What Is the Chinese Zodiac?
The Chinese zodiac (Shengxiao) is a repeating 12-year cycle, with each year represented by an animal: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Your zodiac sign is traditionally determined by your year of birth. This calculator instantly tells you which animal rules your birth year and the five-element association that goes with it.
How to Use This Calculator
Simply enter your birth year (for example, 1990) and press calculate. The tool returns your zodiac animal, its fixed element, and the position of your animal in the 12-year cycle. Note: the Chinese New Year falls in late January or February, so if you were born in January or early February, you may belong to the previous year's animal — check the exact New Year date for your year of birth.
The Formula Explained
The cycle is anchored so that the year 4 AD corresponds to the Rat. The animal index is computed as \((\text{year} - 4) \bmod 12\), giving a number from 0 (Rat) to 11 (Pig). The five elements cycle every 10 years, so the element index is \((\text{year} - 4) \bmod 10\), where each element (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) covers two consecutive years.
$$\text{Animal Index} = \left(\left(\text{Birth Year} - 4\right) \bmod 12 + 12\right) \bmod 12$$$$\begin{gathered} \text{Animal} = A\left[\,((Y-4)\bmod 12 + 12)\bmod 12\,\right] \\[1.2em] \text{Element} = E\left[\,((Y-4)\bmod 10 + 10)\bmod 10\,\right] \\[1.5em] \text{where}\quad \left\{ \begin{aligned} Y &= \text{Birth Year} \\ A &= [\text{Rat},\text{Ox},\dots,\text{Pig}] \\ E &= [\text{Wood},\text{Fire},\text{Earth},\text{Metal},\text{Water}] \end{aligned} \right. \end{gathered}$$
Worked Example
For the year 2000:
$$(2000 - 4) \bmod 12 = 1996 \bmod 12 = 4$$which is the Dragon. The element index is
$$(2000 - 4) \bmod 10 = 1996 \bmod 10 = 6$$which maps to Metal. So someone born in 2000 is a Metal Dragon.
FAQ
Why subtract 4? The 4 AD anchor aligns the math so the modulo result correctly maps to the traditional animal order starting with the Rat.
What if I was born in January? The Chinese New Year is not January 1. If your birthday is before the New Year for your year, your sign is the previous year's animal.
Is the element important? Yes — combined with the animal, the element forms a full 60-year cycle (the sexagenary cycle) used in Chinese astrology.
