Dog Chinese Zodiac Sign

狗Xu戌

The Dog is paired with the 戌 (Xu) earthly branch. Below are its calendar years, traditional character, five elements, and traditional compatibility groupings.

Dog years:

Traditional character

Commonly described strengths: loyal, fair-minded, protective
Commonly described challenges: anxious, skeptical

Traditional interpretation

These traits are part of cultural and traditional interpretation. They are provided for educational and cultural purposes only — not as a personality assessment.

Five Dog elements

Wood
Born in years ending in 41934, 1994, 2054
Fire
Born in years ending in 61946, 2006, 2066
Earth
Born in years ending in 81958, 2018, 2078
Metal
Born in years ending in 01910, 1970, 2030
Water
Born in years ending in 21922, 1982, 2042

Compatibility overview

Tiger Rabbit Horse

Often paired with Tiger, Rabbit, Horse.

Dragon

Traditionally more challenging with Dragon.

See compatibility guide

Dog years and exact dates

Every Dog year, with its element and exact Chinese New Year dates
Dog year	Element	Complete name	Begins	Ends
1910	Metal	Yang Metal Dog	10 February 1910	29 January 1911
1922	Water	Yang Water Dog	28 January 1922	15 February 1923
1934	Wood	Yang Wood Dog	14 February 1934	3 February 1935
1946	Fire	Yang Fire Dog	2 February 1946	21 January 1947
1958	Earth	Yang Earth Dog	18 February 1958	7 February 1959
1970	Metal	Yang Metal Dog	6 February 1970	26 January 1971
1982	Water	Yang Water Dog	25 January 1982	12 February 1983
1994	Wood	Yang Wood Dog	10 February 1994	30 January 1995
2006	Fire	Yang Fire Dog	29 January 2006	17 February 2007
2018	Earth	Yang Earth Dog	16 February 2018	4 February 2019
2030	Metal	Yang Metal Dog	3 February 2030	22 January 2031
2042	Water	Yang Water Dog	22 January 2042	9 February 2043
2054	Wood	Yang Wood Dog	8 February 2054	27 January 2055
2066	Fire	Yang Fire Dog	26 January 2066	13 February 2067
2078	Earth	Yang Earth Dog	12 February 2078	1 February 2079
2090	Metal	Yang Metal Dog	30 January 2090	17 February 2091

People born before Chinese New Year belong to the preceding animal year — check an exact birth date with the calculator.