What is the Chinese zodiac?

The Chinese zodiac is an age-old system that classifies people into 12 animals according to their year of birth. Each animal has specific personality traits and is combined with 5 elements.

How do I know my Chinese zodiac animal?

Your Chinese zodiac animal is determined by your year of birth according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Unlike the Western zodiac, the cycle is yearly (12 animals × 5 elements = a 60-year cycle).

Is Chinese zodiac compatibility reliable?

Chinese zodiac compatibility is a traditional symbolic system, not a scientific prediction. It's based on the relationships between the 12 animals (for example, Rat and Dragon have a high affinity). Its value is as cultural guidance.

Chinese zodiac · the calendar of twelve animals

Chinese zodiac

Name: Molino
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Author: Molino

Twelve animals that take turns year by year, five elements and a sixty-year cycle.

Try it with your date of birth

This is the year of the Fire Horse, which began on February 17, 2026.

: In black, the animal of that date: Horse.
: The red triangle links it with its two friends: Tiger and Dog.
: The dotted line crosses to its opposite: Rat.

The Chinese zodiac is an age-old belief system rooted in Chinese culture. Molino uses it as a tool for reflection and self-knowledge. The interpretations don't constitute scientific evidence, predictions or diagnoses. The calculations are deterministic and reproducible from the year of birth.

History and origin

The twelve Chinese ceramic funerary figures of the zodiac, 6th century — Foto: Cleveland Museum of Art

The Chinese zodiac is at least 2,000 years old, with roots in the Han dynasty. Unlike Western astrology, which is based on the position of the stars, the Chinese zodiac is based on a calendar: the sexagenary calendar.

This system combines 12 animals (earthly branches) with 10 heavenly stems (associated with the 5 elements in Yin/Yang polarity), creating a cycle of 60 unique combinations.

The oldest known record is the oracle bones of the Shang dynasty (c. 1250 BC), where the 12 animals already appear associated with months.

In short

The Chinese zodiac is a way of ordering time in cycles, inherited from a culture. It isn't a system of predictions.

The 12 animals

Which animal are you? Table by year, from 1924 to 2031

The Chinese year doesn't start on January 1 but with the Lunar New Year, between January 21 and February 21. Next to each year is the day it starts: if you were born before that date, your animal is the previous year's.

1924Wood RatFeb 5

1925Wood OxJan 25

1926Fire TigerFeb 13

1927Fire CatFeb 2

1928Earth DragonJan 23

1929Earth SnakeFeb 10

1930Metal HorseJan 30

1931Metal GoatFeb 17

1932Water MonkeyFeb 6

1933Water RoosterJan 26

1934Wood DogFeb 14

1935Wood PigFeb 4

1936Fire RatJan 24

1937Fire OxFeb 11

1938Earth TigerJan 31

1939Earth CatFeb 19

1940Metal DragonFeb 8

1941Metal SnakeJan 27

1942Water HorseFeb 15

1943Water GoatFeb 5

1944Wood MonkeyJan 25

1945Wood RoosterFeb 13

1946Fire DogFeb 2

1947Fire PigJan 22

1948Earth RatFeb 10

1949Earth OxJan 29

1950Metal TigerFeb 17

1951Metal CatFeb 6

1952Water DragonJan 27

1953Water SnakeFeb 14

1954Wood HorseFeb 3

1955Wood GoatJan 24

1956Fire MonkeyFeb 12

1957Fire RoosterJan 31

1958Earth DogFeb 18

1959Earth PigFeb 8

1960Metal RatJan 28

1961Metal OxFeb 15

1962Water TigerFeb 5

1963Water CatJan 25

1964Wood DragonFeb 13

1965Wood SnakeFeb 2

1966Fire HorseJan 21

1967Fire GoatFeb 9

1968Earth MonkeyJan 30

1969Earth RoosterFeb 17

1970Metal DogFeb 6

1971Metal PigJan 27

1972Water RatFeb 15

1973Water OxFeb 3

1974Wood TigerJan 23

1975Wood CatFeb 11

1976Fire DragonJan 31

1977Fire SnakeFeb 18

1978Earth HorseFeb 7

1979Earth GoatJan 28

1980Metal MonkeyFeb 16

1981Metal RoosterFeb 5

1982Water DogJan 25

1983Water PigFeb 13

1984Wood RatFeb 2

1985Wood OxFeb 20

1986Fire TigerFeb 9

1987Fire CatJan 29

1988Earth DragonFeb 17

1989Earth SnakeFeb 6

1990Metal HorseJan 27

1991Metal GoatFeb 15

1992Water MonkeyFeb 4

1993Water RoosterJan 23

1994Wood DogFeb 10

1995Wood PigJan 31

1996Fire RatFeb 19

1997Fire OxFeb 7

1998Earth TigerJan 28

1999Earth CatFeb 16

2000Metal DragonFeb 5

2001Metal SnakeJan 24

2002Water HorseFeb 12

2003Water GoatFeb 1

2004Wood MonkeyJan 22

2005Wood RoosterFeb 9

2006Fire DogJan 29

2007Fire PigFeb 18

2008Earth RatFeb 7

2009Earth OxJan 26

2010Metal TigerFeb 14

2011Metal CatFeb 3

2012Water DragonJan 23

2013Water SnakeFeb 10

2014Wood HorseJan 31

2015Wood GoatFeb 19

2016Fire MonkeyFeb 8

2017Fire RoosterJan 28

2018Earth DogFeb 16

2019Earth PigFeb 5

2020Metal RatJan 25

2021Metal OxFeb 12

2022Water TigerFeb 1

2023Water CatJan 22

2024Wood DragonFeb 10

2025Wood SnakeJan 29

2026Fire HorseFeb 17

2027Fire GoatFeb 6

2028Earth MonkeyJan 26

2029Earth RoosterFeb 13

2030Metal DogFeb 3

2031Metal PigJan 23

The 5 elements

Each element rules two years in a row — one Yang (years ending in an even number) and one Yin (odd) — and the full cycle of 12 animals by 5 elements repeats every 60 years. Years ending in 0 and 1 are Metal; in 2 and 3, Water; in 4 and 5, Wood; in 6 and 7, Fire; in 8 and 9, Earth.

Wood

Growth · Generosity · Flexibility · Idealism

Fire

Passion · Energy · Spontaneity · Leadership

Earth

Stability · Practicality · Patience · Nutrition

Metal

Determination · Precision · Organization · Resilience

Water

Intuition · Communication · Adaptability · Flexibility

Sources

Chinese Zodiac

Encyclopaedia Britannica · britannica.com

The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes

Theodora Lau (1979), Tuttle Publishing

Chinese Astrology: A Primer

Stephen Skinner (2000)

Get to know your animal and its compatibilities

Calculate your Chinese zodiac animal or compare the compatibility between two people.

Calculate your animal →Compatibility between two people →

Molino is an educational and entertainment platform. Its interpretations belong to the field of symbolic systems and don't constitute scientific predictions, diagnoses or professional advice.