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Chinese zodiac: the 12 animals in Chinese, with pinyin

The 12 animals in Chinese, with pinyin

The order is fixed and starts with the Rat. The last column gives four years for each animal, so you can find yours.

The years are calculated with the Lunar New Year dates from the Hong Kong Observatory (tables for 1960 to 2031). Watch the tone: 马 (mǎ, horse) is third tone, which is why it sounds different from 妈 (mā, mom). If you want to fine-tune it, we explain it in the 4 Mandarin tones.

Which animal are you if you were born in January or February?

The Chinese zodiac year doesn't start on January 1 but with Lunar New Year, which changes date every year. According to the Hong Kong Observatory's tables, between 1960 and 2031 it always falls between January 21 (1966) and February 20 (1985). So if you were born in January or early February, check that year's date: if you were born before it, your animal is the previous year's.

Example: someone born on February 10, 2026 still belongs to the Year of the Snake (2025), because the Horse began on the 17th. Another school counts the year from the start of spring (立春), around February 4, but the most widely used date is Lunar New Year.

The legend of the “Great Race”

Why these animals, in this order, is told by a popular legend, not a historical fact. In one version, the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝) decided the years would be named after the animals in the order they reached him, and to do that they had to cross a river.

• The Rat came first: it climbed onto the Ox's back to cross the river and, just before the finish line, jumped off and got there first. The Ox came second.
• The Cat didn't make it: in the “Great Race” version, the Rat pushed it into the water. In another version, the Rat let the Cat oversleep so it missed the banquet.
• There are other versions: the Dragon, for example, is said to have arrived late because it stopped to help some villagers.

Historians have no single explanation for the origin of the 12 animals, so tell it for what it is: a story told to children to remember the order.

How to say your sign: 属 shǔ

To say which animal you are, you use 属 (shǔ). In the dictionary it means, among other things, “to be born in the year of one of the 12 animals”. The question and the answer go like this:

• 你属什么？ Nǐ shǔ shénme? — “Which animal are you?”
• 我属马。 Wǒ shǔ mǎ. — “I'm a Horse.”
• 我属羊。 Wǒ shǔ yáng. — “I'm a Goat (or Sheep).”

To say which year you were born, see how years are said in numbers in Chinese: they are read digit by digit, with 年 at the end.

本命年: the year of your animal

Every twelve years the year of your animal comes back. It's called 本命年 (běnmìngnián); in 2026, for example, it's the Year of the Horse for people born in 1990 or 2002. It's a cultural custom, not a prediction: in those years many people wear something red (underwear, a belt, a bracelet) to ward off bad luck. China Daily says that, according to the belief, ideally someone else gives you those red items.

Useful notes

• 羊 is goat and sheep: the character 羊 (yáng) covers both animals, and the CC-CEDICT dictionary translates it as “sheep; goat”. That's why in English you'll see “Year of the Goat”, “of the Sheep” and even “of the Ram”.
• 鼠 is rat: it also covers mouse; the dictionary defines it as “rat; mouse”. In the zodiac it's translated as Rat.
• 龙 is not the Western dragon: the Chinese dragon symbolizes prosperity and good luck and is associated with rain and the emperor. The European dragon, by contrast, is usually a fire-breathing creature.
• 鸡 is hen or rooster: in the zodiac it's usually translated as Rooster.

Personality traits and compatibility between animals are part of cultural tradition. They have no scientific backing, and we leave them out of this guide on purpose: what is useful for your Chinese is the vocabulary.

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Frequently asked questions

What animal is 2026 in the Chinese zodiac?

The Horse, 马 (mǎ). The Year of the Horse starts with Lunar New Year, on February 17, 2026, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

And 2027?

The Goat or Sheep, 羊 (yáng). The year starts on February 6, 2027.

I was born in January or early February: which animal am I?

Most likely you have the animal of the previous year. The Chinese year starts with Lunar New Year, which falls between January 21 and February 20 according to the Hong Kong Observatory's dates for 1960 to 2031. Check the exact date for your birth year in the table in this guide.

How do you ask someone's sign in Chinese?

你属什么？(Nǐ shǔ shénme?), literally “What do you belong to?”, meaning which animal. You answer with 我属 (wǒ shǔ) and the animal: 我属马 (wǒ shǔ mǎ), “I'm a Horse”.

Is the Chinese dragon like the Western dragon?

No. The Chinese 龙 (lóng) is a symbol of good luck and prosperity, linked to water and rain and, in history, to the emperor. The European dragon is usually a fire-breathing monster.

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