Chinese zodiac signs
The Chinese zodiac has twelve animals, one for each year of a twelve-year cycle: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The current year is the Fire Horse (马年), which began on 17 February 2026. The Chinese zodiac (生肖 shēngxiào) is a cycle of twelve animals, one for each year, from the Rat through to the Pig. The animal year begins at Chinese New Year (春节), not on 1 January, so someone born in January or early February usually belongs to the previous animal. The signs are a cultural tradition rather than science, and the Great Race, in which the animals compete to cross a river, is a popular folk story about how the order came to be.
The twelve signs
| Sign | Chinese | Pinyin | Say "I am a ..." | Recent years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | 鼠 | shǔ | 我属鼠 wǒ shǔ shǔ | 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 |
| Ox | 牛 | niú | 我属牛 wǒ shǔ niú | 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| Tiger | 虎 | hǔ | 我属虎 wǒ shǔ hǔ | 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| Rabbit | 兔 | tù | 我属兔 wǒ shǔ tù | 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| Dragon | 龙 | lóng | 我属龙 wǒ shǔ lóng | 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 |
| Snake | 蛇 | shé | 我属蛇 wǒ shǔ shé | 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 |
| Horse | 马 | mǎ | 我属马 wǒ shǔ mǎ | 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 |
| Goat | 羊 | yáng | 我属羊 wǒ shǔ yáng | 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 |
| Monkey | 猴 | hóu | 我属猴 wǒ shǔ hóu | 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028 |
| Rooster | 鸡 | jī | 我属鸡 wǒ shǔ jī | 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029 |
| Dog | 狗 | gǒu | 我属狗 wǒ shǔ gǒu | 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030 |
| Pig | 猪 | zhū | 我属猪 wǒ shǔ zhū | 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031 |
Where to go next
- Every zodiac year from 1930 to 2031, with the Chinese New Year date each one starts on.
- Zodiac compatibility: the traditional best matches and clashes for all twelve signs.
- The five elements and why the same animal returns as a different year every twelve.
- The zodiac calculator: type a birth date, get a sign.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 12 Chinese zodiac signs in order?
Rat 鼠, Ox 牛, Tiger 虎, Rabbit 兔, Dragon 龙, Snake 蛇, Horse 马, Goat 羊, Monkey 猴, Rooster 鸡, Dog 狗, Pig 猪. The cycle repeats every twelve years.
What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It is the animal of the Chinese year you were born in, and that year starts at Chinese New Year, between 21 January and 20 February. Use the zodiac calculator with your full birth date, or find your year in the table of years.
What is the Chinese zodiac sign this year?
Today falls in the Fire Horse year, 丙午 (马年), which runs from 17 February 2026 to 5 February 2027.
How do you say your zodiac sign in Chinese?
Say 我属 and the animal: 我属龙 (wǒ shǔ lóng) is "I was born in the year of the Dragon". To ask, 你属什么？ (nǐ shǔ shénme?).
The twelve animals are everyday words. GraphChinese teaches them, and the rest of Mandarin, in an order where each word builds on the last. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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