Chinese Zodiac Calculator
The Chinese zodiac is a 12-year repeating cycle where each year is associated with one of twelve animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Your birth year determines your animal sign, which is believed to influence personality traits, compatibility, and fortune throughout your life.
In addition to the 12-animal cycle, the Chinese calendar also tracks a 10-year Heavenly Stem cycle that produces five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water — each appearing in a yin and yang form. Combined, these two cycles create a 60-year grand cycle (sexagenary cycle) that uniquely characterises every year with both an animal and an element.
How it works
Animal index = ((year − 4) mod 12 + 12) mod 12, where index 0 = Rat, 1 = Ox, … 11 = Pig. Element index = floor(((year − 4) mod 10 + 10) mod 10 / 2), where 0 = Wood, 1 = Fire, 2 = Earth, 3 = Metal, 4 = Water.
Use cases
- Discovering your own Chinese zodiac animal and element
- Finding compatibility between partners based on zodiac animals
- Planning celebrations or gift ideas around zodiac symbolism
- Learning about Chinese cultural traditions and astrology
- Checking the zodiac sign for any historical or future year