Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1943 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Goat
癸未年 Water Goat, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Goat, the element and matches.
The answer
1943 is the Year of the Goat in the Chinese zodiac: a Water Goat year, 癸未 (guǐ wèi) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 5 February 1943 to 24 January 1944, so people born from 1 January to 4 February 1943 belong to the previous animal, the Horse.
1943 at a glance
- Animal
- Goat 羊 (yáng), eighth of the 12
- Element
- Water 水, yin (阴), from the stem 癸 (guǐ)
- 60-year cycle
- 癸未 guǐ wèi · the same Water Goat year was 2003 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Friday, 5 February 1943 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Monday, 24 January 1944 · the Year of the Monkey begins the next day
- Lichun
- 5 February 1943 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Age in 2026
- Turns 83 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2027
- Best matches
- Pig and Rabbit (三合 trine), Horse (六合 pair) · clashes with the Ox
Born in 1943? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1943 the cut-off was 5 February 1943.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 4 Feb 1943 1943 | Horse 马 | Water | 壬午 |
| 5 Feb 1943 – 31 Dec 1943 | Goat 羊 | Water | 癸未 |
| 1 Jan 1944 – 24 Jan 1944 | Goat 羊 (still) | Water | 癸未 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (5 February 1943 in 1943) 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 Goat means
Tradition calls Goat people gentle, kind and creative, and pairs them best with the Pig and Rabbit. The element adds a layer: a Water Goat is read differently from a Wood Goat. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Goat years. Read the full Year of the Goat guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Goat
The Goat returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Water Goat itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | Fire Goat 火羊 · 丁未 | 13 Feb 1907 | 1 Feb 1908 |
| 1919 | Earth Goat 土羊 · 己未 | 1 Feb 1919 | 19 Feb 1920 |
| 1931 | Metal Goat 金羊 · 辛未 | 17 Feb 1931 | 5 Feb 1932 |
| 1943 | Water Goat 水羊 · 癸未 | 5 Feb 1943 | 24 Jan 1944 |
| 1955 | Wood Goat 木羊 · 乙未 | 24 Jan 1955 | 11 Feb 1956 |
| 1967 | Fire Goat 火羊 · 丁未 | 9 Feb 1967 | 29 Jan 1968 |
| 1979 | Earth Goat 土羊 · 己未 | 28 Jan 1979 | 15 Feb 1980 |
| 1991 | Metal Goat 金羊 · 辛未 | 15 Feb 1991 | 3 Feb 1992 |
| 2003 | Water Goat 水羊 · 癸未 | 1 Feb 2003 | 21 Jan 2004 |
Matches for people born in 1943
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 1943
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1943. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1943 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 5 February 1943 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 19 February 1943 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 6 April 1943 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 7 June 1943 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 14 September 1943 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 4 February 1943 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1943?
1943 is the Year of the Goat (羊, yáng). In the full 60-year cycle it is 癸未, a Water Goat year, yin (阴). It began on 5 February 1943 and ended on 24 January 1944; 1944 is the Year of the Monkey.
I was born in January or February 1943. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Goat started on 5 February 1943. Born on or after that date, you are a Goat; born between 1 January and 4 February 1943, you are a Horse. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 5 February 1943 in 1943; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1943 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 癸 (guǐ), which also makes 1943 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Water Goat, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2003 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1943 in 2026?
Someone born in 1943 turns 83 in 2026 (82 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 84 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Goat?
The Year of the Goat 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
Newsletter · Free · Every Thursday
The China Brief
What China is talking about, in plain English. Every Thursday.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click.