Chinese Zodiac CalculatorWhat is my Chinese zodiac animal?

The twelve animals repeat in the same order every twelve years. Each year below starts at Chinese New Year, so check the exact dates in the full chart if your birthday is in January or February.

Each zodiac year runs from the Chinese New Year date shown to the day before the next one. Dates follow the calendar used in mainland China (Beijing time).

• There are 12 animals in a fixed order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.
• The animal changes at Chinese New Year, which falls between 21 January and 20 February. The date is different every year.
• So a baby born on 5 February 2027 is a Horse, and a baby born one day later, on 6 February 2027, is a Goat.
• Each year also has one of five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). An element lasts two years in a row, so the same animal-and-element pair comes back only once every 60 years.

The zodiac is called 生肖 (shēngxiào). In conversation people use the verb 属 (shǔ, “to belong to”) and the one-character animal name:

• 你属什么？ (nǐ shǔ shénme?) — What's your zodiac sign?
• 我属羊。 (wǒ shǔ yáng.) — I'm a Goat.
• 今年是马年。 (jīnnián shì mǎ nián.) — This year is the Year of the Horse.

Asking 你属什么？ is friendly small talk, and it is also a polite way to work out someone's age without asking directly. See “What's your Chinese zodiac sign?” in Chinese for audio and more examples.

Note that the zodiac uses short names: 鼠 for Rat, 虎 for Tiger and 兔 for Rabbit, while the everyday words for the animals are 老鼠, 老虎 and 兔子.

When your animal's year comes round again, at ages 12, 24, 36, 48 and so on, it is your 本命年 (běnmìngnián). Tradition says this year can bring bad luck, so many people wear something red, often red socks, a red belt or a red string bracelet given by a family member. 2027 is the 本命年 for everyone born in a Goat year.

Getting ready for the holiday? See our Chinese New Year greetings and phrases.