Not sure which animal sign you belong to? If you were born in January or February, the answer might surprise you.
The Chinese zodiac runs on a 12-year cycle, with each year linked to one of twelve animals – Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. But here’s the thing most people get wrong: Chinese zodiac years don’t follow the Gregorian calendar. They begin at Chinese New Year, which falls on a different date each year, usually somewhere between late January and mid-February.
This means that someone born on 5 February 1997 is actually a Rat, not an Ox – because Chinese New Year didn’t arrive until 7 February that year. The chart below gives you the exact start and end dates so you can find your true sign with confidence.
Chinese Zodiac Years Chart
1948 – 1959
| Year | Chinese New Year Start | Chinese New Year End | Zodiac Animal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Feb. 10, 1948 | Jan. 28, 1949 | Rat |
| 1949 | Jan. 29, 1949 | Feb. 16, 1950 | Ox |
| 1950 | Feb. 17, 1950 | Feb. 5, 1951 | Tiger |
| 1951 | Feb. 6, 1951 | Jan. 26, 1952 | Rabbit |
| 1952 | Jan. 27, 1952 | Feb. 13, 1953 | Dragon |
| 1953 | Feb. 14, 1953 | Feb. 2, 1954 | Snake |
| 1954 | Feb. 3, 1954 | Jan. 23, 1955 | Horse |
| 1955 | Jan. 24, 1955 | Feb. 11, 1956 | Goat |
| 1956 | Feb. 12, 1956 | Jan. 30, 1957 | Monkey |
| 1957 | Jan. 31, 1957 | Feb. 17, 1958 | Rooster |
| 1958 | Feb. 18, 1958 | Feb. 7, 1959 | Dog |
| 1959 | Feb. 8, 1959 | Jan. 27, 1960 | Pig |
1960 – 1971
| Year | Chinese New Year Start | Chinese New Year End | Zodiac Animal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Jan. 28, 1960 | Feb. 14, 1961 | Rat |
| 1961 | Feb. 15, 1961 | Feb. 4, 1962 | Ox |
| 1962 | Feb. 5, 1962 | Jan. 24, 1963 | Tiger |
| 1963 | Jan. 25, 1963 | Feb. 12, 1964 | Rabbit |
| 1964 | Feb. 13, 1964 | Feb. 1, 1965 | Dragon |
| 1965 | Feb. 2, 1965 | Jan. 20, 1966 | Snake |
| 1966 | Jan. 21, 1966 | Feb. 8, 1967 | Horse |
| 1967 | Feb. 9, 1967 | Jan. 29, 1968 | Goat |
| 1968 | Jan. 30, 1968 | Feb. 16, 1969 | Monkey |
| 1969 | Feb. 17, 1969 | Feb. 5, 1970 | Rooster |
| 1970 | Feb. 6, 1970 | Jan. 26, 1971 | Dog |
| 1971 | Jan. 27, 1971 | Feb. 14, 1972 | Pig |
1972 – 1983
| Year | Chinese New Year Start | Chinese New Year End | Zodiac Animal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Feb. 15, 1972 | Feb. 2, 1973 | Rat |
| 1973 | Feb. 3, 1973 | Jan. 22, 1974 | Ox |
| 1974 | Jan. 23, 1974 | Feb. 10, 1975 | Tiger |
| 1975 | Feb. 11, 1975 | Jan. 30, 1976 | Rabbit |
| 1976 | Jan. 31, 1976 | Feb. 17, 1977 | Dragon |
| 1977 | Feb. 18, 1977 | Feb. 6, 1978 | Snake |
| 1978 | Feb. 7, 1978 | Jan. 27, 1979 | Horse |
| 1979 | Jan. 28, 1979 | Feb. 15, 1980 | Goat |
| 1980 | Feb. 16, 1980 | Feb. 4, 1981 | Monkey |
| 1981 | Feb. 5, 1981 | Jan. 24, 1982 | Rooster |
| 1982 | Jan. 25, 1982 | Feb. 12, 1983 | Dog |
| 1983 | Feb. 13, 1983 | Feb. 1, 1984 | Pig |
1984 – 1995
| Year | Chinese New Year Start | Chinese New Year End | Zodiac Animal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Feb. 2, 1984 | Feb. 19, 1985 | Rat |
| 1985 | Feb. 19, 1985 | Feb. 8, 1986 | Ox |
| 1986 | Feb. 9, 1986 | Jan. 28, 1987 | Tiger |
| 1987 | Jan. 29, 1987 | Feb. 16, 1988 | Rabbit |
| 1988 | Feb. 17, 1988 | Feb. 5, 1989 | Dragon |
| 1989 | Feb. 6, 1989 | Jan. 26, 1990 | Snake |
| 1990 | Jan. 27, 1990 | Feb. 14, 1991 | Horse |
| 1991 | Feb. 15, 1991 | Feb. 3, 1992 | Goat |
| 1992 | Feb. 4, 1992 | Jan. 22, 1993 | Monkey |
| 1993 | Jan. 23, 1993 | Feb. 9, 1994 | Rooster |
| 1994 | Feb. 10, 1994 | Jan. 30, 1995 | Dog |
| 1995 | Jan. 30, 1995 | Feb. 18, 1996 | Pig |
1996 – 2007
| Year | Chinese New Year Start | Chinese New Year End | Zodiac Animal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Feb. 19, 1996 | Feb. 6, 1997 | Rat |
| 1997 | Feb. 7, 1997 | Jan. 27, 1998 | Ox |
| 1998 | Jan. 28, 1998 | Feb. 15, 1999 | Tiger |
| 1999 | Feb. 16, 1999 | Feb. 4, 2000 | Rabbit |
| 2000 | Feb. 5, 2000 | Jan. 23, 2001 | Dragon |
| 2001 | Jan. 24, 2001 | Feb. 11, 2002 | Snake |
| 2002 | Feb. 12, 2002 | Jan. 31, 2003 | Horse |
| 2003 | Feb. 1, 2003 | Jan. 21, 2004 | Goat |
| 2004 | Jan. 22, 2004 | Feb. 8, 2005 | Monkey |
| 2005 | Feb. 9, 2005 | Jan. 28, 2006 | Rooster |
| 2006 | Jan. 29, 2006 | Feb. 17, 2007 | Dog |
| 2007 | Feb. 17, 2007 | Feb. 6, 2008 | Pig |
2008 – 2019
| Year | Chinese New Year Start | Chinese New Year End | Zodiac Animal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Feb. 7, 2008 | Jan. 25, 2009 | Rat |
| 2009 | Jan. 26, 2009 | Feb. 13, 2010 | Ox |
| 2010 | Feb. 14, 2010 | Feb. 2, 2011 | Tiger |
| 2011 | Feb. 3, 2011 | Jan. 22, 2012 | Rabbit |
| 2012 | Jan. 23, 2012 | Feb. 9, 2013 | Dragon |
| 2013 | Feb. 10, 2013 | Jan. 30, 2014 | Snake |
| 2014 | Jan. 31, 2014 | Feb. 18, 2015 | Horse |
| 2015 | Feb. 19, 2015 | Feb. 7, 2016 | Goat |
| 2016 | Feb. 8, 2016 | Jan. 27, 2017 | Monkey |
| 2017 | Jan. 28, 2017 | Feb. 15, 2018 | Rooster |
| 2018 | Feb. 16, 2018 | Feb. 4, 2019 | Dog |
| 2019 | Feb. 4, 2019 | Jan. 24, 2020 | Pig |
2020 – 2031
| Year | Chinese New Year Start | Chinese New Year End | Zodiac Animal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jan. 25, 2020 | Feb. 11, 2021 | Rat |
| 2021 | Feb. 12, 2021 | Jan. 31, 2022 | Ox |
| 2022 | Feb. 1, 2022 | Jan. 21, 2023 | Tiger |
| 2023 | Jan. 22, 2023 | Feb. 9, 2024 | Rabbit |
| 2024 | Feb. 10, 2024 | Jan. 28, 2025 | Dragon |
| 2025 | Jan. 29, 2025 | Feb. 16, 2026 | Snake |
| 2026 | Feb. 17, 2026 | Feb. 5, 2027 | Horse |
| 2027 | Feb. 6, 2027 | Jan. 25, 2028 | Goat |
| 2028 | Jan. 26, 2028 | Feb. 12, 2029 | Monkey |
| 2029 | Feb. 13, 2029 | Feb. 2, 2030 | Rooster |
| 2030 | Feb. 3, 2030 | Jan. 22, 2031 | Dog |
| 2031 | Jan. 22, 2031 | Feb. 10, 2032 | Pig |
Find Your Chinese Zodiac Sign
If you’d rather skip the chart, use the zodiac calculator below. Simply enter your date of birth and it will work out your sign for you – taking the Chinese New Year dates into account automatically.
Once you know your animal, select it below to explore your sign’s personality, compatibility, and 2026 horoscope forecast.
