---
title: "2020 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Rat (庚子), 25 Jan 2020 to 11 Feb 2021 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "2020 is the Year of the Metal Rat, 鼠 shǔ: from Chinese New Year on 25 January 2020 to 11 February 2021, so a birthday before 25 January 2020 is a Pig. What Metal means, and how to say it in Chinese: 我属鼠."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/2020"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-26"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# 2020: Year of the Metal Rat

2020 is the Year of the Rat, 鼠 shǔ, a Metal year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 25 January 2020 and runs to 11 February 2021. Born from 1 January to 24 January 2020? You are a [Pig, 2019](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/2019).

鼠

shǔ

Metal Rat

**Animal**
[鼠 shǔ Rat](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/rat)

**Element**
金 jīn Metal, yang

**Cycle name**
庚子年 gēng zǐ nián

**Starts**
25 January 2020

**Ends**
11 February 2021

**Matches**
Dragon, Monkey and Ox; clashes with Horse

**Age**
Born in 2020? You turn 6 in 2026.

[Save or share this card](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac?d=2020-06-15) from the zodiac finder.

## Say 2020 in Chinese

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

- 二〇二〇年 èr líng èr líng nián 2020
- 庚子年 gēng zǐ nián the 庚子 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是二〇二〇年出生的 wǒ shì èr líng èr líng nián chū shēng de I was born in 2020.
- 我属鼠 wǒ shǔ shǔ I'm a Rat.
- 金鼠 jīn shǔ Metal Rat

## What Metal means

金Metal is strength and a clean edge, the harvest of autumn. People born in a Metal year are said to be determined and clear-minded, sure of what they want.

**Season**
秋 qiū autumn

**Direction**
西 xī west

**Colour**
白 bái white

### Words for a Metal Rat

- 机灵 jīling quick-witted
- 坚强 jiānqiáng strong-willed
- 果断 guǒduàn decisive

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 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.

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

## Questions

### What Chinese zodiac animal is 2020?

2020 is the Year of the Rat, 鼠 (shǔ), from Chinese New Year on 25 January 2020 to 11 February 2021. Its element is Metal, so people born in it are Metal Rats.

### What if I was born in January or early February 2020?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 24 January 2020? You belong to 2019, the Year of the Earth Pig.

### What element is 2020 in the Chinese zodiac?

Metal, 金 (jīn). 2020 is 庚子 (gēng zǐ) in the sixty-year cycle, a yang Metal year; the Metal Rat comes round once every sixty years.

### How do you say 2020 in Chinese?

Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 二〇二〇年 (èr líng èr líng nián). “I was born in 2020” is 我是二〇二〇年出生的 (wǒ shì èr líng èr líng nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Rat” is 我属鼠 (wǒ shǔ shǔ).