The Chinese zodiac, or shēngxiào (生肖), assigns one of twelve animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig — to each year in a repeating cycle. The system grew out of Chinese astronomy and folk tradition over two thousand years ago and remains central to East Asian culture, shaping new-year celebrations, personality lore and ideas about compatibility.

Each animal also pairs with one of the five elements of Wu Xing (wood, fire, earth, metal and water) and with a yin or yang polarity, producing a sixty-year sexagenary cycle in which every combination recurs once. Crucially, the zodiac year begins at Chinese New Year, a lunar date that falls between late January and mid-February, not on 1 January — so people born in those weeks may belong to the previous animal.

This calculator converts your Gregorian birth date using an embedded table of new-year dates and reports your animal, element and polarity, along with a short note on traditional affinities. It is offered as a cultural and contemplative reference that celebrates a rich heritage rather than predicting the future. You can switch to a simplified 1 January boundary if you prefer.