Chinese zodiac · explore
Chinese zodiac tattoo characters and motifs
First confirm your animal from your full birth date. Then choose the animal word or its separate Earthly Branch; they are different characters with different jobs.
Rat
鼠 / 鼠shǔ · Branch 子 Zi
Check this animal →Ox
牛 / 牛niú · Branch 丑 Chou
Check this animal →Tiger
虎 / 虎hǔ · Branch 寅 Yin
Check this animal →Rabbit
兔 / 兔tù · Branch 卯 Mao
Check this animal →Dragon
龙 / 龍lóng · Branch 辰 Chen
Check this animal →Snake
蛇 / 蛇shé · Branch 巳 Si
Check this animal →Horse
马 / 馬mǎ · Branch 午 Wu
Check this animal →Goat
羊 / 羊yáng · Branch 未 Wei
Check this animal →Monkey
猴 / 猴hóu · Branch 申 Shen
Check this animal →Rooster
鸡 / 雞jī · Branch 酉 You
Check this animal →Dog
狗 / 狗gǒu · Branch 戌 Xu
Check this animal →Pig
猪 / 豬zhū · Branch 亥 Hai
Check this animal →
Choose the intended character
龙 and 龍 both mean Dragon. 辰 names the Dragon’s Earthly Branch. 羊 can be represented by Goat, Sheep or Ram imagery, while 未 is the branch symbol.
Build a clear design
Use the outline drawings as a starting point for an animal motif. Keep character proportions readable when scaling a design down. Ask your artist to check the final character form at its intended size.
A full year name, such as 丙午, adds a Heavenly Stem to the branch. It identifies a sixty-year position rather than only an animal.