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Chinese Zodiac Calculator
Find the Chinese zodiac animal and element for any year of birth.
Chinese zodiac year
Animal: —
Fixed element: —
Yang or Yin: —
Lunar new year: —
Earlier animal if born before it: —
How to use the Chinese Zodiac Calculator
- Enter your year of birth.
- Add the month and day if you were born near the start of the year.
- Read the animal, fixed element, polarity and lunar new year caveat.
Features
- All twelve animals in the repeating year cycle
- Five elements and the ten heavenly stems
- Lunar new year caveat for January and February birthdays
- Built-in tables, works offline
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the free online chinese zodiac calculator.
The twelve animals repeat in order, and the tool takes the year minus 1984, the Rat year,
then reduces that number modulo twelve.
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig, in that
fixed repeating order.
The Chinese year begins at the lunar new year in late January or February, so anyone born
before that date still belongs to the previous year.
Each year also has a heavenly stem, and the ten stems cycle through Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal
and Water, each appearing in a yang and a yin form.
The fixed element is the element of the year stem, such as Wood for 1984 and 1985, while the
animal itself also has an inner element.
It usually falls between 21 January and 20 February. The tool estimates the date from the
solar term rule and shows it with every result.
No. The animal and element tables are built into the page and the lookup runs in your
browser.
Any year from 1900 to 2100, with a built-in lunar new year table for 1990 to 2030 and an
estimate outside that range.
No. The Chinese zodiac changes once a year and cycles through twelve animals, while the
western zodiac changes about once a month.
Yes. It is completely free, needs no account and has no limit on how many years you look up.
Last updated: October 10, 2026