Reference · Lunar Calendar

Chinese New Year Dates and Zodiac Year Cutoffs (1900-2049)

The Chinese zodiac year does not start on January 1. It starts on the lunar new year, which falls between January 21 and February 20 depending on the year. If you were born in January or early February, your zodiac animal might be the previous year's sign. Below is the complete reference table of every Chinese New Year date from 1900 through 2049, with the exact start and end of each zodiac year.

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Why does the date change every year?

The Chinese zodiac follows the lunisolar calendar, not the Gregorian calendar most of the world uses. Each lunar month begins on a new moon, and the new year is the second new moon after the winter solstice. Because new moons fall on different solar dates each year, Chinese New Year shifts within a 30-day window from late January to mid-February.

The window is bounded: Chinese New Year never falls earlier than January 21 or later than February 20. The earliest in our table is January 21, 1966 (Year of the Horse), and the latest is February 20, 1985 (Year of the Ox). Most years cluster around late January and early February.

If you were born in January or February

Pay attention to the start date for your birth year. If your birthday is before the start date, your zodiac animal belongs to the previous year. This is the most common source of confusion when people calculate their Chinese zodiac sign.

Example: Someone born February 4, 1992 might assume they are a Monkey (since 1992 was the Year of the Monkey overall), but the Year of the Monkey did not actually begin until February 4, 1992. Anyone born February 3, 1992 or earlier was born in the Year of the Goat. Read more about January and February birthdays and the lunar new year cutoff.

The element pattern

Each zodiac year is also paired with one of five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) that cycles every two years. The pairing follows the year's last digit:

Years ending in 4 or 5 are Wood. Years ending in 6 or 7 are Fire. Years ending in 8 or 9 are Earth. Years ending in 0 or 1 are Metal. Years ending in 2 or 3 are Water. This means each animal-element combination repeats every 60 years, which is the foundation of the traditional sexagenary cycle. Learn more about the five elements.

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