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Free calculator · Eastern calendars

Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Your Chinese zodiac sign is the animal of the lunar year you were born in. It begins with the Chinese New Year, between 21 January and 20 February: born before it, you have the animal of the year before. The calculator also names the animal by Li Chun, where BaZi begins the year.

Date of birth

The calculation runs in your browser. Your birth data is neither sent nor stored; only this device remembers your last entry.

How the Chinese zodiac sign is calculated

The calculator follows the rules of the Chinese calendar, in four steps:

  1. 1

    Find the New Year

    The Chinese New Year is the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice (the third in the rare years with a leap month between), counted by the clock in China.

  2. 2

    Compare the date

    A birthday before the New Year of its year still belongs to the lunar year before.

  3. 3

    Read animal and element

    The years run in a cycle of sixty: twelve animals (the earthly branches) and ten heavenly stems, two for each of the five elements wood, fire, earth, metal and water, yang and yin in turn. 1984 opened a cycle with the Wood Rat (Jia Zi).

  4. 4

    Compare Li Chun

    BaZi, Feng Shui and the UmbraLux app begin the year at Li Chun, when the Sun reaches 315°, on 3, 4 or 5 February. Between Li Chun and the New Year a birth has two animals.

Example: 10 February 1985

The Chinese New Year of 1985 fell on 20 February 1985, so 10 February 1985 still belongs to the year that began on 2 February 1984: the Wood Rat, Yang.

Li Chun fell on 3 February 1985 at 21:12 Universal Time. By the solar year of BaZi, 10 February 1985 already belongs to the year of the Wood Ox.

Lunar year or solar year?

In the Chinese calendar and at the New Year celebrations the animal changes on the Chinese New Year. BaZi (the Four Pillars) and Feng Shui take the solar year, which begins at Li Chun. Both are part of the Chinese tradition; they disagree only for births between the two dates, in January and February.

The UmbraLux app calculates BaZi and so the solar year; the calculator shows both and says which one applies to what.

In the library

Questions about the Chinese zodiac

Why does another calculator show a different animal?

Mostly because it begins the year on another date: on 1 January, at Li Chun around 4 February, or on the Chinese New Year. Only births in January and February are affected.

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

It depends on the Chinese New Year of your birth year, which falls between 21 January and 20 February. Born before it, you have the animal of the year before; the calculator knows the date for every year.

Which element do I have?

The element of your year comes from its heavenly stem: two years each of wood, fire, earth, metal and water, yang first, then yin. The last digit of the lunar year shows it: 4 and 5 wood, 6 and 7 fire, 8 and 9 earth, 0 and 1 metal, 2 and 3 water; even years are yang, odd ones yin.

What is Li Chun?

Li Chun, "beginning of spring", is one of the 24 solar terms of the Chinese calendar: the moment the Sun reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude, on 3, 4 or 5 February. BaZi and Feng Shui begin the year there.

Is my data stored?

No. The calculation runs in your browser; your date is neither sent nor stored. Only your device remembers your last entry, and you can delete it below the form.

Sources

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