---
title: "1952 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Dragon (壬辰), 27 Jan 1952 to 13 Feb 1953 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "1952 is the Year of the Water Dragon, 龙 lóng: from Chinese New Year on 27 January 1952 to 13 February 1953, so a birthday before 27 January 1952 is a Rabbit. What Water means, and how to say it in Chinese: 我属龙."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1952"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-26"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# 1952: Year of the Water Dragon

1952 is the Year of the Dragon, 龙 lóng, a Water year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 27 January 1952 and runs to 13 February 1953. Born from 1 January to 26 January 1952? You are a [Rabbit, 1951](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1951).

龙

lóng

Water Dragon

**Animal**
[龙 lóng Dragon](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/dragon)

**Element**
水 shuǐ Water, yang

**Cycle name**
壬辰年 rén chén nián

**Starts**
27 January 1952

**Ends**
13 February 1953

**Matches**
Monkey, Rat and Rooster; clashes with Dog

**Age**
Born in 1952? You turn 74 in 2026.

[Save or share this card](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac?d=1952-06-15) from the zodiac finder.

## Say 1952 in Chinese

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

- 一九五二年 yī jiǔ wǔ èr nián 1952
- 壬辰年 rén chén nián the 壬辰 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是一九五二年出生的 wǒ shì yī jiǔ wǔ èr nián chū shēng de I was born in 1952.
- 我属龙 wǒ shǔ lóng I'm a Dragon.
- 水龙 shuǐ lóng Water Dragon

## What Water means

水Water is calm and finds a way around anything. People born in a Water year are said to be wise and adaptable, good listeners who read a room.

**Season**
冬 dōng winter

**Direction**
北 běi north

**Colour**
黑 hēi black

### Words for a Water Dragon

- 有活力 yǒu huólì full of energy
- 聪明 cōngming clever
- 灵活 línghuó adaptable

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 Dragon, 龙

The Dragon is the only one of the twelve that isn’t real, and the luckiest: emperors wore it, and many families hope for a Dragon baby. People born in a Dragon year are said to be ambitious, energetic and charismatic, people who think big.

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

## Questions

### What Chinese zodiac animal is 1952?

1952 is the Year of the Dragon, 龙 (lóng), from Chinese New Year on 27 January 1952 to 13 February 1953. Its element is Water, so people born in it are Water Dragons.

### What if I was born in January or early February 1952?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 26 January 1952? You belong to 1951, the Year of the Metal Rabbit.

### What element is 1952 in the Chinese zodiac?

Water, 水 (shuǐ). 1952 is 壬辰 (rén chén) in the sixty-year cycle, a yang Water year; the Water Dragon comes round once every sixty years.

### How do you say 1952 in Chinese?

Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 一九五二年 (yī jiǔ wǔ èr nián). “I was born in 1952” is 我是一九五二年出生的 (wǒ shì yī jiǔ wǔ èr nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Dragon” is 我属龙 (wǒ shǔ lóng).