What is my Chinese zodiac sign if I was born in January?

Almost certainly the animal of the year before the one you were born in. Chinese New Year has never fallen earlier than January 21, so every January birthday up to that point, and most after it, belongs to the previous lunar year. Check your birth year in the table: if your birthday comes before the date listed, take the animal from the row above.

Does the Chinese zodiac year start on 1 January?

No. It starts at Chinese New Year, the second new moon after the winter solstice, which falls somewhere between January 21 and February 20 depending on the year. An average of 9.6% of the calendar sits before it, so that share of birthdays carries the previous year's animal.

When is Chinese New Year 2027?

February 7, 2027, opening the Year of the Goat, which runs until January 25, 2028.

Chinese New Year Dates and Your Zodiac Animal

The Boundary Most Charts Miss

Your Chinese zodiac animal is not decided by the year you were born. It is decided by whether you were born before or after Chinese New Year, and that date moves: between 1912 and 2044 it falls no earlier than January 21 and no later than February 20. Anyone born in the gap belongs to the animal of the year before, which is why a birth year on its own is not enough to answer the question.

Why the Birth Year Is Not Enough

The Gregorian year opens on 1 January. The lunar year does not. It opens on the second new moon after the winter solstice, which is a date the sky sets rather than a date the calendar does, so it drifts by as much as a month from one year to the next. Across the 132 years in the table below, an average of 35 days sit between 1 January and Chinese New Year. That is 9.6% of the calendar, or roughly one birthday in ten.

So a chart that takes 1997 and answers Ox is right for about eleven months of that year and wrong for the first five weeks of it. The error is not rare and it is not random: it lands on the same slice of winter birthdays every single year, and the people it lands on are the ones most likely to have been told two different animals by two different sites.

Two weeks apart

Chinese New Year 1997 fell on February 7. Both of these births are Aquarius and they are two weeks apart, so the Sun sign is the same and the boundary is the only thing between them. They are not the same sign.

February 1, 1997Aquarius Rat
February 15, 1997Aquarius Ox

How to Check Your Own

Find your birth year in the table and look at the date beside it. If your birthday falls on or after that date, the animal listed is yours. If it falls before, your animal is the one on the row above, because you were born in the tail of the previous lunar year.

Only births between 1 January and the middle of February can be caught by this. If you were born in March or later, the year number and the animal agree and there is nothing to check.

Chinese New Year, 1912 to 2044

The Moon's Cycle

Each lunar year opens on the date beside it and runs to the day before the next one. If your birthday comes before the date listed against your birth year, your animal is the one on the row above.

1912 RatFebruary 18, 1912 to February 5, 1913
1913 OxFebruary 6, 1913 to January 25, 1914
1914 TigerJanuary 26, 1914 to February 13, 1915
1915 RabbitFebruary 14, 1915 to February 2, 1916
1916 DragonFebruary 3, 1916 to January 22, 1917
1917 SnakeJanuary 23, 1917 to February 10, 1918
1918 HorseFebruary 11, 1918 to January 31, 1919
1919 GoatFebruary 1, 1919 to February 19, 1920
1920 MonkeyFebruary 20, 1920 to February 7, 1921
1921 RoosterFebruary 8, 1921 to January 27, 1922
1922 DogJanuary 28, 1922 to February 15, 1923
1923 PigFebruary 16, 1923 to February 4, 1924
1924 RatFebruary 5, 1924 to January 23, 1925
1925 OxJanuary 24, 1925 to February 12, 1926
1926 TigerFebruary 13, 1926 to February 1, 1927
1927 RabbitFebruary 2, 1927 to January 22, 1928
1928 DragonJanuary 23, 1928 to February 9, 1929
1929 SnakeFebruary 10, 1929 to January 29, 1930
1930 HorseJanuary 30, 1930 to February 16, 1931
1931 GoatFebruary 17, 1931 to February 5, 1932
1932 MonkeyFebruary 6, 1932 to January 25, 1933
1933 RoosterJanuary 26, 1933 to February 13, 1934
1934 DogFebruary 14, 1934 to February 3, 1935
1935 PigFebruary 4, 1935 to January 23, 1936
1936 RatJanuary 24, 1936 to February 10, 1937
1937 OxFebruary 11, 1937 to January 30, 1938
1938 TigerJanuary 31, 1938 to February 18, 1939
1939 RabbitFebruary 19, 1939 to February 7, 1940
1940 DragonFebruary 8, 1940 to January 26, 1941
1941 SnakeJanuary 27, 1941 to February 14, 1942
1942 HorseFebruary 15, 1942 to February 4, 1943
1943 GoatFebruary 5, 1943 to January 24, 1944
1944 MonkeyJanuary 25, 1944 to February 12, 1945
1945 RoosterFebruary 13, 1945 to February 1, 1946
1946 DogFebruary 2, 1946 to January 21, 1947
1947 PigJanuary 22, 1947 to February 9, 1948
1948 RatFebruary 10, 1948 to January 28, 1949
1949 OxJanuary 29, 1949 to February 16, 1950
1950 TigerFebruary 17, 1950 to February 5, 1951
1951 RabbitFebruary 6, 1951 to January 26, 1952
1952 DragonJanuary 27, 1952 to February 13, 1953
1953 SnakeFebruary 14, 1953 to February 3, 1954
1954 HorseFebruary 4, 1954 to January 23, 1955
1955 GoatJanuary 24, 1955 to February 11, 1956
1956 MonkeyFebruary 12, 1956 to January 30, 1957
1957 RoosterJanuary 31, 1957 to February 17, 1958
1958 DogFebruary 18, 1958 to February 7, 1959
1959 PigFebruary 8, 1959 to January 27, 1960
1960 RatJanuary 28, 1960 to February 14, 1961
1961 OxFebruary 15, 1961 to February 4, 1962
1962 TigerFebruary 5, 1962 to January 24, 1963
1963 RabbitJanuary 25, 1963 to February 12, 1964
1964 DragonFebruary 13, 1964 to February 1, 1965
1965 SnakeFebruary 2, 1965 to January 20, 1966
1966 HorseJanuary 21, 1966 to February 8, 1967
1967 GoatFebruary 9, 1967 to January 29, 1968
1968 MonkeyJanuary 30, 1968 to February 16, 1969
1969 RoosterFebruary 17, 1969 to February 5, 1970
1970 DogFebruary 6, 1970 to January 26, 1971
1971 PigJanuary 27, 1971 to February 14, 1972
1972 RatFebruary 15, 1972 to February 2, 1973
1973 OxFebruary 3, 1973 to January 22, 1974
1974 TigerJanuary 23, 1974 to February 10, 1975
1975 RabbitFebruary 11, 1975 to January 30, 1976
1976 DragonJanuary 31, 1976 to February 17, 1977
1977 SnakeFebruary 18, 1977 to February 6, 1978
1978 HorseFebruary 7, 1978 to January 27, 1979
1979 GoatJanuary 28, 1979 to February 15, 1980
1980 MonkeyFebruary 16, 1980 to February 4, 1981
1981 RoosterFebruary 5, 1981 to January 24, 1982
1982 DogJanuary 25, 1982 to February 12, 1983
1983 PigFebruary 13, 1983 to February 1, 1984
1984 RatFebruary 2, 1984 to February 19, 1985
1985 OxFebruary 20, 1985 to February 8, 1986
1986 TigerFebruary 9, 1986 to January 28, 1987
1987 RabbitJanuary 29, 1987 to February 16, 1988
1988 DragonFebruary 17, 1988 to February 5, 1989
1989 SnakeFebruary 6, 1989 to January 26, 1990
1990 HorseJanuary 27, 1990 to February 14, 1991
1991 GoatFebruary 15, 1991 to February 3, 1992
1992 MonkeyFebruary 4, 1992 to January 22, 1993
1993 RoosterJanuary 23, 1993 to February 9, 1994
1994 DogFebruary 10, 1994 to January 30, 1995
1995 PigJanuary 31, 1995 to February 18, 1996
1996 RatFebruary 19, 1996 to February 6, 1997
1997 OxFebruary 7, 1997 to January 27, 1998
1998 TigerJanuary 28, 1998 to February 15, 1999
1999 RabbitFebruary 16, 1999 to February 4, 2000
2000 DragonFebruary 5, 2000 to January 23, 2001
2001 SnakeJanuary 24, 2001 to February 11, 2002
2002 HorseFebruary 12, 2002 to January 31, 2003
2003 GoatFebruary 1, 2003 to January 21, 2004
2004 MonkeyJanuary 22, 2004 to February 8, 2005
2005 RoosterFebruary 9, 2005 to January 28, 2006
2006 DogJanuary 29, 2006 to February 17, 2007
2007 PigFebruary 18, 2007 to February 6, 2008
2008 RatFebruary 7, 2008 to January 25, 2009
2009 OxJanuary 26, 2009 to February 13, 2010
2010 TigerFebruary 14, 2010 to February 2, 2011
2011 RabbitFebruary 3, 2011 to January 22, 2012
2012 DragonJanuary 23, 2012 to February 9, 2013
2013 SnakeFebruary 10, 2013 to January 30, 2014
2014 HorseJanuary 31, 2014 to February 18, 2015
2015 GoatFebruary 19, 2015 to February 7, 2016
2016 MonkeyFebruary 8, 2016 to January 27, 2017
2017 RoosterJanuary 28, 2017 to February 15, 2018
2018 DogFebruary 16, 2018 to February 4, 2019
2019 PigFebruary 5, 2019 to January 24, 2020
2020 RatJanuary 25, 2020 to February 11, 2021
2021 OxFebruary 12, 2021 to January 31, 2022
2022 TigerFebruary 1, 2022 to January 21, 2023
2023 RabbitJanuary 22, 2023 to February 9, 2024
2024 DragonFebruary 10, 2024 to January 28, 2025
2025 SnakeJanuary 29, 2025 to February 16, 2026
2026 HorseFebruary 17, 2026 to February 6, 2027
2027 GoatFebruary 7, 2027 to January 25, 2028
2028 MonkeyJanuary 26, 2028 to February 12, 2029
2029 RoosterFebruary 13, 2029 to February 1, 2030
2030 DogFebruary 2, 2030 to January 22, 2031
2031 PigJanuary 23, 2031 to February 10, 2032
2032 RatFebruary 11, 2032 to January 30, 2033
2033 OxJanuary 31, 2033 to February 18, 2034
2034 TigerFebruary 19, 2034 to February 7, 2035
2035 RabbitFebruary 8, 2035 to January 27, 2036
2036 DragonJanuary 28, 2036 to February 14, 2037
2037 SnakeFebruary 15, 2037 to February 3, 2038
2038 HorseFebruary 4, 2038 to January 23, 2039
2039 GoatJanuary 24, 2039 to February 11, 2040
2040 MonkeyFebruary 12, 2040 to January 31, 2041
2041 RoosterFebruary 1, 2041 to January 21, 2042
2042 DogJanuary 22, 2042 to February 9, 2043
2043 PigFebruary 10, 2043 to January 29, 2044

This is the boundary every one of the 144 signs on this site is built across. A Sun sign runs for about thirty days and a lunar year runs for about twelve months, so where the two overlap is a set of windows rather than a tidy pairing, and the signs the boundary cuts through have twenty one of them instead of eleven. Every sign page lists its own, to the day.

Find your Ancient Zodiac from your birthday, or browse all 144 signs.