---
title: "2016 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Monkey (丙申), 8 Feb 2016 to 27 Jan 2017 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "2016 is the Year of the Fire Monkey, 猴 hóu: from Chinese New Year on 8 February 2016 to 27 January 2017, so a birthday before 8 February 2016 is a Goat. What Fire means, and how to say it in Chinese: 我属猴."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/2016"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-26"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# 2016: Year of the Fire Monkey

2016 is the Year of the Monkey, 猴 hóu, a Fire year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 8 February 2016 and runs to 27 January 2017. Born from 1 January to 7 February 2016? You are a [Goat, 2015](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/2015).

猴

hóu

Fire Monkey

**Animal**
[猴 hóu Monkey](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/monkey)

**Element**
火 huǒ Fire, yang

**Cycle name**
丙申年 bǐng shēn nián

**Starts**
8 February 2016

**Ends**
27 January 2017

**Matches**
Rat, Dragon and Snake; clashes with Tiger

**Age**
Born in 2016? You turn 10 in 2026.

[Save or share this card](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac?d=2016-06-15) from the zodiac finder.

## Say 2016 in Chinese

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

- 二〇一六年 èr líng yī liù nián 2016
- 丙申年 bǐng shēn nián the 丙申 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是二〇一六年出生的 wǒ shì èr líng yī liù nián chū shēng de I was born in 2016.
- 我属猴 wǒ shǔ hóu I'm a Monkey.
- 火猴 huǒ hóu Fire Monkey

## 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 Monkey

- 机智 jīzhì clever
- 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 Monkey, 猴

The Monkey is Sun Wukong, the Monkey King of Journey to the West. People born in a Monkey year are said to be clever, funny and curious, quick learners who can solve anything and love a joke.

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

## Questions

### What Chinese zodiac animal is 2016?

2016 is the Year of the Monkey, 猴 (hóu), from Chinese New Year on 8 February 2016 to 27 January 2017. Its element is Fire, so people born in it are Fire Monkeys.

### What if I was born in January or early February 2016?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 7 February 2016? You belong to 2015, the Year of the Wood Goat.

### What element is 2016 in the Chinese zodiac?

Fire, 火 (huǒ). 2016 is 丙申 (bǐng shēn) in the sixty-year cycle, a yang Fire year; the Fire Monkey comes round once every sixty years.

### How do you say 2016 in Chinese?

Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 二〇一六年 (èr líng yī liù nián). “I was born in 2016” is 我是二〇一六年出生的 (wǒ shì èr líng yī liù nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Monkey” is 我属猴 (wǒ shǔ hóu).