The 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals

How the zodiac cycle works

The zodiac is built from two cycles that turn together. The twelve earthly branches give each year its animal, and the ten heavenly stems give it an element and a yin or yang polarity. Because 10 and 12 share a factor of 2, the pairs repeat every 60 years. That is why 1984 and 2044 are both Wood Rat years.

Feng shui and BaZi practitioners change the year at Li Chun, the Start of Spring, which falls on 3, 4 or 5 February. Popular culture often uses Chinese New Year instead. The two can put a January or February birthday in different years, so we show the Li Chun date for each year.

Find your animal by birth year