In ancient times, the Jade Emperor, ruler of the heavens in Chinese mythology, decided to create a way to measure time. He announced a great race, where the first twelve animals to cross the finish line would each secure a place in the zodiac calendar. These animals represent a year in a 12-year cycle, influencing Chinese astrology and culture to this day.
Below are the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals in the order they finished the race, along with their traditional Chinese characters and the birth years corresponding to each animal:
1. Rat (鼠 shǔ) - 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
2. Ox (牛 niú) - 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
3. Tiger (虎 hǔ) - 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
4. Rabbit (兔 tù) - 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
5. Dragon (龍 lóng) - 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
6. Snake (蛇 shé) - 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025
7. Horse (马 mǎ) - 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026
8. Goat (羊 yáng) - 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027
9. Monkey (猴 hóu) - 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028
10. Rooster (鸡 jī) - 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
11. Dog (狗 gǒu) - 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030
12. Pig (猪 zhū) - 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031
Use this list to find out which zodiac animal corresponds to your birth year.