Monkey Chinese Zodiac Sign

猴Shen申

The Monkey is paired with the 申 (Shen) earthly branch. Below are its calendar years, traditional character, five elements, and traditional compatibility groupings.

Monkey years:

Traditional character

Commonly described strengths: inventive, curious, quick-witted
Commonly described challenges: restless, opportunistic

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 Monkey elements

Wood
Born in years ending in 41944, 2004, 2064
Fire
Born in years ending in 61956, 2016, 2076
Earth
Born in years ending in 81908, 1968, 2028
Metal
Born in years ending in 01920, 1980, 2040
Water
Born in years ending in 21932, 1992, 2052

Compatibility overview

Rat Dragon Snake

Often paired with Rat, Dragon, Snake.

Tiger

Traditionally more challenging with Tiger.

See compatibility guide

Monkey years and exact dates

Every Monkey year, with its element and exact Chinese New Year dates
Monkey year	Element	Complete name	Begins	Ends
1908	Earth	Yang Earth Monkey	2 February 1908	21 January 1909
1920	Metal	Yang Metal Monkey	20 February 1920	7 February 1921
1932	Water	Yang Water Monkey	6 February 1932	25 January 1933
1944	Wood	Yang Wood Monkey	25 January 1944	12 February 1945
1956	Fire	Yang Fire Monkey	12 February 1956	30 January 1957
1968	Earth	Yang Earth Monkey	30 January 1968	16 February 1969
1980	Metal	Yang Metal Monkey	16 February 1980	4 February 1981
1992	Water	Yang Water Monkey	4 February 1992	22 January 1993
2004	Wood	Yang Wood Monkey	22 January 2004	8 February 2005
2016	Fire	Yang Fire Monkey	8 February 2016	27 January 2017
2028	Earth	Yang Earth Monkey	26 January 2028	12 February 2029
2040	Metal	Yang Metal Monkey	12 February 2040	31 January 2041
2052	Water	Yang Water Monkey	1 February 2052	18 February 2053
2064	Wood	Yang Wood Monkey	17 February 2064	4 February 2065
2076	Fire	Yang Fire Monkey	5 February 2076	23 January 2077
2088	Earth	Yang Earth Monkey	24 January 2088	9 February 2089

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