Chinese Zodiac Year Reference Chart
Year-to-animal · Heavenly Stems & Earthly Branches · Na Yin quick lookup
12 Chinese Zodiac Animals with Corresponding Years
| Animal | Stems & Branches | Element | Nayin | Recent years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🐭 鼠 | 甲子 / 丙子 / 戊子 / 庚子 / 壬子 | 水 | 海中金 / 涧下水 / 霹雳火 / 壁上土 / 桑柘木 | 1984、1996、2008、2020、2032、2044 |
| 🐮 牛 | 乙丑 / 丁丑 / 己丑 / 辛丑 / 癸丑 | 土 | 海中金 / 涧下水 / 霹雳火 / 壁上土 / 桑柘木 | 1985、1997、2009、2021、2033、2045 |
| 🐯 虎 | 丙寅 / 戊寅 / 庚寅 / 壬寅 / 甲寅 | 木 | 炉中火 / 城头土 / 松柏木 / 金箔金 / 大溪水 | 1986、1998、2010、2022、2034、2046 |
| 🐰 兔 | 丁卯 / 己卯 / 辛卯 / 癸卯 / 乙卯 | 木 | 炉中火 / 城头土 / 松柏木 / 金箔金 / 大溪水 | 1987、1999、2011、2023、2035、2047 |
| 🐉 龙 | 丙辰 / 戊辰 / 庚辰 / 壬辰 / 甲辰 | 土 | 沙中土 / 大林木 / 白蜡金 / 长流水 / 覆灯火 | 1976、1988、2000、2012、2024、2036 |
| 🐍 蛇 | 丁巳 / 己巳 / 辛巳 / 癸巳 / 乙巳 | 火 | 沙中土 / 大林木 / 白蜡金 / 长流水 / 覆灯火 | 1977、1989、2001、2013、2025、2037 |
| 🐴 马 | 戊午 / 庚午 / 壬午 / 甲午 / 丙午 | 火 | 天上火 / 路旁土 / 杨柳木 / 砂中金 / 天河水 | 1978、1990、2002、2014、2026、2038 |
| 🐑 羊 | 己未 / 辛未 / 癸未 / 乙未 / 丁未 | 土 | 天上火 / 路旁土 / 杨柳木 / 砂中金 / 天河水 | 1979、1991、2003、2015、2027、2039 |
| 🐵 猴 | 庚申 / 壬申 / 甲申 / 丙申 / 戊申 | 金 | 石榴木 / 剑锋金 / 泉中水 / 山下火 / 大驿土 | 1980、1992、2004、2016、2028、2040 |
| 🐔 鸡 | 辛酉 / 癸酉 / 乙酉 / 丁酉 / 己酉 | 金 | 石榴木 / 剑锋金 / 泉中水 / 山下火 / 大驿土 | 1981、1993、2005、2017、2029、2041 |
| 🐕 狗 | 壬戌 / 甲戌 / 丙戌 / 戊戌 / 庚戌 | 土 | 大海水 / 山头火 / 屋上土 / 平地木 / 钗钏金 | 1982、1994、2006、2018、2030、2042 |
| 🐷 猪 | 癸亥 / 乙亥 / 丁亥 / 己亥 / 辛亥 | 水 | 大海水 / 山头火 / 屋上土 / 平地木 / 钗钏金 | 1983、1995、2007、2019、2031、2043 |
About zodiac years
The zodiac is calculated by the lunar year, takingLi Chun(Beginning of Spring) as the dividing line. For example, a baby born after Li Chun on 4 February 2026 belongs to the Horse, while one born before belongs to the Snake. To find your animal precisely from an exact birth date, use theZodiac Lookup tool; to convert a solar date to a lunar one, use the Solar-to-Lunar tool. The Stems-and-Branches cycle repeats fully every 60 years (the "60 Jiazi"); each combination maps to a specific animal, element and Na Yin and is an important part of China's traditional calendar system.
FAQ
Is the Chinese zodiac based on the lunar or solar calendar?
The zodiac is calculated by the lunar year, with Beginning of Spring (Li Chun) as the dividing line. For example, a baby born after Li Chun on 4 February 2026 belongs to the Horse, and one born before belongs to the Snake. The table lists the Gregorian year ranges for each animal; for a precise lookup, combine your birth month and the Li Chun date. The zodiac is an important part of traditional Chinese folk culture.
What are the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and how are they computed?
The Stems-and-Branches is the ancient Chinese year-numbering system: 10 Heavenly Stems (Jia Yi Bing Ding Wu Ji Geng Xin Ren Gui) pair sequentially with 12 Earthly Branches (Zi Chou Yin Mao Chen Si Wu Wei Shen You Xu Hai) to form 60 combinations, called the "60 Jiazi". Each combination maps to a zodiac animal and a Five-Elements attribute, completing one full cycle in 60 years. 2026 is the year Bing-Wu, corresponding to the Horse.
What does "Na Yin" Five Elements mean?
Na Yin is a special Five-Elements classification where every two years in the 60-Jiazi cycle share a category, derived from the Yin/Yang pairing of the Stems and Branches into 30 types such as "Sea Metal", "Furnace Fire", "Great Forest Wood" and "Sky River Water". Na Yin differs from stem-attributed elements and is used as a supplementary judgment in traditional fortune-telling. This table lists the complete Na Yin info for each animal year.
What does it mean when zodiac animals are "compatible" or "conflicting"?
Compatibility means two animals relate harmoniously and support each other, including Liu He (one-to-one pairings such as Zi-Ox/Chou-Rat) and San He (triple groupings such as Shen-Monkey, Zi-Rat and Chen-Dragon). Conflict means two animals clash; in the 12-animal cycle each animal clashes with the one six steps away (e.g. Rat/Horse, Ox/Goat). These are traditional folk-cultural sayings meant for everyday reference.