Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Find your Chinese zodiac animal and element from your birth date, using the exact Lunar New Year date.

Date of birth	1990-01-20

Date of birth

Your Chinese zodiac

Earth Snake

Yin earth. That zodiac year ran from 6 February 1989 to 26 January 1990. Births in January and February may belong to the previous year's animal, which is why the Lunar New Year date matters.

About the Chinese Zodiac Calculator

The Chinese zodiac repeats every 12 years (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig), combined with five elements that each last two years, giving a 60-year cycle. The zodiac year starts at Lunar New Year, which falls between 21 January and 20 February, on the second new moon after the winter solstice (dated in China time). It's calculated here from astronomical new moons.

The formula

Animal = (year − 2020) mod 12; element = ⌊((year − 2024) mod 10) ÷ 2⌋

Worked example

Example: Your Chinese zodiac = Wood Rat

Input: Date of birth: 15 June 1984.
Formula: Animal = (year − 2020) mod 12; element = ⌊((year − 2024) mod 10) ÷ 2⌋
Result: Your Chinese zodiac = Wood Rat

Questions people ask

I was born in January. Which animal am I?

If before that year's Lunar New Year, the previous year's animal.

What year is 2026?

The Fire Horse, from 17 February 2026.