Chinese zodiac by birth year, 1940–2030
Every year has a two-character name in the sixty-year cycle: an element on top and an animal below. Korean saju changes the year at Ipchun (the start of spring, around February 4), not on January 1 or Lunar New Year. Pick your year to see its animal, element, start date and month-by-month pillars.
1940s
| Year | Animal & element | Saju year starts |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Dragon · Metal (yang) | February 5, 1940 |
| 1941 | Snake · Metal (yin) | February 4, 1941 |
| 1942 壬午 | Horse · Water (yang) | February 4, 1942 |
| 1943 癸未 | Goat · Water (yin) | February 5, 1943 |
| 1944 甲申 | Monkey · Wood (yang) | February 5, 1944 |
| 1945 乙酉 | Rooster · Wood (yin) | February 4, 1945 |
| 1946 丙戌 | Dog · Fire (yang) | February 4, 1946 |
| 1947 丁亥 | Pig · Fire (yin) | February 5, 1947 |
| 1948 戊子 | Rat · Earth (yang) | February 5, 1948 |
| 1949 己丑 | Ox · Earth (yin) | February 4, 1949 |
1950s
| Year | Animal & element | Saju year starts |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Tiger · Metal (yang) | February 4, 1950 |
| 1951 | Rabbit · Metal (yin) | February 5, 1951 |
| 1952 壬辰 | Dragon · Water (yang) | February 5, 1952 |
| 1953 癸巳 | Snake · Water (yin) | February 4, 1953 |
| 1954 甲午 | Horse · Wood (yang) | February 4, 1954 |
| 1955 乙未 | Goat · Wood (yin) | February 4, 1955 |
| 1956 丙申 | Monkey · Fire (yang) | February 5, 1956 |
| 1957 丁酉 | Rooster · Fire (yin) | February 4, 1957 |
| 1958 戊戌 | Dog · Earth (yang) | February 4, 1958 |
| 1959 己亥 | Pig · Earth (yin) | February 4, 1959 |
1960s
| Year | Animal & element | Saju year starts |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Rat · Metal (yang) | February 5, 1960 |
| 1961 | Ox · Metal (yin) | February 4, 1961 |
| 1962 壬寅 | Tiger · Water (yang) | February 4, 1962 |
| 1963 癸卯 | Rabbit · Water (yin) | February 4, 1963 |
| 1964 甲辰 | Dragon · Wood (yang) | February 5, 1964 |
| 1965 乙巳 | Snake · Wood (yin) | February 4, 1965 |
| 1966 丙午 | Horse · Fire (yang) | February 4, 1966 |
| 1967 丁未 | Goat · Fire (yin) | February 4, 1967 |
| 1968 戊申 | Monkey · Earth (yang) | February 5, 1968 |
| 1969 己酉 | Rooster · Earth (yin) | February 4, 1969 |
1970s
| Year | Animal & element | Saju year starts |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Dog · Metal (yang) | February 4, 1970 |
| 1971 | Pig · Metal (yin) | February 4, 1971 |
| 1972 壬子 | Rat · Water (yang) | February 5, 1972 |
| 1973 癸丑 | Ox · Water (yin) | February 4, 1973 |
| 1974 甲寅 | Tiger · Wood (yang) | February 4, 1974 |
| 1975 乙卯 | Rabbit · Wood (yin) | February 4, 1975 |
| 1976 丙辰 | Dragon · Fire (yang) | February 5, 1976 |
| 1977 丁巳 | Snake · Fire (yin) | February 4, 1977 |
| 1978 戊午 | Horse · Earth (yang) | February 4, 1978 |
| 1979 己未 | Goat · Earth (yin) | February 4, 1979 |
1980s
| Year | Animal & element | Saju year starts |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Monkey · Metal (yang) | February 5, 1980 |
| 1981 | Rooster · Metal (yin) | February 4, 1981 |
| 1982 壬戌 | Dog · Water (yang) | February 4, 1982 |
| 1983 癸亥 | Pig · Water (yin) | February 4, 1983 |
| 1984 甲子 | Rat · Wood (yang) | February 5, 1984 |
| 1985 乙丑 | Ox · Wood (yin) | February 4, 1985 |
| 1986 丙寅 | Tiger · Fire (yang) | February 4, 1986 |
| 1987 丁卯 | Rabbit · Fire (yin) | February 4, 1987 |
| 1988 戊辰 | Dragon · Earth (yang) | February 4, 1988 |
| 1989 己巳 | Snake · Earth (yin) | February 4, 1989 |
1990s
| Year | Animal & element | Saju year starts |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Horse · Metal (yang) | February 4, 1990 |
| 1991 | Goat · Metal (yin) | February 4, 1991 |
| 1992 壬申 | Monkey · Water (yang) | February 4, 1992 |
| 1993 癸酉 | Rooster · Water (yin) | February 4, 1993 |
| 1994 甲戌 | Dog · Wood (yang) | February 4, 1994 |
| 1995 乙亥 | Pig · Wood (yin) | February 4, 1995 |
| 1996 丙子 | Rat · Fire (yang) | February 4, 1996 |
| 1997 丁丑 | Ox · Fire (yin) | February 4, 1997 |
| 1998 戊寅 | Tiger · Earth (yang) | February 4, 1998 |
| 1999 己卯 | Rabbit · Earth (yin) | February 4, 1999 |
2000s
| Year | Animal & element | Saju year starts |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Dragon · Metal (yang) | February 4, 2000 |
| 2001 | Snake · Metal (yin) | February 4, 2001 |
| 2002 壬午 | Horse · Water (yang) | February 4, 2002 |
| 2003 癸未 | Goat · Water (yin) | February 4, 2003 |
| 2004 甲申 | Monkey · Wood (yang) | February 4, 2004 |
| 2005 乙酉 | Rooster · Wood (yin) | February 4, 2005 |
| 2006 丙戌 | Dog · Fire (yang) | February 4, 2006 |
| 2007 丁亥 | Pig · Fire (yin) | February 4, 2007 |
| 2008 戊子 | Rat · Earth (yang) | February 4, 2008 |
| 2009 己丑 | Ox · Earth (yin) | February 4, 2009 |
2010s
| Year | Animal & element | Saju year starts |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Tiger · Metal (yang) | February 4, 2010 |
| 2011 | Rabbit · Metal (yin) | February 4, 2011 |
| 2012 壬辰 | Dragon · Water (yang) | February 4, 2012 |
| 2013 癸巳 | Snake · Water (yin) | February 4, 2013 |
| 2014 甲午 | Horse · Wood (yang) | February 4, 2014 |
| 2015 乙未 | Goat · Wood (yin) | February 4, 2015 |
| 2016 丙申 | Monkey · Fire (yang) | February 4, 2016 |
| 2017 丁酉 | Rooster · Fire (yin) | February 4, 2017 |
| 2018 戊戌 | Dog · Earth (yang) | February 4, 2018 |
| 2019 己亥 | Pig · Earth (yin) | February 4, 2019 |
2020s
| Year | Animal & element | Saju year starts |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Rat · Metal (yang) | February 4, 2020 |
| 2021 | Ox · Metal (yin) | February 3, 2021 |
| 2022 壬寅 | Tiger · Water (yang) | February 4, 2022 |
| 2023 癸卯 | Rabbit · Water (yin) | February 4, 2023 |
| 2024 甲辰 | Dragon · Wood (yang) | February 4, 2024 |
| 2025 乙巳 | Snake · Wood (yin) | February 3, 2025 |
| 2026 丙午 | Horse · Fire (yang) | February 4, 2026 |
| 2027 丁未 | Goat · Fire (yin) | February 4, 2027 |
| 2028 戊申 | Monkey · Earth (yang) | February 4, 2028 |
| 2029 己酉 | Rooster · Earth (yin) | February 3, 2029 |
2030s
| Year | Animal & element | Saju year starts |
|---|---|---|
| 2030 | Dog · Metal (yang) | February 4, 2030 |
Questions about zodiac years
What is my Chinese zodiac animal?
It comes from your birth year. Find your year in the chart. If you were born in January or early February, check the start date: before Ipchun you belong to the previous year.
How do I know my element?
The year’s element is the top character of its pair: 甲乙 Wood, 丙丁 Fire, 戊己 Earth, 庚辛 Metal, 壬癸 Water. That is your birth-year element. In saju, your core element is the character of your birth day, which a free saju card shows.
Why does the year start in February?
Saju follows the solar terms, and the first one is Ipchun, the start of spring, around February 4. Lunar New Year moves between late January and mid-February, so sites that use it can give a different animal for early-year birthdays.
Is the Korean zodiac the same as the Chinese zodiac?
Yes, the twelve animals and the sixty-year cycle are the same. Korean saju marks the change of year at Ipchun, and Korea also uses the Korean lunar calendar, which can differ from China’s by a day.