The Hexagrams › Chinese Zodiac Years
Chinese Zodiac Years Chart: 12 Animal Signs (1936–2031)
Every Chinese zodiac year from 1936 to 2031, grouped by its animal sign, with the element label of each year — Metal Horse (1990), Water Tiger (2022), Fire Horse (2026) and the rest. The chart follows the classical Lichun boundary, the same one ourBaZi calculator uses.
How the Chinese zodiac year is decided
The Chinese zodiac does not turn over on January 1st or on Chinese New Year. In the classical system the zodiac year begins at Lichun (立春), the Beginning of Spring, a solar term that usually falls on February 3, 4 or 5. Anyone born before Lichun in a given calendar year belongs to the previous animal: a person born on January 10, 2026 is a Snake, not a Horse, because 2026's Horse year only opens on February 4.
Each zodiac year also carries an element. The element comes from the heavenly stem of the year's sexagenary label — 庚 (gēng) and 辛 (xīn) are Metal, 壬 (rén) and 癸 (guǐ) are Water, and so on. That is why 1990, a 庚午 (gēng wǔ) year, is called the Metal Horse year while 2002, a 壬午 (rén wǔ) year, is the Water Horse year.
Chinese zodiac years table
| Zodiac sign | Branch | Years with element (1936–2031) |
|---|---|---|
| Rat | 子 (zǐ) | 1936 Fire (丙子), 1948 Earth (戊子), 1960 Metal (庚子), 1972 Water (壬子), 1984 Wood (甲子), 1996 Fire (丙子), 2008 Earth (戊子), 2020 Metal (庚子) |
| Ox | 丑 (chǒu) | 1937 Fire (丁丑), 1949 Earth (己丑), 1961 Metal (辛丑), 1973 Water (癸丑), 1985 Wood (乙丑), 1997 Fire (丁丑), 2009 Earth (己丑), 2021 Metal (辛丑) |
| Tiger | 寅 (yín) | 1938 Earth (戊寅), 1950 Metal (庚寅), 1962 Water (壬寅), 1974 Wood (甲寅), 1986 Fire (丙寅), 1998 Earth (戊寅), 2010 Metal (庚寅), 2022 Water (壬寅) |
| Rabbit | 卯 (mǎo) | 1939 Earth (己卯), 1951 Metal (辛卯), 1963 Water (癸卯), 1975 Wood (乙卯), 1987 Fire (丁卯), 1999 Earth (己卯), 2011 Metal (辛卯), 2023 Water (癸卯) |
| Dragon | 辰 (chén) | 1940 Metal (庚辰), 1952 Water (壬辰), 1964 Wood (甲辰), 1976 Fire (丙辰), 1988 Earth (戊辰), 2000 Metal (庚辰), 2012 Water (壬辰), 2024 Wood (甲辰) |
| Snake | 巳 (sì) | 1941 Metal (辛巳), 1953 Water (癸巳), 1965 Wood (乙巳), 1977 Fire (丁巳), 1989 Earth (己巳), 2001 Metal (辛巳), 2013 Water (癸巳), 2025 Wood (乙巳) |
| Horse | 午 (wǔ) | 1942 Water (壬午), 1954 Wood (甲午), 1966 Fire (丙午), 1978 Earth (戊午), 1990 Metal (庚午), 2002 Water (壬午), 2014 Wood (甲午), 2026 Fire (丙午) |
| Goat | 未 (wèi) | 1943 Water (癸未), 1955 Wood (乙未), 1967 Fire (丁未), 1979 Earth (己未), 1991 Metal (辛未), 2003 Water (癸未), 2015 Wood (乙未), 2027 Fire (丁未) |
| Monkey | 申 (shēn) | 1944 Wood (甲申), 1956 Fire (丙申), 1968 Earth (戊申), 1980 Metal (庚申), 1992 Water (壬申), 2004 Wood (甲申), 2016 Fire (丙申), 2028 Earth (戊申) |
| Rooster | 酉 (yǒu) | 1945 Wood (乙酉), 1957 Fire (丁酉), 1969 Earth (己酉), 1981 Metal (辛酉), 1993 Water (癸酉), 2005 Wood (乙酉), 2017 Fire (丁酉), 2029 Earth (己酉) |
| Dog | 戌 (xū) | 1946 Fire (丙戌), 1958 Earth (戊戌), 1970 Metal (庚戌), 1982 Water (壬戌), 1994 Wood (甲戌), 2006 Fire (丙戌), 2018 Earth (戊戌), 2030 Metal (庚戌) |
| Pig | 亥 (hài) | 1947 Fire (丁亥), 1959 Earth (己亥), 1971 Metal (辛亥), 1983 Water (癸亥), 1995 Wood (乙亥), 2007 Fire (丁亥), 2019 Earth (己亥), 2031 Metal (辛亥) |
All years follow the Lichun boundary. If your birthday is in January or early February, check the Lichun rules above before trusting a sign that was assigned by the calendar year.
The 12 Chinese zodiac signs, one by one
Rat (子 zǐ)
The Rat is the first of the twelve signs, and every Rat year is a 子 (zǐ) year, the first earthly branch. The cycle restarts with the Rat every twelve years: 2020, 2032, 2044.
The 子 branch rules the two hours from 11 pm to 1 am (子时), the first double-hour of the traditional Chinese day.
Over the 60-year cycle the Rat pairs with a different stem each time: 2020 was a Metal Rat year (庚子), 2008 an Earth Rat year (戊子).
Ox (丑 chǒu)
The Ox is the second sign; the most recent Ox year was 2021 and the next is 2033.
The 丑 (chǒu) branch rules the hours from 1 am to 3 am.
In the solar-term calendar 丑 is the twelfth month — the last month of the BaZi year, ending at Lichun.
Tiger (寅 yín)
The Tiger is the third sign; the most recent Tiger year was 2022, a Water Tiger year (壬寅).
The 寅 (yín) branch rules the hours from 3 am to 5 am.
寅 is also the first month of the solar-term calendar: Lichun, which opens the BaZi year, falls inside the Tiger month, so every BaZi year begins in 寅.
Rabbit (卯 mǎo)
The Rabbit is the fourth sign; the most recent Rabbit year was 2023, a Water Rabbit year (癸卯).
The 卯 (mǎo) branch rules the hours from 5 am to 7 am.
Rabbit years repeat every twelve years: 2023, 2035, 2047.
Dragon (辰 chén)
The Dragon is the fifth sign and the only mythical animal in the twelve.
The 辰 (chén) branch rules the hours from 7 am to 9 am.
The most recent Dragon year was 2024, a Wood Dragon year (甲辰); the next is 2036.
Snake (巳 sì)
The Snake is the sixth sign; 2025 was a Snake year, and the next is 2037.
The 巳 (sì) branch rules the hours from 9 am to 11 am.
Snake years with the same element repeat every 60 years: 1917, 1977 and 2037 are all Fire Snake years (丁巳).
Horse (午 wǔ)
The Horse is the seventh sign, and the current year 2026 is a Horse year.
The 午 (wǔ) branch rules the hours from 11 am to 1 pm.
2026 is a Fire Horse year (丙午). The previous Fire Horse year was 1966, and the next will be 2086 — the full element-and-animal label repeats every 60 years.
Goat (未 wèi)
The Goat is the eighth sign; the next Goat year is 2027.
The 未 (wèi) branch rules the hours from 1 pm to 3 pm.
1967 and 2027 are both Fire Goat years (丁未), 60 years apart.
Monkey (申 shēn)
The Monkey is the ninth sign; the most recent Monkey year was 2016, and the next is 2028.
The 申 (shēn) branch rules the hours from 3 pm to 5 pm.
In the solar-term calendar 申 is the seventh month, roughly from early August to early September.
Rooster (酉 yǒu)
The Rooster is the tenth sign; the most recent Rooster year was 2017, and the next is 2029.
The 酉 (yǒu) branch rules the hours from 5 pm to 7 pm.
酉 also names the direction west in the traditional compass. Rooster years repeat every twelve years.
Dog (戌 xū)
The Dog is the eleventh sign; the most recent Dog year was 2018, and the next is 2030.
The 戌 (xū) branch rules the hours from 7 pm to 9 pm.
2030 will be a Metal Dog year (庚戌), the same label as 1970.
Pig (亥 hài)
The Pig is the twelfth and final sign; the next Pig year is 2031.
The 亥 (hài) branch rules the hours from 9 pm to 11 pm.
2031 will be a Metal Pig year (辛亥), the same label as 1971.
Your sign is only one of eight characters
The zodiac animal is the year branch of your birth chart. A full BaZi chart adds the month, day and hour pillars — seven more characters that belong to you alone. Enter your birth date and time in the BaZi & Chinese Zodiac Calculator and the same Lichun-aware engine returns your sign, your day master and your ten-year luck periods, all calculated in your browser.
Chinese zodiac years FAQ
The zodiac year starts at Lichun, the Beginning of Spring, which usually falls on February 3, 4 or 5. If you were born before Lichun in a calendar year, your sign is the animal of the previous year — the same boundary our BaZi calculator uses for the year pillar. For example, a person born on January 10, 2026 belongs to the Snake year (乙巳), not the Horse year.
Each year has a label made of a heavenly stem and an earthly branch. The stem supplies the element: 庚 and 辛 are Metal, 壬 and 癸 are Water, 甲 and 乙 are Wood, 丙 and 丁 are Fire, 戊 and 己 are Earth. 1990 is 庚午 — Geng (Metal) over Wu (Horse) — which is why it is the Metal Horse year. The animal repeats every 12 years with a different element each time, so the full animal-plus-element label repeats only every 60 years.
The chart follows Lichun, the Beginning of Spring, which is the classical BaZi standard. Chinese New Year (the lunar new year) usually falls weeks earlier, so the two calendars disagree for births in January and early February. Our BaZi calculator uses the same Lichun boundary, so a chart and this table never contradict each other.
The animal repeats every 12 years, and the full combination of animal plus element every 60 years — one complete sexagenary cycle. 1966, 2026 and 2086 are all Fire Horse (丙午) years; 1971 and 2031 are both Metal Pig (辛亥) years.