Skip to content
ENExplore Calculators

Chinese Zodiac Year Calculator

Work out chinese zodiac year instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Chinese Zodiac Year Calculator

The Chinese zodiac cycles twelve animals, with 2020 being the Rat, so 2026 is the Horse. A separate five-element cycle pairs with it over sixty years, making 2026 a Fire Horse year. The same animal returns every twelve years, but the same animal and element combination only every sixty - the traditional lifespan measure.

Formulas

Animal

index = (year - 2020) mod 12, starting from Rat

Sexagenary cycle

animal and element repeat together every 60 years

Worked example

With the default values below, Chinese Zodiac Year Calculator returns Next Year With The Same Animal of 2,038. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Yearaccepts 1,900–2,200
2,026
Years ahead to lookminimum 1
12

Results

Next Year With The Same Animal
2,038
Zodiac Animal
Horse
Associated Element
Fire
Animal Of The Later Year
Horse

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Animal
  3. 3Sexagenary cycle
  4. 4Next Year With The Same Animal= 2,038
  5. 5Zodiac Animal= Horse
  6. 6Associated Element= Fire
  7. 7Animal Of The Later Year= Horse

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to whole numbers, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the zodiac year start on 1 January?

No - it begins at Chinese New Year, which falls between 21 January and 20 February, so early-year births belong to the previous animal.

Why sixty years for the full cycle?

Because twelve animals and ten heavenly stems repeat together only at their least common multiple, which is sixty.

Related Calculators

Chinese Zodiac Year Calculator | Calcrivo