Chinese Zodiac Calculator
Find the Chinese zodiac animal for a birth year.
Your animal by birth year
The Chinese zodiac assigns one of twelve animals to each year in a repeating cycle, so your animal depends on your birth year rather than the day. This finds the animal for any year, with its traditional associations.
Enter a birth year to find the Chinese zodiac animal.
A twelve-year cycle, and a calendar subtlety
The Chinese zodiac runs on a twelve-year cycle of animals — rat, ox, tiger and so on — each associated in tradition with certain characteristics, and it is deeply woven into Chinese culture and celebrated especially at the Lunar New Year. One subtlety worth knowing is that the animal changes at the Lunar New Year, not the first of January, and that date shifts each year, so someone born in January or early February may belong to the previous year's animal — a common source of confusion. As with any zodiac, the personality associations are cultural tradition rather than science, and are best enjoyed in that spirit. The zodiac remains a rich and much-loved part of cultural heritage, marking the years in a way the plain calendar does not.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Chinese zodiac animal determined?
By birth year, on a repeating twelve-year cycle of animals — though the year changes at the Lunar New Year, not the first of January.
Why might my animal not match my birth year?
Because the animal changes at the Lunar New Year, whose date shifts each year, so someone born in January or early February may have the previous year's animal.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The calculation happens in your browser.