Chinese Zodiac Calculator

How to use it

1. 1

   Enter the birth year

   Type the year of birth, such as 1990 or 2012.

2. 2

   Read the sign

   See the animal, the element and the polarity for that year.

3. 3

   See related years

   Check other years that share the same animal, twelve years apart.

When it comes in handy

Frequently asked questions

How is the Chinese zodiac animal worked out?

The twelve animals run in a fixed order and repeat every twelve years, so the animal is found from the year. The element cycles through wood, fire, earth, metal and water in pairs of years, and the polarity alternates yin and yang. The calculator combines all three into the full sign, such as Yang Wood Dragon for 2024.

Why might the animal differ for January or early February birthdays?

The Chinese zodiac year begins at Chinese New Year, which falls in late January or February, not on 1 January. If a birthday is before the new year date, the sign belongs to the previous year. This calculator uses the calendar year, so for a January or early February birth date you may need the previous year to match the lunar year.

How often does the same full sign repeat?

The animal repeats every twelve years, but the full sign with its element and polarity repeats only every sixty years. So 1924 and 1984 are both a Yang Wood Rat, sixty years apart. The calculator lists the nearby years that share the same animal.

Does this work offline and is anything sent to a server?

The calculation runs entirely in your browser, so nothing you type is sent anywhere, and once the page has loaded it keeps working with no connection. There is no sign-up and no limit on how many dates you check.