Chinese Zodiac Years 1924–2035
The 112 year pages below cover 1924–2035, each with an animal, element and exact Chinese New Year dates. 2026 is the Fire Horse year; the next year begins on 6 Feb 2027 with the Fire Goat. The lookup also covers 1901–2099.
Begins17 February 2026
Ends5 February 2027
Read the record, not only the label
What a zodiac year page tells you
A Gregorian year number is only the starting label. The complete record combines an exact date boundary, a repeating animal branch, and the changing heavenly stem that supplies Yin or Yang and an element.
- 01 · boundary
First locate the birth date
The named zodiac year begins at Chinese New Year. Dates before that boundary still belong to the previous animal year.
Check an exact birth date → - 02 · branch
Then read the animal
The animal is the familiar name of an earthly branch. It repeats every twelve years and keeps its own fixed branch element.
Compare all twelve branches → - 03 · complete name
Add the changing year stem
The stem adds polarity and Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water. Stem and branch together form the year's Gan-Zhi coordinate.
Learn to read a Gan-Zhi pair →
Upcoming zodiac years
Follow the sequence from one Chinese New Year boundary to the next. The animal branch advances every year, while each stem element remains for a Yin-and-Yang pair before the cycle moves on.
Chinese New Year boundary dates
Every zodiac year runs from one Chinese New Year to the day before the next, so these boundaries are what the lookup above compares a year against.
1990–2001Historic · 12-year sequence
The animal advances once at each Chinese New Year. Its heavenly-stem element moves in Yin-and-Yang pairs while the twelve branches complete this chapter.
1990
Yang Metal
Begins27 January 1990→Ends14 February 1991
Yang Metal Horse1991
Yin Metal
Begins15 February 1991→Ends3 February 1992
Yin Metal Goat1992
Yang Water
Begins4 February 1992→Ends22 January 1993
Yang Water Monkey1993
Yin Water
Begins23 January 1993→Ends9 February 1994
Yin Water Rooster1994
Yang Wood
Begins10 February 1994→Ends30 January 1995
Yang Wood Dog1995
Yin Wood
Begins31 January 1995→Ends18 February 1996
Yin Wood Pig1996
Yang Fire
Begins19 February 1996→Ends6 February 1997
Yang Fire Rat1997
Yin Fire
Begins7 February 1997→Ends27 January 1998
Yin Fire Ox1998
Yang Earth
Begins28 January 1998→Ends15 February 1999
Yang Earth Tiger1999
Yin Earth
Begins16 February 1999→Ends4 February 2000
Yin Earth Rabbit2000
Yang Metal
Begins5 February 2000→Ends23 January 2001
Yang Metal Dragon2001
Yin Metal
Begins24 January 2001→Ends11 February 2002
Yin Metal Snake
2002–2013Historic · 12-year sequence
The animal advances once at each Chinese New Year. Its heavenly-stem element moves in Yin-and-Yang pairs while the twelve branches complete this chapter.
2002
Yang Water
Begins12 February 2002→Ends31 January 2003
Yang Water Horse2003
Yin Water
Begins1 February 2003→Ends21 January 2004
Yin Water Goat2004
Yang Wood
Begins22 January 2004→Ends8 February 2005
Yang Wood Monkey2005
Yin Wood
Begins9 February 2005→Ends28 January 2006
Yin Wood Rooster2006
Yang Fire
Begins29 January 2006→Ends17 February 2007
Yang Fire Dog2007
Yin Fire
Begins18 February 2007→Ends6 February 2008
Yin Fire Pig2008
Yang Earth
Begins7 February 2008→Ends25 January 2009
Yang Earth Rat2009
Yin Earth
Begins26 January 2009→Ends13 February 2010
Yin Earth Ox2010
Yang Metal
Begins14 February 2010→Ends2 February 2011
Yang Metal Tiger2011
Yin Metal
Begins3 February 2011→Ends22 January 2012
Yin Metal Rabbit2012
Yang Water
Begins23 January 2012→Ends9 February 2013
Yang Water Dragon2013
Yin Water
Begins10 February 2013→Ends30 January 2014
Yin Water Snake
2014–2025Recent · 12-year sequence
The animal advances once at each Chinese New Year. Its heavenly-stem element moves in Yin-and-Yang pairs while the twelve branches complete this chapter.
2014
Yang Wood
Begins31 January 2014→Ends18 February 2015
Yang Wood Horse2015
Yin Wood
Begins19 February 2015→Ends7 February 2016
Yin Wood Goat2016
Yang Fire
Begins8 February 2016→Ends27 January 2017
Yang Fire Monkey2017
Yin Fire
Begins28 January 2017→Ends15 February 2018
Yin Fire Rooster2018
Yang Earth
Begins16 February 2018→Ends4 February 2019
Yang Earth Dog2019
Yin Earth
Begins5 February 2019→Ends24 January 2020
Yin Earth Pig2020
Yang Metal
Begins25 January 2020→Ends11 February 2021
Yang Metal Rat2021
Yin Metal
Begins12 February 2021→Ends31 January 2022
Yin Metal Ox2022
Yang Water
Begins1 February 2022→Ends21 January 2023
Yang Water Tiger2023
Yin Water
Begins22 January 2023→Ends9 February 2024
Yin Water Rabbit2024
Yang Wood
Begins10 February 2024→Ends28 January 2025
Yang Wood Dragon2025
Yin Wood
Begins29 January 2025→Ends16 February 2026
Yin Wood Snake
2026–2037Current and upcoming · 12-year sequence
The animal advances once at each Chinese New Year. Its heavenly-stem element moves in Yin-and-Yang pairs while the twelve branches complete this chapter.
2026
Current selection
Begins17 February 2026→Ends5 February 2027
Yang Fire Horse2027
Yin Fire
Begins6 February 2027→Ends25 January 2028
Yin Fire Goat2028
Yang Earth
Begins26 January 2028→Ends12 February 2029
Yang Earth Monkey2029
Yin Earth
Begins13 February 2029→Ends2 February 2030
Yin Earth Rooster2030
Yang Metal
Begins3 February 2030→Ends22 January 2031
Yang Metal Dog2031
Yin Metal
Begins23 January 2031→Ends10 February 2032
Yin Metal Pig2032
Yang Water
Begins11 February 2032→Ends30 January 2033
Yang Water Rat2033
Yin Water
Begins31 January 2033→Ends18 February 2034
Yin Water Ox2034
Yang Wood
Begins19 February 2034→Ends7 February 2035
Yang Wood Tiger2035
Yin Wood
Begins8 February 2035→Ends27 January 2036
Yin Wood Rabbit2036
Yang Fire
Begins28 January 2036→Ends14 February 2037
Yang Fire Dragon2037
Yin Fire
Begins15 February 2037→Ends3 February 2038
Yin Fire Snake
2038–2040Upcoming · 3-year sequence
The animal advances once at each Chinese New Year. Its heavenly-stem element moves in Yin-and-Yang pairs while the twelve branches complete this chapter.
2038
Yang Earth
Begins4 February 2038→Ends23 January 2039
Yang Earth Horse2039
Yin Earth
Begins24 January 2039→Ends11 February 2040
Yin Earth Goat2040
Yang Metal
Begins12 February 2040→Ends31 January 2041
Yang Metal Monkey
Follow one animal to see the twelve-year rhythm. Rat, Ox, and the other branches each return on a fixed cadence, but the date printed beneath a year is its real Chinese New Year opening—not 1 January.
Follow the linked years to see the sixty-year rhythm. The same animal returns with a different heavenly stem until the complete stem-and-branch name comes back after sixty years.
Every zodiac year, 1924 to 2035
Each year opens its own page with that year's animal and element, the exact Chinese New Year dates it runs between, and the January window that belongs to the previous animal.
- 1
- boundary opens each record at Chinese New Year
- 12
- years bring the same animal branch back
- 60
- years bring the same complete name back
2020–2029Current decade鼠Rat→鸡Rooster
2030–2035Upcoming period · 6 records狗Dog→兔Rabbit
2010–2019Historic period · 10 records虎Tiger→猪Pig
2000–2009Historic period · 10 records龙Dragon→牛Ox
1990–1999Historic period · 10 records马Horse→兔Rabbit
1980–1989Historic period · 10 records猴Monkey→蛇Snake
1970–1979Historic period · 10 records狗Dog→羊Goat
1960–1969Historic period · 10 records鼠Rat→鸡Rooster
1950–1959Historic period · 10 records虎Tiger→猪Pig
1940–1949Historic period · 10 records龙Dragon→牛Ox
1930–1939Historic period · 10 records马Horse→兔Rabbit
1924–1929Historic period · 6 records鼠Rat→蛇Snake
Why the zodiac year moves every year
The traditional Chinese calendar is lunisolar: months follow the moon, and a leap month keeps the calendar aligned with the solar year. Chinese New Year — the first day of the first lunar month — therefore lands on a different Gregorian date each year, always between 21 January and 20 February.
Each zodiac year runs from one Chinese New Year to the day before the next. Anyone born in January or early February should compare their birth date with that year's boundary: before the boundary, they belong to the previous animal year. You can check an exact birth date with the birth-date calculator.