---
title: "2012 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Dragon (壬辰), 23 Jan 2012 to 9 Feb 2013 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon, 龙 lóng: from Chinese New Year on 23 January 2012 to 9 February 2013, so a birthday before 23 January 2012 is a Rabbit. What Water means, and how to say it in Chinese: 我属龙."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/2012"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-26"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# 2012: Year of the Water Dragon

2012 is the Year of the Dragon, 龙 lóng, a Water year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 23 January 2012 and runs to 9 February 2013. Born from 1 January to 22 January 2012? You are a [Rabbit, 2011](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/2011).

龙

lóng

Water Dragon

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

**Element**
水 shuǐ Water, yang

**Cycle name**
壬辰年 rén chén nián

**Starts**
23 January 2012

**Ends**
9 February 2013

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

**Age**
Born in 2012? You turn 14 in 2026.

[Save or share this card](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac?d=2012-06-15) from the zodiac finder.

## Say 2012 in Chinese

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

- 二〇一二年 èr líng yī èr nián 2012
- 壬辰年 rén chén nián the 壬辰 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是二〇一二年出生的 wǒ shì èr líng yī èr nián chū shēng de I was born in 2012.
- 我属龙 wǒ shǔ lóng I'm a Dragon.
- 水龙 shuǐ lóng Water Dragon

## What Water means

水Water is calm and finds a way around anything. People born in a Water year are said to be wise and adaptable, good listeners who read a room.

**Season**
冬 dōng winter

**Direction**
北 běi north

**Colour**
黑 hēi black

### Words for a Water Dragon

- 有活力 yǒu huólì full of energy
- 聪明 cōngming clever
- 灵活 línghuó adaptable

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 2012?

2012 is the Year of the Dragon, 龙 (lóng), from Chinese New Year on 23 January 2012 to 9 February 2013. Its element is Water, so people born in it are Water Dragons.

### What if I was born in January or early February 2012?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 22 January 2012? You belong to 2011, the Year of the Metal Rabbit.

### What element is 2012 in the Chinese zodiac?

Water, 水 (shuǐ). 2012 is 壬辰 (rén chén) in the sixty-year cycle, a yang Water year; the Water Dragon comes round once every sixty years.

### How do you say 2012 in Chinese?

Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 二〇一二年 (èr líng yī èr nián). “I was born in 2012” is 我是二〇一二年出生的 (wǒ shì èr líng yī èr nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Dragon” is 我属龙 (wǒ shǔ lóng).