Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Quick Answer

Last updated: 10 November 2026 ·How we calculate this: Hong Kong Observatory Lunar New Year dates and the 60-year cycle

How This Chinese Zodiac Calculator Works

The Chinese zodiac gives each lunar year one of twelve animals, in a fixed order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each year also has one of five elements and is yin or yang, giving a 60-year cycle. Enter your birth date and the calculator checks it against the Lunar New Year date for that year, so January and February birthdays get the right animal.

How to Use the Chinese Zodiac Calculator

1. Enter your birth date as year-month-day.
2. Press Calculate.
3. Read your animal, element and yin or yang.
4. Check the note if you were born in January or February.
5. See the dates of your zodiac year and your traditional best matches.

How the Animal and Element Are Found

• Zodiac year: the birth year, or the year before if the birthday is before that year's Lunar New Year
• Animal: (zodiac year − 4) mod 12, counting from 0 = Rat
• Heavenly stem: (zodiac year − 4) mod 10, counting from 0 = Jia
• Element: stems 0-1 Wood, 2-3 Fire, 4-5 Earth, 6-7 Metal, 8-9 Water
• Yin or yang: even stems are yang, odd stems are yin

For example, 2020 gives (2020 − 4) mod 12 = 0, the Rat, and (2020 − 4) mod 10 = 6, Metal: 2020 was the Metal Rat (Geng-zi) year.

Key Terms

• Lunar New Year: the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, also called Spring Festival.
• Heavenly stem: one of ten year markers (Jia to Gui) that set the element and yin or yang.
• Earthly branch: one of twelve year markers (zi to hai) that match the twelve animals.
• Sexagenary cycle: the 60-year cycle made by pairing stems and branches.
• Trine: a group of three animals four years apart, traditionally seen as compatible.

Worked Example

Two cousins were born on February 1 and February 2, 1984.

• Lunar New Year 1984 was February 2, 1984
• February 1 is before it, so the zodiac year is 1983: (1983 − 4) mod 12 = 11, the Pig; (1983 − 4) mod 10 = 9, Water (yin)
• February 2 is on it, so the zodiac year is 1984: (1984 − 4) mod 12 = 0, the Rat; stem 0, Wood (yang)
• One cousin is a Water Pig and the other a Wood Rat, born one day apart

Real-Life Examples

• Birthdays in January or February: February 1, 1984 is the Water Pig, not the Rat.
• Babies: a baby born in March 2026 is a Fire Horse.
• Gifts and cards: find the right animal for a friend's Lunar New Year card.
• Family trees: look up signs for any date from 1901 to 2100.

Chinese Zodiac vs Western Zodiac

• Chinese zodiac follows the birth year and changes at Lunar New Year; everyone born in the same lunar year shares an animal.
• Western zodiac follows the birth month and day; the sign changes about every 30 days.
• Both have twelve signs and are cultural traditions, not scientific predictions.

Lunar New Year Dates and Animals

Dates from the Hong Kong Observatory calendar tables.

Why Lunar New Year Moves

The Chinese calendar is lunisolar. Each month starts on the day of the new moon, and an extra month is added about every three years to keep the calendar in step with the seasons. Lunar New Year is the second new moon after the winter solstice in most years, which puts it between January 21 and February 20.

Because the new moon happens at one instant worldwide, the date in China can be a day later than in the Americas. This calculator follows the Hong Kong Observatory tables, which use China's time zone, as the calendar itself does. Some fortune-telling systems instead start the zodiac year at Lichun, the start of spring around February 4; this calculator follows the common Lunar New Year rule.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using the calendar year only. A January birthday usually belongs to the previous year's animal.
• Assuming a fixed New Year date. Lunar New Year moves each year.
• Mixing up the Goat, Sheep and Ram. They are the same sign translated differently.
• Forgetting the element. Two Rats twelve years apart have different elements.
• Entering the date the wrong way round. Use year-month-day.

Frequently Asked Questions

References & Sources