Chinese New Year Dates

The Chinese calendar follows a lunisolar cycle that combines 12 zodiac animals with 5 elements to produce a 60-year cycle. Each year is assigned an animal and an element, and the combination repeats every six decades.

The 12 animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig — rotate annually. The 5 elements — Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth — each last for two consecutive years (one year in its "yang" or positive form, the next in its "yin" or negative form). Together, 12 animals × 5 elements = 60 unique year names before the cycle repeats.

Odd-numbered years are yang (☀️ — active, bright, masculine) and even-numbered years are yin (🌙 — receptive, dark, feminine). Each element spans exactly one yang year followed by one yin year, which is why the element cycle advances every two years.

For example, 2024 was the Year of the Wood Dragon, and 2025 is the Year of the Wood Snake. The next Wood Dragon will not occur until 2084 — sixty years later.

View Chinese New Year dates by century

• 1950-1999
• 2000-2049
• 2050-2099

甲子 — The 60-Year Cycle (Jiazi)

Each row below shows one position in the 60-year cycle. The cycle starts at 1900 and repeats every 60 years — so 1960, 2020, 2080, etc. all share the same animal and element.

Element

Metal ⚪Water 🔵Wood 🟠Fire 🔴Earth 🟤

Polarity

Yang ☀️Yin 🌙

Zodiac

Rat 🐀Ox 🐂Tiger 🐯Hare 🐇Dragon 🐉Snake 🐍Horse 🐴Sheep 🐑Monkey 🐒Rooster 🐓Dog 🐕Pig 🐖

For a personal account of a Chinese New Year spent in Hong Kong some years ago, look here: A Chinese New Year