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Chinese zodiac

Put in your birthday to find your animal, counted from the exact day of Chinese New Year, and learn to say it in Chinese. 2026 is the Year of the Horse, 马年.

Born in January or February? The year starts at Chinese New Year, so the exact day counts.

Born 15 June 1990

马

mǎ

Year of the Horse

Say it
我属马 wǒ shǔ mǎ
Your year
1990, from 27 January 1990

The 12 animals and their years

  1. 鼠shǔRat196019721984199620082020
  2. 牛niúOx196119731985199720092021
  3. 虎hǔTiger196219741986199820102022
  4. 兔tùRabbit196319751987199920112023
  5. 龙lóngDragon196419761988200020122024
  6. 蛇shéSnake196519771989200120132025
  7. 马mǎHorse196619781990200220142026
  8. 羊yángGoat196719791991200320152027
  9. 猴hóuMonkey196819801992200420162028
  10. 鸡jīRooster196919811993200520172029
  11. 狗gǒuDog197019821994200620182030
  12. 猪zhūPig197119831995200720192031

How the zodiac works

Each year of the Chinese calendar belongs to one of twelve animals, in a cycle that starts again every twelve years. The year begins at Chinese New Year, so a January or February birthday can belong to the year before. This page counts from each year’s New Year from 1900 to 2100.

Saying it in Chinese

The zodiac is 生肖 shēng xiào, and your animal is what you 属, “belong to”: 我属马 wǒ shǔ mǎ. To ask, 你属什么？ nǐ shǔ shén me? A year is named the same way: 马年 mǎ nián is the Year of the Horse. In everyday speech some animals take a longer word: a tiger is 老虎 lǎo hǔ and a monkey 猴子 hóu zi, but you still say 我属虎 wǒ shǔ hǔ.

Your 本命年

The year of your own animal comes round every twelve years and is your 本命年 běn mìng nián. Many people wear red that year for luck.

Questions

What Chinese zodiac year is 2026?

2026 is the Year of the Horse, 马年 (mǎ nián). It began on 17 February 2026 and runs to the day before Chinese New Year on 7 February 2027.

How do you say your zodiac animal in Chinese?

Say 我属 (wǒ shǔ) and the animal: 我属马, “I belong to the Horse”. To ask someone, say 你属什么？ (nǐ shǔ shén me?).

Why does my animal depend on my birthday, not just my year?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, between 21 January and 20 February, not on 1 January. In 1990 the New Year fell on 27 January, so someone born on 1 February 1990 is a Horse, and someone born on 20 January 1990 is still a Snake.

What are the 12 Chinese zodiac animals in order?

Rat 鼠, Ox 牛, Tiger 虎, Rabbit 兔, Dragon 龙, Snake 蛇, Horse 马, Goat 羊, Monkey 猴, Rooster 鸡, Dog 狗 and Pig 猪.

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