Enter a Gregorian birth date. The calculator changes zodiac years at Chinese New Year, not January 1.
Or look up a year
If you only need the year rather than an exact birth date, each year has its own page with its animal, element and the exact Chinese New Year dates it runs between.
Boundary source: Hong Kong Observatory Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table. The checked-in fixture covers 1901–2100 and the production calculator makes no third-party request at runtime.
This is a lunar-year animal-sign lookup. Some Four Pillars or BaZi traditions use the solar term Spring Commences (Li Chun) for a year boundary; that is a separate method. Read more in how the cycle works and when Chinese New Year falls.
Calculator questions
Why does the calculator not use January 1?
The Chinese zodiac is tied to the lunar calendar. A zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, which falls between 21 January and 20 February, so anyone born in January or early February must be checked against that year's boundary rather than the Gregorian year.
What dates can I enter?
The calculator covers every birth date from 1901-02-19 through 2100-02-08, matching the checked-in Hong Kong Observatory conversion fixture.
What do the element and Yin or Yang polarity mean?
Each lunar year pairs one of the twelve animals with a heavenly stem — a Yin or Yang form of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water. Together they form the sixty-year Gan-Zhi cycle, so a full year name such as Yang Metal Horse repeats every sixty years.
Is the personality reading a fact about me?
No. Personality and compatibility notes on this site are traditional cultural interpretations, presented for education and entertainment. Only the calendar boundary, animal, element, and dates are calculated facts.