Find your Chinese zodiac
Enter a birth date to compare the Spring Festival and Li Chun conventions.
The 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals
The Chinese zodiac (生肖, Shēngxiào) is a repeating 12-year animal cycle: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Spring Festival and Li Chun: two common year boundaries
A date near the start of a calendar year can be described using two different conventions. The calculator reports both, so the convention is visible rather than implicit.
Spring Festival convention · 民俗
Uses the first day of the lunar new year (Spring Festival) as the year boundary. This is the common convention for everyday zodiac references.
Li Chun convention · 八字排盘
Uses Li Chun (立春, Start of Spring), one of the 24 solar terms, as the year-pillar boundary used by this calculator’s Bazi output.
Spring Festival and Li Chun do not always fall on the same date. When they differ, this page shows both results without ranking one as universally correct.
Four-pillar animal labels
A Bazi chart uses year, month, day, and hour branches. Each branch has an associated animal. The cards below describe the chart positions, not verified personality facts.
Year animal · 年柱
The animal associated with the year branch.
Month animal · 月柱
The animal associated with the month branch.
Day animal · 日柱
The animal associated with the day branch.
Hour animal · 时柱
The animal associated with the hour branch; it requires a birth time.
Five-element associations
In the five-element (Wǔ Xíng) framework, each earthly branch is paired with Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water. These are traditional associations, not scientific measures of a person.
Method and limits
This calculator uses the supplied date to calculate a lunar-year animal, a Li Chun year animal, and the available earthly-branch animals. With no birth time, it does not calculate an hour animal. It uses the entered standard clock time and does not apply a birth-location or true-solar-time correction.
For the calendar background, see the Hong Kong Observatory’s overview of the 24 solar terms and its calendar conversion resources. The results are a cultural and calendrical reference, not a scientific assessment, prediction, medical, legal, or financial recommendation.
Related reading
- Chinese Zodiac Years Chart: Why Different Websites Give You Different Answers
Read the context behind the year-boundary differences shown by this calculator.
Explore a full Bazi chart
Use the Bazi calculator for a chart that includes stems and branches alongside the four pillar positions.
Frequently asked questions
What is my Chinese zodiac animal?
The familiar Chinese zodiac is a 12-animal cycle associated with a year. This calculator shows the animal using both a Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) boundary and a Li Chun (Start of Spring) boundary. For births near those dates, the two results can differ.
Why can two zodiac calculators show different results?
Calculators may use different year boundaries. In everyday Spring Festival custom, the new lunar year is the boundary. In the Bazi calculation used on this page, the year pillar uses Li Chun, one of the 24 solar terms. The dates do not always coincide, so late-January and early-February births can receive different animals.
Which boundary should I use: Spring Festival or Li Chun?
Use the Spring Festival result when discussing the customary year animal. Use the Li Chun result when you want the year branch used by this calculator’s Bazi-style four-pillar output. They answer different calendar and practice conventions; this page does not treat either as the only correct answer.
What are the four Bazi animals?
A four-pillar Bazi chart has year, month, day, and hour branches. Each branch corresponds to one of the 12 animals. This calculator displays the animal labels for all available pillars; the hour animal is shown only when you provide a birth time. Interpretations assigned to the pillars vary among traditions and schools.
What if I do not know my birth time?
You can still calculate the Spring Festival result, Li Chun result, and the year, month, and day animals. Leave the birth-time option unchecked and the hour animal will not be calculated.
Are zodiac results a scientific personality or prediction test?
No. This tool calculates calendar-based animal and earthly-branch labels used in Chinese cultural and Bazi traditions. It does not establish personality traits, predict events, or measure accuracy.