---
title: "1987 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Rabbit (丁卯), 29 Jan 1987 to 16 Feb 1988 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "1987 is the Year of the Fire Rabbit, 兔 tù: from Chinese New Year on 29 January 1987 to 16 February 1988, so a birthday before 29 January 1987 is a Tiger. What Fire means, and how to say it in Chinese: 我属兔."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1987"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-26"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# 1987: Year of the Fire Rabbit

1987 is the Year of the Rabbit, 兔 tù, a Fire year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 29 January 1987 and runs to 16 February 1988. Born from 1 January to 28 January 1987? You are a [Tiger, 1986](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1986).

兔

tù

Fire Rabbit

**Animal**
[兔 tù Rabbit](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/rabbit)

**Element**
火 huǒ Fire, yin

**Cycle name**
丁卯年 dīng mǎo nián

**Starts**
29 January 1987

**Ends**
16 February 1988

**Matches**
Goat, Pig and Dog; clashes with Rooster

**Age**
Born in 1987? You turn 39 in 2026.

[Save or share this card](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac?d=1987-06-15) from the zodiac finder.

## Say 1987 in Chinese

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

- 一九八七年 yī jiǔ bā qī nián 1987
- 丁卯年 dīng mǎo nián the 丁卯 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是一九八七年出生的 wǒ shì yī jiǔ bā qī nián chū shēng de I was born in 1987.
- 我属兔 wǒ shǔ tù I'm a Rabbit.
- 火兔 huǒ tù Fire Rabbit

## What Fire means

火Fire is warmth and light at the height of summer. People born in a Fire year are said to be passionate and bold, the first to start and the last to give up.

**Season**
夏 xià summer

**Direction**
南 nán south

**Colour**
红 hóng red

### Words for a Fire Rabbit

- 温柔 wēnróu gentle
- 热情 rèqíng warm-hearted
- 乐观 lèguān optimistic

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 Rabbit, 兔

The Rabbit is the Jade Rabbit, 玉兔, who lives on the moon with Chang’e. People born in a Rabbit year are said to be gentle, kind and graceful, peacemakers with good taste who would rather talk than fight.

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

## Questions

### What Chinese zodiac animal is 1987?

1987 is the Year of the Rabbit, 兔 (tù), from Chinese New Year on 29 January 1987 to 16 February 1988. Its element is Fire, so people born in it are Fire Rabbits.

### What if I was born in January or early February 1987?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 28 January 1987? You belong to 1986, the Year of the Fire Tiger.

### What element is 1987 in the Chinese zodiac?

Fire, 火 (huǒ). 1987 is 丁卯 (dīng mǎo) in the sixty-year cycle, a yin Fire year; the Fire Rabbit comes round once every sixty years.

### How do you say 1987 in Chinese?

Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 一九八七年 (yī jiǔ bā qī nián). “I was born in 1987” is 我是一九八七年出生的 (wǒ shì yī jiǔ bā qī nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Rabbit” is 我属兔 (wǒ shǔ tù).