---
title: "1979 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Goat (己未), 28 Jan 1979 to 15 Feb 1980 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "1979 is the Year of the Earth Goat, 羊 yáng: from Chinese New Year on 28 January 1979 to 15 February 1980, so a birthday before 28 January 1979 is a Horse. What Earth means, and how to say it in Chinese: 我属羊."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1979"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-26"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# 1979: Year of the Earth Goat

1979 is the Year of the Goat, 羊 yáng, an Earth year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 28 January 1979 and runs to 15 February 1980. Born from 1 January to 27 January 1979? You are a [Horse, 1978](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1978).

羊

yáng

Earth Goat

**Animal**
[羊 yáng Goat](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/goat)

**Element**
土 tǔ Earth, yin

**Cycle name**
己未年 jǐ wèi nián

**Starts**
28 January 1979

**Ends**
15 February 1980

**Matches**
Pig, Rabbit and Horse; clashes with Ox

**Age**
Born in 1979? You turn 47 in 2026.

[Save or share this card](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac?d=1979-06-15) from the zodiac finder.

## Say 1979 in Chinese

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

- 一九七九年 yī jiǔ qī jiǔ nián 1979
- 己未年 jǐ wèi nián the 己未 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是一九七九年出生的 wǒ shì yī jiǔ qī jiǔ nián chū shēng de I was born in 1979.
- 我属羊 wǒ shǔ yáng I'm a Goat.
- 土羊 tǔ yáng Earth Goat

## 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 Goat

- 温和 wēnhé easy-going
- 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 Goat, 羊

The Goat is also the Sheep: 羊 means both. People born in a Goat year are said to be easy-going, creative and caring, the kind of person who makes any place feel like home.

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

## Questions

### What Chinese zodiac animal is 1979?

1979 is the Year of the Goat, 羊 (yáng), from Chinese New Year on 28 January 1979 to 15 February 1980. Its element is Earth, so people born in it are Earth Goats.

### What if I was born in January or early February 1979?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 27 January 1979? You belong to 1978, the Year of the Earth Horse.

### What element is 1979 in the Chinese zodiac?

Earth, 土 (tǔ). 1979 is 己未 (jǐ wèi) in the sixty-year cycle, a yin Earth year; the Earth Goat comes round once every sixty years.

### How do you say 1979 in Chinese?

Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 一九七九年 (yī jiǔ qī jiǔ nián). “I was born in 1979” is 我是一九七九年出生的 (wǒ shì yī jiǔ qī jiǔ nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Goat” is 我属羊 (wǒ shǔ yáng).