Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1942 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Horse
壬午年 Water Horse, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Horse, the element and matches.
The answer
1942 is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac: a Water Horse year, 壬午 (rén wǔ) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 15 February 1942 to 4 February 1943, so people born from 1 January to 14 February 1942 belong to the previous animal, the Snake.
1942 at a glance
- Animal
- Horse 马 (mǎ), seventh of the 12
- Element
- Water 水, yang (阳), from the stem 壬 (rén)
- 60-year cycle
- 壬午 rén wǔ · the same Water Horse year was 2002 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Sunday, 15 February 1942 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Thursday, 4 February 1943 · the Year of the Goat begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1942 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Age in 2026
- Turns 84 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2026 (this year)
- Best matches
- Dog and Tiger (三合 trine), Goat (六合 pair) · clashes with the Rat
Born in 1942? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1942 the cut-off was 15 February 1942.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 14 Feb 1942 1942 | Snake 蛇 | Metal | 辛巳 |
| 15 Feb 1942 – 31 Dec 1942 | Horse 马 | Water | 壬午 |
| 1 Jan 1943 – 4 Feb 1943 | Horse 马 (still) | Water | 壬午 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1942 in 1942) as the boundary instead, which can move a few days of January or February births to the other animal. The Lunar New Year rule is the everyday one. Not sure? Use the Chinese zodiac calculator.
What the Horse means
Tradition calls Horse people energetic, independent and adventurous. The element adds a layer: a Water Horse is read differently from a Wood Horse. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Horse years. Read the full Year of the Horse guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Horse
The Horse returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Water Horse itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | Fire Horse 火马 · 丙午 | 25 Jan 1906 | 12 Feb 1907 |
| 1918 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 11 Feb 1918 | 31 Jan 1919 |
| 1930 | Metal Horse 金马 · 庚午 | 30 Jan 1930 | 16 Feb 1931 |
| 1942 | Water Horse 水马 · 壬午 | 15 Feb 1942 | 4 Feb 1943 |
| 1954 | Wood Horse 木马 · 甲午 | 3 Feb 1954 | 23 Jan 1955 |
| 1966 | Fire Horse 火马 · 丙午 | 21 Jan 1966 | 8 Feb 1967 |
| 1978 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 7 Feb 1978 | 27 Jan 1979 |
| 1990 | Metal Horse 金马 · 庚午 | 27 Jan 1990 | 14 Feb 1991 |
| 2002 | Water Horse 水马 · 壬午 | 12 Feb 2002 | 31 Jan 2003 |
Matches for people born in 1942
Traditional compatibility pairs the 12 animals on a wheel: the three animals four places apart form a 三合 (sānhé) trine, each animal has one 六合 (liùhé) partner, and the animal opposite is its 六冲 (liùchōng) clash. These are folk rules used in match-making and in choosing wedding dates, not predictions.
Festival dates in 1942
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1942. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1942 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 15 February 1942 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 1 March 1942 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1942 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 18 June 1942 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 24 September 1942 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 14 February 1942 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1942?
1942 is the Year of the Horse (马, mǎ). In the full 60-year cycle it is 壬午, a Water Horse year, yang (阳). It began on 15 February 1942 and ended on 4 February 1943; 1943 is the Year of the Goat.
I was born in January or February 1942. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Horse started on 15 February 1942. Born on or after that date, you are a Horse; born between 1 January and 14 February 1942, you are a Snake. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1942 in 1942; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1942 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 壬 (rén), which also makes 1942 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Water Horse, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2002 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1942 in 2026?
Someone born in 1942 turns 84 in 2026 (83 until their birthday). In traditional Chinese reckoning (虚岁, xūsuì) a person is one at birth and gains a year at Lunar New Year, so the same person counts as 85 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Horse?
The Year of the Horse returns every 12 years.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chinese zodiac (animals, stems and the 60-year cycle) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- China Daily, What is benmingnian? (2 January 2024, in Chinese) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
Update log. 31 October 2026 — published. Lunar New Year and Lichun dates computed in Beijing time and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; births from the National Bureau of Statistics annual series. Suggest a correction
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