---
title: "1999 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Rabbit (己卯), 16 Feb 1999 to 4 Feb 2000 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "1999 is the Year of the Earth Rabbit, 兔 tù: from Chinese New Year on 16 February 1999 to 4 February 2000, so a birthday before 16 February 1999 is a Tiger. What Earth means, and how to say it in Chinese: 我属兔."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1999"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-26"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# 1999: Year of the Earth Rabbit

1999 is the Year of the Rabbit, 兔 tù, an Earth year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 16 February 1999 and runs to 4 February 2000. Born from 1 January to 15 February 1999? You are a [Tiger, 1998](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1998).

兔

tù

Earth Rabbit

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

**Element**
土 tǔ Earth, yin

**Cycle name**
己卯年 jǐ mǎo nián

**Starts**
16 February 1999

**Ends**
4 February 2000

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

**Age**
Born in 1999? You turn 27 in 2026.

[Save or share this card](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac?d=1999-06-15) from the zodiac finder.

## Say 1999 in Chinese

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

- 一九九九年 yī jiǔ jiǔ jiǔ nián 1999
- 己卯年 jǐ mǎo nián the 己卯 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是一九九九年出生的 wǒ shì yī jiǔ jiǔ jiǔ nián chū shēng de I was born in 1999.
- 我属兔 wǒ shǔ tù I'm a Rabbit.
- 土兔 tǔ tù Earth Rabbit

## 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 Rabbit

- 温柔 wēnróu gentle
- 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 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 1999?

1999 is the Year of the Rabbit, 兔 (tù), from Chinese New Year on 16 February 1999 to 4 February 2000. Its element is Earth, so people born in it are Earth Rabbits.

### What if I was born in January or early February 1999?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 15 February 1999? You belong to 1998, the Year of the Earth Tiger.

### What element is 1999 in the Chinese zodiac?

Earth, 土 (tǔ). 1999 is 己卯 (jǐ mǎo) in the sixty-year cycle, a yin Earth year; the Earth Rabbit comes round once every sixty years.

### How do you say 1999 in Chinese?

Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 一九九九年 (yī jiǔ jiǔ jiǔ nián). “I was born in 1999” is 我是一九九九年出生的 (wǒ shì yī jiǔ jiǔ jiǔ nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Rabbit” is 我属兔 (wǒ shǔ tù).