2008: Year of the Earth Rat
The 2008 Chinese zodiac year is the Yang Earth Rat, and it runs from 7 February 2008 to 25 January 2009 — not from 1 January.
- Animal
- Rat 鼠
- Element and polarity
- Yang Earth
- Gan-Zhi
- Wu Zi 戊子
- Age this zodiac year
- Born in 2008, a person turns 18 during the 2026 year
Born early in 2008? You may be Pig, not Rat
Chinese New Year 2008 fell on 7 February 2008. Anyone born between 1 January 2008 and 6 February 2008 — a window of 37 days — belongs to the 2007 zodiac year, the Yin Fire Pig, and not to the Rat.
Check an exact birth date against the 7 February 2008 boundary.
Exact 2008 zodiac year dates
The 2008 lunar year ran its ordinary twelve months, 354 days in total.
Other Rat years around 2008
| Rat year | Complete name | Begins |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Yang Water Rat | 15 February 1972 |
| 1984 | Yang Wood Rat | 2 February 1984 |
| 1996 | Yang Fire Rat | 19 February 1996 |
| 2020 | Yang Metal Rat | 25 January 2020 |
| 2032 | Yang Water Rat | 11 February 2032 |
| 2044 | Yang Wood Rat | 30 January 2044 |
The exact pairing 戊子 — Yang Earth Rat — returns only once every sixty years: 1948, 2068.