Chinese Zodiac by Year Calculator
Find the Chinese zodiac animal, element and yin/yang for any birth year, plus the year that sign next comes around.
How it works
animal = (year − 4) mod 12, mapped Rat, Ox, Tiger … Pig · fixed element = one of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water from (year − 4) mod 10 · polarity = Yang for even years, Yin for odd
The Chinese zodiac runs on a 12-year cycle of animals combined with a 10-year cycle of the five elements (each element spanning two years, yang then yin), giving the full 60-year sexagenary cycle. Subtracting 4 aligns the arithmetic with the traditional starting point so 2020, for instance, comes out as the Metal Rat year. Note the Chinese year begins at Chinese New Year in late January or February, so anyone born in January or early February may belong to the previous animal year.
Worked example
For 1990: (1990 − 4) = 1986; 1986 mod 12 = 6, which is the Horse, and 1986 mod 10 = 6, giving Metal. 1990 is an even year, so it is a Yang Metal Horse. The Year of the Horse returns in 2026 and 2038.
Frequently asked questions
What if I was born in January or February?
The Chinese New Year falls between about January 21 and February 20, so a birthday before it belongs to the previous zodiac year. If you were born in that window, check the exact Chinese New Year date for your year to confirm your animal.
What are the five elements?
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each governs two consecutive years — a yang year then a yin year — so the element and animal together repeat only every 60 years.
How is this different from the standard Chinese zodiac calculator?
This version works purely from the birth year and also reports the fixed element, the yin/yang polarity and the future years the same animal recurs, rather than just naming the animal.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.