Chinese Zodiac Calculator

The 12 animals run on a fixed cycle starting at Rat. Using 1900 as the anchor (Rat), the formula is animal index = (year - 1900) mod 12. So 1984 lands on Rat (index 0), 1985 on Ox, 1996 on Rat again, 2024 on Dragon (index 4), and 2025 on Snake. Each animal repeats every 12 years on the lunar calendar.

The traditional sexagenary system pairs each year with one of five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Each element holds for two consecutive years, so the element cycle takes 10 years. Combined with the 12-animal cycle, the same pairing repeats every 60 years. Wood Dragon, for example, appeared in 1964 and again in 2024, and will next return in 2084.

Chinese New Year falls on a different Gregorian date each year, so January and early February birthdays can still belong to the previous lunar year. The calculator applies the adjustment only for its listed 1920-2030 dates. It does not estimate a missing date outside that range. For an earlier year, use the year-only result or verify the date with an authoritative calendar.

Compatibility comes from the san he (three-harmony) triangle: every animal forms a balanced trio with two others spaced four years apart, like Rat with Dragon and Monkey. Clash signs (chong) come from the opposition table: each animal has a directly opposite sign on the 12-year wheel that traditional astrology considers tense. Treat both as cultural references that map well-known personality archetypes, not as relationship verdicts.

The wu xing (five-phase) tradition assigns each element a color: Wood is Green, Fire is Red, Earth is Yellow, Metal is White, and Water is Black. So someone born in 1984 or 2024 (both Wood years) carries Green as a life color, and 2025 (Wood Snake) is also Green. These colors show up in feng shui, traditional medicine, and most popular zodiac readings as a personal accent shade.