Chinese Zodiac Calculator
Type a date of birth and see its Chinese zodiac animal, worked out from the actual Lunar New Year date of that year rather than 1 January. You also get the element, yin or yang, the year’s name in the 60-year cycle, and the birth date in the lunar calendar. The dates come from the Hong Kong Observatory’s calendar tables for every year from 1901 to 2100. Add your family to see everyone’s animal at once, then print a 12-animal chart or a zodiac card with our own drawings of the animals. Free, with no sign-up, and nothing leaves your device.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Worked out on your device; nothing is uploaded.
Your zodiac card
Family and friends
The 12 animals and their years
Card
Chart
Folklore, for fun and for learning: the animals describe years, not people.
Worked out in your browser from the Hong Kong Observatory calendar tables (1901 to 2100). Nothing is uploaded; names and dates are saved on this device only.
How to find your Chinese zodiac animal
- Pick a date of birth. The animal, element and lunar birth date appear straight away.
- If the date is in January or February, read the note: it tells you which side of Lunar New Year it falls on.
- Want the start of spring (Lichun) as the turn of the year instead? Change “Year starts at”.
- Type a name and choose a card size and design, then download the card as a PNG or a PDF.
- Open “Family and friends” and type one person a line, with a name and a date of birth, to get a table and a printable family chart.
- Pick any animal to see all its years, or download the 12-animal chart for US Letter or A4.
What you can use it for
- Finding your animal, or a child’s, when the birthday is in January or February
- A printable zodiac chart for a classroom or a Lunar New Year party
- Zodiac cards for family and friends
- Checking a whole family’s animals at once
- Year-of-the-Goat cards and decorations for 2027
- Learning the 12 animals, the elements and the 60-year cycle
How the animal is worked out
The zodiac year starts on Lunar New Year’s Day, not on 1 January. Born before that day, you take the previous year’s animal. These examples are worked out by the calculator from the Hong Kong Observatory dates:
| Date of birth | Lunar New Year that year | Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 5 February 2027 | 6 February 2027 | Horse (Fire Horse, 2026) |
| 6 February 2027 | 6 February 2027 | Goat (Fire Goat, 2027) |
| 1 February 1991 | 15 February 1991 | Horse (Metal Horse, 1990) |
| 3 February 1992 | 4 February 1992 | Goat (Metal Goat, 1991) |
| 23 January 2001 | 24 January 2001 | Dragon (Metal Dragon, 2000) |
| 21 February 1985 | 20 February 1985 | Ox (Wood Ox, 1985) |
Lunar New Year dates, 2020 to 2035
| Year | Lunar New Year | Weekday | Animal | Stem and branch | Yin or yang |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 25 January 2020 | Saturday | Metal Rat | 庚子 (gēng zǐ) | Yang |
| 2021 | 12 February 2021 | Friday | Metal Ox | 辛丑 (xīn chǒu) | Yin |
| 2022 | 1 February 2022 | Tuesday | Water Tiger | 壬寅 (rén yín) | Yang |
| 2023 | 22 January 2023 | Sunday | Water Rabbit | 癸卯 (guǐ mǎo) | Yin |
| 2024 | 10 February 2024 | Saturday | Wood Dragon | 甲辰 (jiǎ chén) | Yang |
| 2025 | 29 January 2025 | Wednesday | Wood Snake | 乙巳 (yǐ sì) | Yin |
| 2026 | 17 February 2026 | Tuesday | Fire Horse | 丙午 (bǐng wǔ) | Yang |
| 2027 | 6 February 2027 | Saturday | Fire Goat | 丁未 (dīng wèi) | Yin |
| 2028 | 26 January 2028 | Wednesday | Earth Monkey | 戊申 (wù shēn) | Yang |
| 2029 | 13 February 2029 | Tuesday | Earth Rooster | 己酉 (jǐ yǒu) | Yin |
| 2030 | 3 February 2030 | Sunday | Metal Dog | 庚戌 (gēng xū) | Yang |
| 2031 | 23 January 2031 | Thursday | Metal Pig | 辛亥 (xīn hài) | Yin |
| 2032 | 11 February 2032 | Wednesday | Water Rat | 壬子 (rén zǐ) | Yang |
| 2033 | 31 January 2033 | Monday | Water Ox | 癸丑 (guǐ chǒu) | Yin |
| 2034 | 19 February 2034 | Sunday | Wood Tiger | 甲寅 (jiǎ yín) | Yang |
| 2035 | 8 February 2035 | Thursday | Wood Rabbit | 乙卯 (yǐ mǎo) | Yin |
The calculator holds every Lunar New Year from 19 February 1901 to 9 February 2100, with the lunar months in between, so it can also give your birth date in the lunar calendar. Dates are for Hong Kong and China time.
Sources, read 7-Nov-2026: Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Tables (every year from 1901 to 2100), Wikipedia, Sexagenary cycle, Wikipedia, Earthly Branches and Wikipedia, Chinese zodiac.
The 12 animals
| Animal | Chinese | Pinyin | Earthly branch | Branch element | Years, 1996 to 2031 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | 鼠 | shǔ | 子 (zǐ) | Water | 1996, 2008, 2020 |
| Ox | 牛 | niú | 丑 (chǒu) | Earth | 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| Tiger | 虎 | hǔ | 寅 (yín) | Wood | 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| Rabbit | 兔 | tù | 卯 (mǎo) | Wood | 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| Dragon | 龙 / 龍 | lóng | 辰 (chén) | Earth | 2000, 2012, 2024 |
| Snake | 蛇 | shé | 巳 (sì) | Fire | 2001, 2013, 2025 |
| Horse | 马 / 馬 | mǎ | 午 (wǔ) | Fire | 2002, 2014, 2026 |
| Goat | 羊 | yáng | 未 (wèi) | Earth | 2003, 2015, 2027 |
| Monkey | 猴 | hóu | 申 (shēn) | Metal | 2004, 2016, 2028 |
| Rooster | 鸡 / 雞 | jī | 酉 (yǒu) | Metal | 2005, 2017, 2029 |
| Dog | 狗 | gǒu | 戌 (xū) | Earth | 2006, 2018, 2030 |
| Pig | 猪 / 豬 | zhū | 亥 (hài) | Water | 2007, 2019, 2031 |
The years listed are lunar years: each starts at Lunar New Year, in late January or February.
Elements and yin and yang
| Last digit of the year | Heavenly stem | Element | Yin or yang |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 甲 (jiǎ) | Wood 木 | Yang |
| 5 | 乙 (yǐ) | Wood 木 | Yin |
| 6 | 丙 (bǐng) | Fire 火 | Yang |
| 7 | 丁 (dīng) | Fire 火 | Yin |
| 8 | 戊 (wù) | Earth 土 | Yang |
| 9 | 己 (jǐ) | Earth 土 | Yin |
| 0 | 庚 (gēng) | Metal 金 | Yang |
| 1 | 辛 (xīn) | Metal 金 | Yin |
| 2 | 壬 (rén) | Water 水 | Yang |
| 3 | 癸 (guǐ) | Water 水 | Yin |
The ten stems and the twelve branches pair up into a cycle of 60 years. 2027 is 丁未 (dīng wèi): the stem 丁 is yin Fire and the branch 未 is the Goat, so 2027 is a Fire Goat year.
Lunar New Year or Lichun?
Most people take the animal from Lunar New Year. Some almanac traditions start the year at Lichun (立春), the first of the 24 solar terms, on 3, 4 or 5 February. The Hong Kong Observatory tables list it as “Spring Commences”, and the calculator can use either. When the two methods give different animals for your date, it says so.
Matches, as tradition tells it
These groupings come from the twelve earthly branches. They are part of the folklore, not a guide to people:
| Animal | Group of three (三合), said to get on well | Pair (六合) | Said to clash (六冲) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | Dragon and Monkey | Ox | Horse |
| Ox | Snake and Rooster | Rat | Goat |
| Tiger | Horse and Dog | Pig | Monkey |
| Rabbit | Goat and Pig | Dog | Rooster |
| Dragon | Rat and Monkey | Rooster | Dog |
| Snake | Ox and Rooster | Monkey | Pig |
| Horse | Tiger and Dog | Goat | Rat |
| Goat | Rabbit and Pig | Horse | Ox |
| Monkey | Rat and Dragon | Snake | Tiger |
| Rooster | Ox and Snake | Dragon | Rabbit |
| Dog | Tiger and Horse | Rabbit | Dragon |
| Pig | Rabbit and Goat | Tiger | Snake |
More for Lunar New Year
Make a Year of the Goat greeting with the Lunar New Year 2027 Image Maker, send a Chinese New Year Card, or print a Red Envelope Template and a Paper Lantern Template. For a family project, try the Family Tree Maker.
More free Lunar New Year tools
Getting ready for the Year of the Goat?
Greeting images, cards, red envelopes and lanterns: free tools that run in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
What is my Chinese zodiac animal?
It is the animal of the lunar year you were born in. The lunar year starts at Lunar New Year, which falls between 21 January and 20 February, so a birthday in January or early February can belong to the year before. Type your date of birth and the calculator checks it against that year’s Lunar New Year date.
What is the Chinese zodiac animal for 2027?
2027 is the Year of the Goat, a Fire Goat year, 丁未 (dīng wèi) in the 60-year cycle. It starts on 6 February 2027 and ends on 25 January 2028, the day before Lunar New Year 2028 (26 January 2028).
I was born in January or February. Which animal am I?
It depends on the Lunar New Year date in your birth year. Born before it, your animal is the previous year’s; born on it or after, it is that year’s. For example, Lunar New Year 1991 was on 15 February 1991, so someone born on 1 February 1991 is a Horse, the animal of 1990.
How is my element worked out?
From the year’s heavenly stem, which follows the last digit of the lunar year: 0 and 1 Metal, 2 and 3 Water, 4 and 5 Wood, 6 and 7 Fire, 8 and 9 Earth. With the 12 animals this makes a 60-year cycle; 1984 began the present one.
Am I yin or yang?
Lunar years ending in an even digit are yang, and years ending in an odd digit are yin. The calculator uses the lunar year, so a January birthday before Lunar New Year takes the previous year’s.
What is Lichun and why might my animal change?
Lichun (立春), the start of spring, falls on 3, 4 or 5 February. Some almanac traditions turn the year there instead of at Lunar New Year. For a birthday between the two dates the animals differ, and the calculator tells you both. Born on the Lichun day itself, it depends on the hour.
Is it the Goat, the Sheep or the Ram?
The Chinese character 羊 (yáng) covers all three, so you will see each name. This page says Goat. In the Vietnamese zodiac the Cat takes the place of the Rabbit, and the Water Buffalo the place of the Ox.
Where do the Lunar New Year dates come from?
From the Hong Kong Observatory’s Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, read for every year from 1901 to 2100. The dates are for Hong Kong and China time; for a birth near midnight elsewhere in the world, the local date can differ.
Which animals are said to get along?
Tradition groups the animals into four sets of three that are said to get on well, and six pairs; each animal is also said to clash with the one opposite it. The table on this page lists them. It is folklore, not advice about people.
Does my zodiac animal say what I am like?
Not as fact. The animals belong to the years of a calendar and to the stories told about them. This calculator gives the calendar facts and leaves fortunes out.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Everything is worked out in your browser. Names and dates are saved on this device only, so they are there when you come back.
Can I use the cards and charts I make?
Yes. The designs are our own drawings: you may use them and anything you make with them, including things you sell, with no credit needed.