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Chinese zodiac: animal calculator and year dates

Find the Chinese zodiac animal for a date, compare the twelve animals and check exact Lunar New Year boundaries using Hong Kong Observatory tables.

Chinese zodiac calculator

Supported dates: 1901-02-19 to 2030-12-31. Dates use YYYY-MM-DD. This tool uses Lunar New Year, not Li Chun.

The date is processed in your browser and is not sent by this calculator. No account is needed.

How the animal is calculated

The calculator finds the most recent Lunar New Year on or before the date you enter. It then uses the animal assigned to that year. The animal changes on the listed New Year date, not on 1 January. The supported range begins with Lunar New Year 1901; earlier dates are deliberately rejected rather than guessed.

The twelve animals in order

The sequence repeats every twelve animal years. A year label is a shortcut: each interval spans parts of two Gregorian years. Goat is also translated as Sheep or Ram; those names refer to the same place in this cycle, not three different signs.

  1. Rat
  2. Ox
  3. Tiger
  4. Rabbit
  5. Dragon
  6. Snake
  7. Horse
  8. Goat
  9. Monkey
  10. Rooster
  11. Dog
  12. Pig

Why January and February need checking

Someone born before Lunar New Year still belongs to the preceding animal year under this convention. On the New Year date itself, the new animal applies. Read both boundaries in the table instead of assuming that everyone born in the same Gregorian year shares an animal.

Animal years and exact date ranges
Year labelAnimalFirst dayLast day
2020Rat2020-01-252021-02-11
2021Ox2021-02-122022-01-31
2022Tiger2022-02-012023-01-21
2023Rabbit2023-01-222024-02-09
2024Dragon2024-02-102025-01-28
2025Snake2025-01-292026-02-16
2026Horse2026-02-172027-02-05
2027Goat2027-02-062028-01-25
2028Monkey2028-01-262029-02-12
2029Rooster2029-02-132030-02-02
2030Dog2030-02-032031-01-22
Show years 1901–2019
Animal years and exact date ranges
Year labelAnimalFirst dayLast day
1901Ox1901-02-191902-02-07
1902Tiger1902-02-081903-01-28
1903Rabbit1903-01-291904-02-15
1904Dragon1904-02-161905-02-03
1905Snake1905-02-041906-01-24
1906Horse1906-01-251907-02-12
1907Goat1907-02-131908-02-01
1908Monkey1908-02-021909-01-21
1909Rooster1909-01-221910-02-09
1910Dog1910-02-101911-01-29
1911Pig1911-01-301912-02-17
1912Rat1912-02-181913-02-05
1913Ox1913-02-061914-01-25
1914Tiger1914-01-261915-02-13
1915Rabbit1915-02-141916-02-02
1916Dragon1916-02-031917-01-22
1917Snake1917-01-231918-02-10
1918Horse1918-02-111919-01-31
1919Goat1919-02-011920-02-19
1920Monkey1920-02-201921-02-07
1921Rooster1921-02-081922-01-27
1922Dog1922-01-281923-02-15
1923Pig1923-02-161924-02-04
1924Rat1924-02-051925-01-23
1925Ox1925-01-241926-02-12
1926Tiger1926-02-131927-02-01
1927Rabbit1927-02-021928-01-22
1928Dragon1928-01-231929-02-09
1929Snake1929-02-101930-01-29
1930Horse1930-01-301931-02-16
1931Goat1931-02-171932-02-05
1932Monkey1932-02-061933-01-25
1933Rooster1933-01-261934-02-13
1934Dog1934-02-141935-02-03
1935Pig1935-02-041936-01-23
1936Rat1936-01-241937-02-10
1937Ox1937-02-111938-01-30
1938Tiger1938-01-311939-02-18
1939Rabbit1939-02-191940-02-07
1940Dragon1940-02-081941-01-26
1941Snake1941-01-271942-02-14
1942Horse1942-02-151943-02-04
1943Goat1943-02-051944-01-24
1944Monkey1944-01-251945-02-12
1945Rooster1945-02-131946-02-01
1946Dog1946-02-021947-01-21
1947Pig1947-01-221948-02-09
1948Rat1948-02-101949-01-28
1949Ox1949-01-291950-02-16
1950Tiger1950-02-171951-02-05
1951Rabbit1951-02-061952-01-26
1952Dragon1952-01-271953-02-13
1953Snake1953-02-141954-02-02
1954Horse1954-02-031955-01-23
1955Goat1955-01-241956-02-11
1956Monkey1956-02-121957-01-30
1957Rooster1957-01-311958-02-17
1958Dog1958-02-181959-02-07
1959Pig1959-02-081960-01-27
1960Rat1960-01-281961-02-14
1961Ox1961-02-151962-02-04
1962Tiger1962-02-051963-01-24
1963Rabbit1963-01-251964-02-12
1964Dragon1964-02-131965-02-01
1965Snake1965-02-021966-01-20
1966Horse1966-01-211967-02-08
1967Goat1967-02-091968-01-29
1968Monkey1968-01-301969-02-16
1969Rooster1969-02-171970-02-05
1970Dog1970-02-061971-01-26
1971Pig1971-01-271972-02-14
1972Rat1972-02-151973-02-02
1973Ox1973-02-031974-01-22
1974Tiger1974-01-231975-02-10
1975Rabbit1975-02-111976-01-30
1976Dragon1976-01-311977-02-17
1977Snake1977-02-181978-02-06
1978Horse1978-02-071979-01-27
1979Goat1979-01-281980-02-15
1980Monkey1980-02-161981-02-04
1981Rooster1981-02-051982-01-24
1982Dog1982-01-251983-02-12
1983Pig1983-02-131984-02-01
1984Rat1984-02-021985-02-19
1985Ox1985-02-201986-02-08
1986Tiger1986-02-091987-01-28
1987Rabbit1987-01-291988-02-16
1988Dragon1988-02-171989-02-05
1989Snake1989-02-061990-01-26
1990Horse1990-01-271991-02-14
1991Goat1991-02-151992-02-03
1992Monkey1992-02-041993-01-22
1993Rooster1993-01-231994-02-09
1994Dog1994-02-101995-01-30
1995Pig1995-01-311996-02-18
1996Rat1996-02-191997-02-06
1997Ox1997-02-071998-01-27
1998Tiger1998-01-281999-02-15
1999Rabbit1999-02-162000-02-04
2000Dragon2000-02-052001-01-23
2001Snake2001-01-242002-02-11
2002Horse2002-02-122003-01-31
2003Goat2003-02-012004-01-21
2004Monkey2004-01-222005-02-08
2005Rooster2005-02-092006-01-28
2006Dog2006-01-292007-02-17
2007Pig2007-02-182008-02-06
2008Rat2008-02-072009-01-25
2009Ox2009-01-262010-02-13
2010Tiger2010-02-142011-02-02
2011Rabbit2011-02-032012-01-22
2012Dragon2012-01-232013-02-09
2013Snake2013-02-102014-01-30
2014Horse2014-01-312015-02-18
2015Goat2015-02-192016-02-07
2016Monkey2016-02-082017-01-27
2017Rooster2017-01-282018-02-15
2018Dog2018-02-162019-02-04
2019Pig2019-02-052020-01-24

Lunar New Year or Li Chun?

Some BaZi methods use Li Chun instead of Lunar New Year. Check the convention before comparing results. This tool is a date-based animal-year lookup, not a Four Pillars chart, a birth-time calculation or a conversion of a birth instant between time zones.

What an animal year can tell you

This is a calendar classification and a cultural reference. It does not establish personality, predict income or decide relationship compatibility. People born twelve years apart can share an animal without sharing circumstances. A full astrological reading would involve additional conventions; this tool does not claim to provide one.

Detailed year guides

2003 Chinese zodiac: Goat and exact dates

For a 2003 birthday, the day and month resolve the Horse–Goat boundary. A form that asks only for the year cannot distinguish those two cases. Keep the full date when checking a family record or comparing two calculators.

2026 Chinese zodiac: Horse and exact dates

For 2026, distinguish 1 January celebrations from the start of the Horse year. A calendar-year event and an animal-year interval need not start together. The dates here describe the animal year, not public-holiday entitlements or a forecast for the year.

Calendar dates and cultural references

Related birth-year guides

1989 Chinese zodiac: Snake and exact dates

Check the dates of the Snake year beginning in 1989, including which animal applies before Lunar New Year.

1990 Chinese zodiac: Horse and exact dates

Check the dates of the Horse year beginning in 1990, including which animal applies before Lunar New Year.

1991 Chinese zodiac: Goat and exact dates

Check the dates of the Goat year beginning in 1991, including which animal applies before Lunar New Year.

1994 Chinese zodiac: Dog and exact dates

Check the dates of the Dog year beginning in 1994, including which animal applies before Lunar New Year.

1995 Chinese zodiac: Pig and exact dates

Check the dates of the Pig year beginning in 1995, including which animal applies before Lunar New Year.

1996 Chinese zodiac: Rat and exact dates

Check the dates of the Rat year beginning in 1996, including which animal applies before Lunar New Year.

1997 Chinese zodiac: Ox and exact dates

Check the dates of the Ox year beginning in 1997, including which animal applies before Lunar New Year.

1998 Chinese zodiac: Tiger and exact dates

Check the dates of the Tiger year beginning in 1998, including which animal applies before Lunar New Year.

1999 Chinese zodiac: Rabbit and exact dates

Check the dates of the Rabbit year beginning in 1999, including which animal applies before Lunar New Year.

2002 Chinese zodiac: Horse and exact dates

Check the dates of the Horse year beginning in 2002, including which animal applies before Lunar New Year.