About the Chinese Zodiac Calculator
This Chinese zodiac calculator tells you your animal sign — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog or Pig — together with its element (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water) and whether the year is yin or yang. Just enter your date of birth.
Unlike a simple year lookup, it checks the actual date of Chinese (Lunar) New Year in your birth year. The Chinese year begins on the new moon that usually falls second after the winter solstice, anywhere between 21 January and 20 February, so people born in January or early February often belong to the previous year’s animal. The calculator uses a table of Lunar New Year dates from 1900 to 2099.
It is a fun tool for birthdays, party games, gift ideas and Lunar New Year celebrations, and it also shows traditionally compatible signs and your next zodiac year. Zodiac personality traits are cultural folklore, not science.
How to use the chinese zodiac calculator
- 1Enter your full date of birth — the day matters for January and February birthdays.
- 2Read your animal sign, element and yin or yang.
- 3Check the Lunar New Year date that started your zodiac year.
- 4See your compatible signs and the dates of upcoming Chinese New Years.
Formula and method
Y is the Gregorian year in which your Chinese year began: your birth year, or the year before if you were born before that year’s Lunar New Year. The animals repeat every 12 years starting from the Rat (1984 and 2020 are Rat years, so (Y − 4) mod 12 = 0 is Rat).
Elements follow the 10 Heavenly Stems: each element covers two consecutive years (one yang, one yin) in the order Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. Combining 12 animals with 10 stems gives the 60-year sexagenary cycle — a Metal Horse year such as 1990 returns in 2050.
- Y
- Chinese year (Gregorian year in which it started)
- stem
- Heavenly Stem index 0–9 (even = yang, odd = yin)
Worked examples
Born mid-1990
The Year of the Metal Horse began on 27 January 1990, so a June 1990 birthday is a Horse. (1990 − 4) mod 12 = 6 (Horse) and (1990 − 4) mod 10 = 6, which is Metal (yang).
Born in February before Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year 1991 fell on 15 February, so someone born on 10 February 1991 still belongs to the 1990 Metal Horse year rather than the 1991 Goat year.
The 2026 Fire Horse year
Chinese New Year 2026 is 17 February, the first day of the Fire Horse year. A baby born the day before, 16 February 2026, would be a Wood Snake.
Born 31 January 1984
1984 was a Rat year, but it did not begin until 2 February 1984. A birthday on 31 January 1984 falls at the end of the 1983 Water Pig year.
Frequently asked questions
What is my Chinese zodiac sign if I was born in January?+
Check the Lunar New Year date for your birth year. If your birthday is before it — for example 20 January 2023, before New Year on 22 January — you belong to the previous year’s animal (the Tiger, not the Rabbit).
What is the Chinese zodiac for 2026?+
2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, starting on 17 February 2026 and ending on 5 February 2027, when the Year of the Fire Goat begins.
What order are the 12 zodiac animals in?+
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The cycle repeats every 12 years; 2020 was a Rat year and 2032 will be the next.
How do I find my Chinese zodiac element?+
Elements follow the last digit of the Chinese year: 4–5 Wood, 6–7 Fire, 8–9 Earth, 0–1 Metal, 2–3 Water. Even last digits are yang and odd ones yin, so 1990 is yang Metal.
Is Chinese New Year always on the same date?+
No. It follows the lunisolar calendar and usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, always between 21 January and 20 February in the Gregorian calendar.