---
title: "1965 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Wood Snake (乙巳), 2 Feb 1965 to 20 Jan 1966 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "1965 is the Year of the Wood Snake, 蛇 shé: from Chinese New Year on 2 February 1965 to 20 January 1966, so a birthday before 2 February 1965 is a Dragon. What Wood means, and how to say it in Chinese: 我属蛇."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1965"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-26"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# 1965: Year of the Wood Snake

1965 is the Year of the Snake, 蛇 shé, a Wood year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 2 February 1965 and runs to 20 January 1966. Born from 1 January to 1 February 1965? You are a [Dragon, 1964](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1964).

蛇

shé

Wood Snake

**Animal**
[蛇 shé Snake](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/snake)

**Element**
木 mù Wood, yin

**Cycle name**
乙巳年 yǐ sì nián

**Starts**
2 February 1965

**Ends**
20 January 1966

**Matches**
Rooster, Ox and Monkey; clashes with Pig

**Age**
Born in 1965? You turn 61 in 2026.

[Save or share this card](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac?d=1965-06-15) from the zodiac finder.

## Say 1965 in Chinese

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

- 一九六五年 yī jiǔ liù wǔ nián 1965
- 乙巳年 yǐ sì nián the 乙巳 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是一九六五年出生的 wǒ shì yī jiǔ liù wǔ nián chū shēng de I was born in 1965.
- 我属蛇 wǒ shǔ shé I'm a Snake.
- 木蛇 mù shé Wood Snake

## What Wood means

木Wood is growth: a tree reaching up and out. People born in a Wood year are said to be generous and kind, slow to anger and quick to help.

**Season**
春 chūn spring

**Direction**
东 dōng east

**Colour**
青 qīng green

### Words for a Wood Snake

- 冷静 lěngjìng calm
- 大方 dàfang generous
- 仁慈 réncí kind

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 Snake, 蛇

The Snake is called the “little dragon”, 小龙. People born in a Snake year are said to be calm, wise and intuitive: private people who think before they speak and rarely miss.

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

## Questions

### What Chinese zodiac animal is 1965?

1965 is the Year of the Snake, 蛇 (shé), from Chinese New Year on 2 February 1965 to 20 January 1966. Its element is Wood, so people born in it are Wood Snakes.

### What if I was born in January or early February 1965?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 1 February 1965? You belong to 1964, the Year of the Wood Dragon.

### What element is 1965 in the Chinese zodiac?

Wood, 木 (mù). 1965 is 乙巳 (yǐ sì) in the sixty-year cycle, a yin Wood year; the Wood Snake comes round once every sixty years.

### How do you say 1965 in Chinese?

Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 一九六五年 (yī jiǔ liù wǔ nián). “I was born in 1965” is 我是一九六五年出生的 (wǒ shì yī jiǔ liù wǔ nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Snake” is 我属蛇 (wǒ shǔ shé).