Chinese Zodiac Calculator
Chinese zodiac animal, element and yin/yang for a birth year.
Quick answer
- Formula: Animal = (year − 4) mod 12 from Rat; Element = stem (year − 4) mod 10 grouped in pairs from Wood; even stems are Yang, odd stems Yin
- Worked example — Animal: Dragon (full example below).
Chinese Zodiac Calculator
| Animal | Dragon |
| Element | Wood |
| Polarity | Yang |
| Full designation | Yang Wood Dragon |
2024 is the Yang Wood Dragon — the designation behind the 2024 Lunar New Year celebrations.
Find the Chinese zodiac animal for any year, together with its element (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water) and its yin or yang polarity from the heavenly stem cycle.
The animal cycle runs 12 years and the stem cycle 10 years, combining into the full 60-year cycle. The anchor used here is the standard one: 2024 is the Yang Wood Dragon year.
The formula
Worked example
2024 is the Yang Wood Dragon — the designation behind the 2024 Lunar New Year celebrations.
The example is pre-loaded in the result panel — press Calculate with your own numbers to replace it.
Frequently asked questions
My birthday is in January or February — which animal am I?
The Chinese zodiac year starts at Lunar New Year (usually late January or February), not January 1. If you were born before Lunar New Year in your birth year, you belong to the previous year's animal, even though this year-based calculator shows the calendar year's sign.
How does the element cycle work?
Each element rules two consecutive years — one Yang, one Yin — in the order Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. Combined with the 12 animals, the full pattern repeats every 60 years.
Category: Date & Time calculators
Sources & methodology
This calculator applies the formula shown on this page exactly as written, using the standard definitions for its inputs. Results are computed from the values you enter — no data is stored — and are rounded only for display.
Content last reviewed by CalcHub Editorial.
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