour in the name comes from the element: wood is green, fire red, earth yellow, metal white and water black. The start and end dates are worked out from the new moons and agree with the Hong Kong Observatory's tables.

Start dates checked against the Hong Kong Observatory's Gregorian–Lunar Calendar Conversion Tables.
Year	Combination	Runs
2024	Green Wood Dragon	10 Feb 2024 – 28 Jan 2025
2025	Green Wood Snake	29 Jan 2025 – 16 Feb 2026
2026	Red Fire Horse	17 Feb 2026 – 5 Feb 2027
2027	Red Fire Goat	6 Feb 2027 – 25 Jan 2028
2028	Yellow Earth Monkey	26 Jan 2028 – 12 Feb 2029
2029	Yellow Earth Rooster	13 Feb 2029 – 2 Feb 2030
2030	White Metal Dog	3 Feb 2030 – 22 Jan 2031
2031	White Metal Pig	23 Jan 2031 – 10 Feb 2032

The years of the twelve animals

The animals always come in the same order, and each returns every twelve years. The years in the table are Gregorian: for someone born in January or early February the animal may be the previous one.

The Goat is also translated as the Sheep or the Ram.
Animal	Years
Rat	1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
Ox	1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
Tiger	1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
Rabbit	1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
Dragon	1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
Snake	1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025
Horse	1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026
Goat	1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027
Monkey	1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028
Rooster	1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
Dog	1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030
Pig	1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031

How the sixty-year cycle works

The twelve animals change every year and the five elements every two years. The first year of each pair is yang and the second yin, which is why 2026 and 2027 are both fire years with different animals, the Horse and the Goat. The least common multiple of twelve and ten is sixty: that is how long it takes for the same animal to meet the same element again.

The current round began in 1984 with the Wood Rat. That makes the arithmetic simple: the remainder of the difference from 1984 divided by 12 gives the animal, and divided by 10 gives the element, with each element taking two numbers in a row.

When Chinese New Year falls

The lunar month that contains the winter solstice counts as the eleventh. The new year begins two new moons later, on the day the new moon falls in Beijing time. That keeps the festival between 21 January and 20 February, with up to a month's difference from year to year: 17 February in 2026, 6 February in 2027.

Occasionally a leap month is inserted between the eleventh month and the new year, and the festival moves one more new moon later. That happens in 2034, when the new year falls on 19 February rather than 20 January. The calculator handles that exception and is checked against the Hong Kong Observatory for every year from 1950 to 2060.

What this calculator shows

The animal and element, with the full name of the combination and its colour
The exact dates the Chinese year begins and ends
The years of the same animal and when the combination returns

What to keep in mind

New year dates are computed from the new moons and the solstice and match the Hong Kong Observatory's tables for 1950–2060; outside that range the calculator gives only the animal and element.
The cycle is counted from 1984, the Wood Rat year that opened the current sixty-year round.

FAQs

What animal is 2027?

The Fire Goat, also called the Red Fire Goat. It begins on 6 February 2027 and ends on 25 January 2028; the Earth Monkey year begins on 26 January 2028.

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. The remainder of the difference in years divided by 12 gives the animal.

When does the Chinese year start?

As a rule, at the second new moon after the winter solstice, Beijing time — between 21 January and 20 February; in years with a leap month, such as 2034, at the third. Check the exact date in a calendar. People born in January almost always belong to the previous animal.

What do the elements and colours mean?

There are five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal and water — each with a colour: green, red, yellow, white and black. Each holds for two consecutive years, so the full cycle takes sixty years.

Is the Goat the same as the Sheep or the Ram?

Yes. The Chinese word is translated in different ways; in the calendar it is the eighth animal of the cycle, between the Horse and the Monkey.

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: White Metal Horse, 27 January 1990 to 14 February 1991

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.

Useful links

All tools in Date & Time World Clock Time Difference

Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Result

Related tools

Zodiac Sign Calculator

Age in Days Calculator

Leap Year Calculator

Useful links