1996: Year of the Fire Rat
1996 is the Year of the Rat, 鼠 , a Fire year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 19 February 1996 and runs to 6 February 1997. Born from 1 January to 18 February 1996? You are a Pig, 1995.
1996 in the Chinese zodiac
鼠
Fire Rat
- Animal
- 鼠 Rat
- Element
- 火 Fire, yang
- Cycle name
- 丙子年
- Starts
- 19 February 1996
- Ends
- 6 February 1997
- Matches
- Dragon, Monkey and Ox; clashes with Horse
- Age
- Born in 1996? You turn 30 in 2026.
Say 1996 in Chinese
A year is read digit by digit, then 年 : no “nineteen eighty-three”.
- 一九九六年 1996
- 丙子年 the 丙子 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是一九九六年出生的 I was born in 1996.
- 我属鼠 I'm a Rat.
- 火鼠 Fire Rat
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 summer
- Direction
- 南 south
- Colour
- 红 red
Words for a Fire Rat
- 机灵 quick-witted
- 热情 warm-hearted
- 乐观 optimistic
Each year has one of five elements, 五行 , two years each, so the same animal and element meet once every sixty years. The traits are what tradition says, for fun.
The Rat, 鼠
The Rat comes first of the twelve: in the old story of the Great Race it rode across the river on the Ox’s back and jumped off at the finish. People born in a Rat year are said to be quick-witted and resourceful, the first to spot a chance and careful to save for a rainy day.
Questions
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1996?
1996 is the Year of the Rat, 鼠 (shǔ), from Chinese New Year on 19 February 1996 to 6 February 1997. Its element is Fire, so people born in it are Fire Rats.
What if I was born in January or early February 1996?
The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 18 February 1996? You belong to 1995, the Year of the Wood Pig.
What element is 1996 in the Chinese zodiac?
Fire, 火 (huǒ). 1996 is 丙子 (bǐng zǐ) in the sixty-year cycle, a yang Fire year; the Fire Rat comes round once every sixty years.
How do you say 1996 in Chinese?
Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 一九九六年 (yī jiǔ jiǔ liù nián). “I was born in 1996” is 我是一九九六年出生的 (wǒ shì yī jiǔ jiǔ liù nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Rat” is 我属鼠 (wǒ shǔ shǔ).