Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1955 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Goat
乙未年 Wood Goat, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Goat, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1955.
The answer
1955 is the Year of the Goat in the Chinese zodiac: a Wood Goat year, 乙未 (yǐ wèi) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 24 January 1955 to 11 February 1956, so people born from 1 January to 23 January 1955 belong to the previous animal, the Horse. China recorded 19.84 million births in 1955.
1955 at a glance
- Animal
- Goat 羊 (yáng), eighth of the 12
- Element
- Wood 木, yin (阴), from the stem 乙 (yǐ)
- 60-year cycle
- 乙未 yǐ wèi · the same Wood Goat year was 2015 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Monday, 24 January 1955 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Saturday, 11 February 1956 · the Year of the Monkey begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1955 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1955
- 19.84 million in mainland China (NBS), −12.2% on 1954
- Age in 2026
- Turns 71 · 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 1955? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1955 the cut-off was 24 January 1955.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 23 Jan 1955 1955 | Horse 马 | Wood | 甲午 |
| 24 Jan 1955 – 31 Dec 1955 | Goat 羊 | Wood | 乙未 |
| 1 Jan 1956 – 11 Feb 1956 | Goat 羊 (still) | Wood | 乙未 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1955 in 1955) 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.
How many Goats: China’s births in 1955
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 19.84 million births in mainland China in 1955, −12.2% compared with 1954 (22.6 million); 1956 had 19.82 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1955 ranks 36th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1955’s babies belong to the Horse and the first weeks of 1956 to the Goat. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
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 Wood Goat is read differently from a Fire 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 Wood 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 |
| 2015 | Wood Goat 木羊 · 乙未 | 19 Feb 2015 | 7 Feb 2016 |
Matches for people born in 1955
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 1955
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1955. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1955 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 24 January 1955 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 7 February 1955 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1955 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 24 June 1955 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 30 September 1955 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 23 January 1955 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1955?
1955 is the Year of the Goat (羊, yáng). In the full 60-year cycle it is 乙未, a Wood Goat year, yin (阴). It began on 24 January 1955 and ended on 11 February 1956; 1956 is the Year of the Monkey.
I was born in January or February 1955. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Goat started on 24 January 1955. Born on or after that date, you are a Goat; born between 1 January and 23 January 1955, you are a Horse. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1955 in 1955; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1955 in the Chinese zodiac?
Wood (木, mù). The element comes from the heavenly stem 乙 (yǐ), which also makes 1955 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Wood Goat, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2015 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1955 in 2026?
Someone born in 1955 turns 71 in 2026 (70 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 72 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Goat?
The Year of the Goat returns every 12 years.
How many babies were born in China in 1955?
About 19.84 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −12.2% compared with 1954. That ranks 1955 36th of the 77 years from 1949 to 2025.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, National Data (年度数据 → 人口 → 出生人口) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2024 national economic and social development (births 9.54 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2025 national economic and social development (births 7.92 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS public Q&A: where to find births for years before 1982 (data.stats.gov.cn; pre-1982 data from household registration) · 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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