---
title: "1988 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Dragon (戊辰), 17 Feb 1988 to 5 Feb 1989 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "1988 is the Year of the Earth Dragon, 龙 lóng: from Chinese New Year on 17 February 1988 to 5 February 1989, so a birthday before 17 February 1988 is a Rabbit. What Earth means, and how to say it in Chinese: 我属龙."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1988"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-26"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# 1988: Year of the Earth Dragon

1988 is the Year of the Dragon, 龙 lóng, an Earth year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 17 February 1988 and runs to 5 February 1989. Born from 1 January to 16 February 1988? You are a [Rabbit, 1987](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1987).

龙

lóng

Earth Dragon

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

**Element**
土 tǔ Earth, yang

**Cycle name**
戊辰年 wù chén nián

**Starts**
17 February 1988

**Ends**
5 February 1989

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

**Age**
Born in 1988? You turn 38 in 2026.

[Save or share this card](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac?d=1988-06-15) from the zodiac finder.

## Say 1988 in Chinese

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

- 一九八八年 yī jiǔ bā bā nián 1988
- 戊辰年 wù chén nián the 戊辰 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是一九八八年出生的 wǒ shì yī jiǔ bā bā nián chū shēng de I was born in 1988.
- 我属龙 wǒ shǔ lóng I'm a Dragon.
- 土龙 tǔ lóng Earth Dragon

## 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 Dragon

- 有活力 yǒu huólì full of energy
- 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 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 1988?

1988 is the Year of the Dragon, 龙 (lóng), from Chinese New Year on 17 February 1988 to 5 February 1989. Its element is Earth, so people born in it are Earth Dragons.

### What if I was born in January or early February 1988?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 16 February 1988? You belong to 1987, the Year of the Fire Rabbit.

### What element is 1988 in the Chinese zodiac?

Earth, 土 (tǔ). 1988 is 戊辰 (wù chén) in the sixty-year cycle, a yang Earth year; the Earth Dragon comes round once every sixty years.

### How do you say 1988 in Chinese?

Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 一九八八年 (yī jiǔ bā bā nián). “I was born in 1988” is 我是一九八八年出生的 (wǒ shì yī jiǔ bā bā nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Dragon” is 我属龙 (wǒ shǔ lóng).