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What Is My Chinese Zodiac?
Unlike Western star signs, the Chinese zodiac follows the lunar calendar. Your animal is fixed by the lunar year you were born inโand if your birthday falls in January or February, you may belong to the previous year's sign.
What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It is one of twelve animalsโRat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, or Pigโdetermined by the Chinese lunar year of your birth, plus a Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water element from the 60-year sexagenary cycle. Enter your full birth date below; we compare January and February birthdays against the official Chinese New Year date for that year.
For a dedicated tool page with more detail, see our full calculator.
Born in January or February? We adjust for the exact Chinese New Year date.
How it works
- 01
Enter your birth date
Full date: we need the exact day to handle the lunar year boundary.
- 02
We check the lunar year
Born in January or February? We compare against that year's Chinese New Year.
- 03
See your animal + element
Get your sign, your five-element type, and your 2026-2027 fortune.
Meet the 12 signs
Birth years โCommon questions
What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
Your Chinese zodiac sign is determined by your birth year in the lunar calendar. Enter your full birth date in our calculator. If you were born in January or February, we check whether Chinese New Year had already occurred that year.
Why does January/February birthday matter?
Chinese New Year falls between January 21 and February 20 each year, not January 1. Someone born January 15, 1990 belongs to the Snake (1989), not the Horse (1990), because CNY 1990 was January 27.
How many Chinese zodiac signs are there?
There are 12 animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each repeats every 12 years.
What are the five elements?
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water combine with animals in a 60-year cycle. Your element is determined by your birth year's last digit and adds nuance to your personality.
What is 2026 in the Chinese zodiac?
2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse. Chinese New Year 2026 begins February 17, 2026. It is a rare and intense year: the first Fire Horse since 1966.
Which signs are compatible?
Traditional San He (Three Harmonies) groups are: Rat-Dragon-Monkey, Ox-Snake-Rooster, Tiger-Horse-Dog, and Rabbit-Goat-Pig. Liu Chong pairs (Rat-Horse, Ox-Goat, etc.) are more challenging.