Chinese Astrology Calculator
Chinese Zodiac Calculator works out Zodiac animal and Sexagenary year (Gan-Zhi) from Gregorian birth date, Zodiac-year boundary and Chinese astrology calculation. The default figures on this page give zodiac animal of Dragon; change any entry and the result, the working and the sources update together.
Your figures
Updates as you typeHow this is worked out
5 steps
- Chinese New Year 2024 fell on 2024-02-10.
- 2024-02-10 is on or after that, so it belongs to the lunar year that began on 2024-02-10, labelled 2024.
- Animal index = (2024 - 2020) mod 12 = 4, which is the Dragon.
- Heavenly Stem = (2024 - 4) mod 10 = 0 (Jia); Earthly Branch = (2024 - 4) mod 12 = 4 (Chen).
- Jia is the Yang stem of Wood, so this is a Yang Wood Dragon year, number 41 of the 60-year cycle.
Its 5 worked examples are re-run on every release, last on 15 September 2026. What changed
Sources and references
4 sources
What the Chinese Zodiac Calculator calculates
Finds the Chinese zodiac animal, Heavenly Stem, Earthly Branch and element for a birth date, using the true Chinese New Year boundary rather than 1 January.
How to use this Chinese Zodiac Calculator
Enter Gregorian birth date, Zodiac-year boundary, Chinese astrology calculation and Local birth time. Zodiac animal updates as you type, and “Use a worked example” loads checked figures you can adjust. Change one figure at a time to see what drives the result.
How the result is worked out
Open “How this is worked out” beside the result for the step-by-step calculation behind Zodiac animal, Sexagenary year (Gan-Zhi) and Chinese New Year of that zodiac year.
The method follows Hong Kong Observatory, The Chinese Agricultural Calendar and The 24 Solar Terms, Hong Kong Observatory, The 12-Year Animal Cycle and Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms, 2nd edition and Helmer Aslaksen, The Mathematics of the Chinese Calendar.
Research case chinese-2024-new-year: Chinese New Year 2024 example
With Gregorian birth date: 2024-02-10, Zodiac-year boundary: chinese_new_year, the calculator returns Zodiac animal: Dragon, Sexagenary year (Gan-Zhi): Jia-Chen, Chinese New Year of that zodiac year: 2024-02-10. This example is checked against an independent source in the test suite.
What you can compare
Change one input at a time to see how it affects Zodiac animal, Sexagenary year (Gan-Zhi) and Chinese New Year of that zodiac year. The inputs you can vary are Gregorian birth date, Zodiac-year boundary, Chinese astrology calculation, Local birth time and IANA time-zone identifier.
Understanding Zodiac animal, Sexagenary year (Gan-Zhi) and Chinese New Year of that zodiac year
For entertainment and cultural interest. Astrology and numerology are traditional practices with no scientific basis for predicting events or describing a person; do not use them for health, financial or legal decisions.
Results are general information, not financial, tax, legal, medical or engineering advice. Check any decision that matters with a qualified professional.
See something wrong? Report a problem with this calculator
Frequently asked questions
What information do I need for the Chinese Zodiac Calculator?
You need Gregorian birth date, Zodiac-year boundary, Chinese astrology calculation, Local birth time and IANA time-zone identifier. The page opens with default figures that give zodiac animal of Dragon, so you can see the scale before entering your own.
What does this Chinese Zodiac Calculator show?
It shows Zodiac animal, Sexagenary year (Gan-Zhi), Chinese New Year of that zodiac year, Start of the next zodiac year, Boundary used, Chinese year label, Animal index (0 = Rat) and Heavenly Stem, with the working and any warnings for your entries.
Can I check how the Chinese Zodiac Calculator result was calculated?
Yes. The “How this is worked out” section shows the calculation steps, and the sources section identifies the references used for the method.