Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1948 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Rat
戊子年 Earth Rat, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Rat, the element and matches.
The answer
1948 is the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac: a Earth Rat year, 戊子 (wù zǐ) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 10 February 1948 to 28 January 1949, so people born from 1 January to 9 February 1948 belong to the previous animal, the Pig.
1948 at a glance
- Animal
- Rat 鼠 (shǔ), first of the 12
- Element
- Earth 土, yang (阳), from the stem 戊 (wù)
- 60-year cycle
- 戊子 wù zǐ · the same Earth Rat year was 2008 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Tuesday, 10 February 1948 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Friday, 28 January 1949 · the Year of the Ox begins the next day
- Lichun
- 5 February 1948 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Age in 2026
- Turns 78 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2032
- Best matches
- Dragon and Monkey (三合 trine), Ox (六合 pair) · clashes with the Horse
Born in 1948? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1948 the cut-off was 10 February 1948.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 9 Feb 1948 1948 | Pig 猪 | Fire | 丁亥 |
| 10 Feb 1948 – 31 Dec 1948 | Rat 鼠 | Earth | 戊子 |
| 1 Jan 1949 – 28 Jan 1949 | Rat 鼠 (still) | Earth | 戊子 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (5 February 1948 in 1948) 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 Rat means
Tradition calls Rat people quick-witted, adaptable and sociable, and pairs them best with the Dragon and Monkey. The element adds a layer: a Earth Rat is read differently from a Metal Rat. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Rat years. Read the full Year of the Rat guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Rat
The Rat returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Earth Rat itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Metal Rat 金鼠 · 庚子 | 31 Jan 1900 | 18 Feb 1901 |
| 1912 | Water Rat 水鼠 · 壬子 | 18 Feb 1912 | 5 Feb 1913 |
| 1924 | Wood Rat 木鼠 · 甲子 | 5 Feb 1924 | 23 Jan 1925 |
| 1936 | Fire Rat 火鼠 · 丙子 | 24 Jan 1936 | 10 Feb 1937 |
| 1948 | Earth Rat 土鼠 · 戊子 | 10 Feb 1948 | 28 Jan 1949 |
| 1960 | Metal Rat 金鼠 · 庚子 | 28 Jan 1960 | 14 Feb 1961 |
| 1972 | Water Rat 水鼠 · 壬子 | 15 Feb 1972 | 2 Feb 1973 |
| 1984 | Wood Rat 木鼠 · 甲子 | 2 Feb 1984 | 19 Feb 1985 |
| 1996 | Fire Rat 火鼠 · 丙子 | 19 Feb 1996 | 6 Feb 1997 |
| 2008 | Earth Rat 土鼠 · 戊子 | 7 Feb 2008 | 25 Jan 2009 |
Matches for people born in 1948
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 1948
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1948. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1948 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 10 February 1948 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 24 February 1948 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1948 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 11 June 1948 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 17 September 1948 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 9 February 1948 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1948?
1948 is the Year of the Rat (鼠, shǔ). In the full 60-year cycle it is 戊子, a Earth Rat year, yang (阳). It began on 10 February 1948 and ended on 28 January 1949; 1949 is the Year of the Ox.
I was born in January or February 1948. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Rat started on 10 February 1948. Born on or after that date, you are a Rat; born between 1 January and 9 February 1948, you are a Pig. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 5 February 1948 in 1948; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1948 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth (土, tǔ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 戊 (wù), which also makes 1948 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Earth Rat, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2008 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1948 in 2026?
Someone born in 1948 turns 78 in 2026 (77 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 79 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Rat?
The Year of the Rat 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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