Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1944 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Monkey
甲申年 Wood Monkey, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Monkey, the element and matches.
The answer
1944 is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac: a Wood Monkey year, 甲申 (jiǎ shēn) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 25 January 1944 to 12 February 1945, so people born from 1 January to 24 January 1944 belong to the previous animal, the Goat.
1944 at a glance
- Animal
- Monkey 猴 (hóu), ninth of the 12
- Element
- Wood 木, yang (阳), from the stem 甲 (jiǎ)
- 60-year cycle
- 甲申 jiǎ shēn · the same Wood Monkey year was 2004 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Tuesday, 25 January 1944 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Monday, 12 February 1945 · the Year of the Rooster begins the next day
- Lichun
- 5 February 1944 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Age in 2026
- Turns 82 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2028
- Best matches
- Rat and Dragon (三合 trine), Snake (六合 pair) · clashes with the Tiger
Born in 1944? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1944 the cut-off was 25 January 1944.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 24 Jan 1944 1944 | Goat 羊 | Water | 癸未 |
| 25 Jan 1944 – 31 Dec 1944 | Monkey 猴 | Wood | 甲申 |
| 1 Jan 1945 – 12 Feb 1945 | Monkey 猴 (still) | Wood | 甲申 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (5 February 1944 in 1944) 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 Monkey means
Tradition calls Monkey people clever, lively and versatile, and pairs them best with the Rat and Dragon. The element adds a layer: a Wood Monkey is read differently from a Fire Monkey. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Monkey years. Read the full Year of the Monkey guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Monkey
The Monkey returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Wood Monkey itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | Earth Monkey 土猴 · 戊申 | 2 Feb 1908 | 21 Jan 1909 |
| 1920 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 20 Feb 1920 | 7 Feb 1921 |
| 1932 | Water Monkey 水猴 · 壬申 | 6 Feb 1932 | 25 Jan 1933 |
| 1944 | Wood Monkey 木猴 · 甲申 | 25 Jan 1944 | 12 Feb 1945 |
| 1956 | Fire Monkey 火猴 · 丙申 | 12 Feb 1956 | 30 Jan 1957 |
| 1968 | Earth Monkey 土猴 · 戊申 | 30 Jan 1968 | 16 Feb 1969 |
| 1980 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 16 Feb 1980 | 4 Feb 1981 |
| 1992 | Water Monkey 水猴 · 壬申 | 4 Feb 1992 | 22 Jan 1993 |
| 2004 | Wood Monkey 木猴 · 甲申 | 22 Jan 2004 | 8 Feb 2005 |
Matches for people born in 1944
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 1944
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1944. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1944 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 25 January 1944 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 8 February 1944 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1944 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 25 June 1944 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 1 October 1944 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 24 January 1944 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1944?
1944 is the Year of the Monkey (猴, hóu). In the full 60-year cycle it is 甲申, a Wood Monkey year, yang (阳). It began on 25 January 1944 and ended on 12 February 1945; 1945 is the Year of the Rooster.
I was born in January or February 1944. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Monkey started on 25 January 1944. Born on or after that date, you are a Monkey; born between 1 January and 24 January 1944, you are a Goat. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 5 February 1944 in 1944; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1944 in the Chinese zodiac?
Wood (木, mù). The element comes from the heavenly stem 甲 (jiǎ), which also makes 1944 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Wood Monkey, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2004 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1944 in 2026?
Someone born in 1944 turns 82 in 2026 (81 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 83 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Monkey?
The Year of the Monkey 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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