1960: Year of the Metal Rat
The 1960 Chinese zodiac year is the Yang Metal Rat, and it runs from 28 January 1960 to 14 February 1961 — not from 1 January.
- Animal
- Rat 鼠
- Element and polarity
- Yang Metal
- Gan-Zhi
- Geng Zi 庚子
- Age this zodiac year
- Born in 1960, a person turns 66 during the 2026 year
Born early in 1960? You may be Pig, not Rat
Chinese New Year 1960 fell on 28 January 1960. Anyone born between 1 January 1960 and 27 January 1960 — a window of 27 days — belongs to the 1959 zodiac year, the Yin Earth Pig, and not to the Rat.
Check an exact birth date against the 28 January 1960 boundary.
Exact 1960 zodiac year dates
The 1960 lunar year carried a leap month, stretching it to 384 days — which is why the following Chinese New Year falls comparatively late.
Other Rat years around 1960
| Rat year | Complete name | Begins |
|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Yang Wood Rat | 5 February 1924 |
| 1936 | Yang Fire Rat | 24 January 1936 |
| 1948 | Yang Earth Rat | 10 February 1948 |
| 1972 | Yang Water Rat | 15 February 1972 |
| 1984 | Yang Wood Rat | 2 February 1984 |
| 1996 | Yang Fire Rat | 19 February 1996 |
The exact pairing 庚子 — Yang Metal Rat — returns only once every sixty years: 2020, 2080.