Today is Chinese New Year 2025, heralding in the Year of the Snake – the Wood Snake, to be exact.
Lunar New Year isn’t just celebrated in China though, with countries such as Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore also marking the date.
The date of Chinese New Year moves every year, in accordance with the moon, falling any time between January 21 and February 20.
Each year is assigned one of 12 zodiac animal signs, with the animal you are depending on the year you were born.
However, the changing dates can mean that people born in January and February may not be the animals they think – so it’s worth double checking if you’re a winter baby with this handy tool.
So which are you? And what do all these animals mean? Here’s a simple guide to each animal…
Year of the Rat
Year of birth: 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
You are: Adaptable, intuitive
Best matches: Dragon, Monkey, Ox
Avoid: Goat, Horse, Rabbit
Year of the Ox
Year of birth: 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
You are: Conscientious, moral
Best match: Rat, Snake, Rooster
Avoid: Horse, Dog, Goat
Year of the Tiger
Year of birth: 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
You are: Courageous, unpredictable, stubborn
Best match: Horse, Dog
Avoid: Snake, Monkey
Year of the Rabbit
Year of birth: 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
You are: Impulsive, compassionate, modest
Best match: Goat, Pig, Dog
Avoid: Rat, Dragon
Year of the Dragon
Year of birth: 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012
You are: Confident, witty, dominant
Best match: Rat, Monkey, Rooster
Avoid: Ox, Rabbit, Dog
Year of the Snake
Year of birth: 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013
You are: Intelligent, wise, private
Best match: Ox, Rooster
Avoid: Tiger, Pig
Year of the Horse
Year of birth: 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014
You are: Popular, a free spirit, hard working, intelligent
Best match: Tiger, Goat, Rabbit
Avoid: Rat, Ox, Rooster
Year of the Sheep/Goat
Year of birth: 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1991, 2003, 2015
You are: Kind, sensitive, polite, creative
Best matches: Rabbit, Horse, Pig
Avoid: Ox, Dog
Year of the Monkey
Year of birth: 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016
You are: Witty, intelligent
Best match: Rat, Dragon, Snake
Avoid: Tiger, Pig
Year of the Rooster
Year of birth: 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017
You are: Independent, punctual
Best match: Ox, Dragon, Snake
Avoid: Rat, Rabbit, Dog
Year of the Dog
Year of birth: 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018
You are: Honest, loyal
Best match: Tiger, Rabbit, Horse
Avoid: Ox, Dragon, Goat, Rooster
Year of the Pig
Year of birth: 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019
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You are: Friendly, lazy
Best match: Goat, Rabbit
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Avoid: Snake, Monkey, Pig
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MORE: How to say ‘Happy Chinese New Year’ in Chinese and Mandarin (it’s not ‘gong hei fat choy’)
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