Chinese Zodiac Calculator
Work out your Chinese zodiac animal and element from your birth year.
Quick answer: enter your details below and click Find My Animal — your result appears instantly, right here in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded or stored.
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Everyday & Lifestyle
Enter your details below.
How to use
- Enter your birth year.
- Click Find My Animal.
- Read your animal and element.
- Compare with family members born twelve years apart.
About this tool
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.
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.