Chinese Zodiac Calculator: Your Animal and Element by Birth Year
The Chinese zodiac pairs a twelve-year animal cycle with a ten-year element cycle. One birth year is all the maths needs.
What is the Chinese Zodiac Calculator?
Enter a birth year and this calculator applies the twelve-year animal cycle and the five-element cycle to name your traditional Chinese zodiac sign. The animal repeats every twelve years and the element repeats every ten, so the full combination cycles over sixty years. Entertainment only: this is traditional lore for fun, with no predictive power.
How to use it
- Enter your birth year.
- Click Find My Animal.
- Read your animal and element.
- Compare with family members born twelve years apart.
Worked example
A birth year of 2000 gives Metal Dragon, labeled entertainment only and based on traditional lore.
What is the Chinese zodiac for the year 2000?
Metal Dragon: 2000 falls on Dragon in the twelve-year cycle and Metal in the element cycle.
Frequently asked questions
Why do people born twelve years apart share an animal?
The animal cycle repeats every twelve years, so adding or subtracting twelve keeps the same animal.
Does the element change every year?
No. Each element lasts two years in a row, which is why the element cycle runs ten years for five elements.