---
title: "1948 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Rat (戊子), 10 Feb 1948 to 28 Jan 1949 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "1948 is the Year of the Earth Rat, 鼠 shǔ: from Chinese New Year on 10 February 1948 to 28 January 1949, so a birthday before 10 February 1948 is a Pig. What Earth means, and how to say it in Chinese: 我属鼠."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1948"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-26"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[Chinese zodiac](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac)

# 1948: Year of the Earth Rat

1948 is the Year of the Rat, 鼠 shǔ, an Earth year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 10 February 1948 and runs to 28 January 1949. Born from 1 January to 9 February 1948? You are a [Pig, 1947](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1947).

鼠

shǔ

Earth Rat

**Animal**
[鼠 shǔ Rat](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/rat)

**Element**
土 tǔ Earth, yang

**Cycle name**
戊子年 wù zǐ nián

**Starts**
10 February 1948

**Ends**
28 January 1949

**Matches**
Dragon, Monkey and Ox; clashes with Horse

**Age**
Born in 1948? You turn 78 in 2026.

[Save or share this card](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac?d=1948-06-15) from the zodiac finder.

## Say 1948 in Chinese

A year is read digit by digit, then 年 nián: no “nineteen eighty-three”.

- 一九四八年 yī jiǔ sì bā nián 1948
- 戊子年 wù zǐ nián the 戊子 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是一九四八年出生的 wǒ shì yī jiǔ sì bā nián chū shēng de I was born in 1948.
- 我属鼠 wǒ shǔ shǔ I'm a Rat.
- 土鼠 tǔ shǔ Earth Rat

## What Earth means

土Earth is the ground everything stands on, at the centre of the five. People born in an Earth year are said to be steady and patient, the friend everyone leans on.

**Season**
长夏 cháng xià late summer

**Direction**
中 zhōng the centre

**Colour**
黄 huáng yellow

### Words for an Earth Rat

- 机灵 jīling quick-witted
- 稳重 wěnzhòng steady
- 可靠 kěkào reliable

Each year has one of five elements, 五行 wǔ xíng, two years each, so the same animal and element meet once every sixty years. The traits are what tradition says, for fun.

## The Rat, 鼠

The Rat comes first of the twelve: in the old story of the Great Race it rode across the river on the Ox’s back and jumped off at the finish. People born in a Rat year are said to be quick-witted and resourceful, the first to spot a chance and careful to save for a rainy day.

[Rat personality, matches and sayings](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/rat)

## Questions

### What Chinese zodiac animal is 1948?

1948 is the Year of the Rat, 鼠 (shǔ), from Chinese New Year on 10 February 1948 to 28 January 1949. Its element is Earth, so people born in it are Earth Rats.

### What if I was born in January or early February 1948?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 9 February 1948? You belong to 1947, the Year of the Fire Pig.

### What element is 1948 in the Chinese zodiac?

Earth, 土 (tǔ). 1948 is 戊子 (wù zǐ) in the sixty-year cycle, a yang Earth year; the Earth Rat comes round once every sixty years.

### How do you say 1948 in Chinese?

Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 一九四八年 (yī jiǔ sì bā nián). “I was born in 1948” is 我是一九四八年出生的 (wǒ shì yī jiǔ sì bā nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Rat” is 我属鼠 (wǒ shǔ shǔ).