CodesBeautify

Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Enter a birth year to get the zodiac animal, its element and the years that share the same sign.

Inputs
Zodiac signFire Rat
Yang Fire Rat
Formula
Animal(year - 4) mod 12, counted from Rat
Element(year - 4) mod 10, two years per element
PolarityYang for even years, Yin for odd years
Inputs
  Birth year entered             1996
  Born before Chinese New Year   no
  Zodiac year used               1996
Working
  (1996 - 4) mod 12 = 0  ->  Rat
  (1996 - 4) mod 10 = 2  ->  Fire
  1996 is even  ->  Yang
Results
  Zodiac animal                Rat
  Element                      Fire
  Polarity                     Yang
  Full sign                    Yang Fire Rat
  Traits linked to this sign   quick-witted, resourceful, thrifty
  Said to match well with      Dragon and Monkey
  Said to clash with           Horse
  Other years of this animal   1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032

Note

The Chinese year starts between 21 January and 20 February, so anyone born in that window should tick the box above to shift back one zodiac year.

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About the Chinese Zodiac Calculator

The Chinese zodiac runs on a twelve year cycle of animals and a parallel ten year cycle of five elements, each element covering two consecutive years as a Yang year followed by a Yin year. Together they produce a sixty year sequence in which a full sign such as Yang Wood Dragon repeats only once a lifetime. Someone born in 1996 is a Yang Fire Rat, and the next Fire Rat year does not arrive until 2056.

Working the animal out is modular arithmetic: subtract four from the year and take the remainder after dividing by twelve, counting from the Rat. The element uses the same subtraction with a divisor of ten, and the polarity simply follows whether the year is even or odd. All three steps are printed so the result can be checked by hand rather than taken on trust.

The one real trap is the start of the year. The Chinese new year falls somewhere between 21 January and 20 February, so a January birthday belongs to the previous zodiac year. Tick the box if you were born before that date and the calculation shifts back twelve months. Alongside the animal you get the traits traditionally linked to it, the two signs said to be most compatible, the sign it clashes with, and a list of other years carrying the same animal, which is handy for guessing an age politely. For an exact age in years and days, the Age Calculator is the better tool.

How to use

  1. Type the birth year, anywhere from 1900 to 2100.
  2. If the birthday falls in January or the first half of February, tick Born before Chinese New Year.
  3. Read the animal, element and polarity, which together make the full sign.
  4. Use the other years listed for that animal to check a friend or relative in one glance.

Common questions

How is the Chinese zodiac animal calculated?
Take the year, subtract 4, then take the remainder after dividing by 12. Counting from the Rat at zero gives the animal for that year.
Why does my January birthday change the answer?
The Chinese year begins on the new moon between 21 January and 20 February, so births before that date fall in the previous zodiac year.
What are the five elements?
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each covers two years in a ten year cycle, which is why the full animal and element pairing repeats every sixty years.
What does Yin or Yang mean here?
It is the polarity attached to the year. Even numbered years are Yang and odd numbered years are Yin, which pairs with the element to complete the sign.