Chinese Zodiac Years Chart
The Chinese zodiac operates on a 60-year sexagenary cycle, combining 12 animals with 5 elements. This complete chart covers every year from 1924 to 2031 — find your birth year to discover your animal sign, governing element, heavenly stem, earthly branch, and yin/yang polarity.
Year Lookup
Enter any year from 1924 to 2031 to instantly find and highlight it in the chart below.
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How the Chinese Zodiac Year Cycle Works
The Chinese zodiac year does not begin on January 1. Each zodiac year starts on the Lunar New Year, which falls between January 21 and February 20 on the Gregorian calendar. If you were born in January or early February, you may actually belong to the previous year's animal sign. Use our Birthday Calculator for an exact determination.
Each year is governed by one of 12 animals (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig) and one of 5 elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). The animal repeats every 12 years, while the element repeats every 10 years — creating the 60-year cycle known as the sexagenary cycle (六十甲子, liùshí jiǎzǐ). This means each unique animal-element combination occurs only once every 60 years.
The Heavenly Stems (天干) and Earthly Branches (地支) form the traditional naming system for each year. The 10 stems pair with the 12 branches to create the 60 possible combinations. Each stem carries an element and a yin or yang polarity, adding layers of meaning to each year's cosmic character.