Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1963 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Rabbit
癸卯年 Water Rabbit, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Rabbit, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1963.
The answer
1963 is the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac: a Water Rabbit year, 癸卯 (guǐ mǎo) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 25 January 1963 to 12 February 1964, so people born from 1 January to 24 January 1963 belong to the previous animal, the Tiger. China recorded 29.59 million births in 1963.
1963 at a glance
- Animal
- Rabbit 兔 (tù), fourth of the 12
- Element
- Water 水, yin (阴), from the stem 癸 (guǐ)
- 60-year cycle
- 癸卯 guǐ mǎo · the same Water Rabbit year was 1903 and comes again in 2023
- Starts
- Friday, 25 January 1963 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Wednesday, 12 February 1964 · the Year of the Dragon begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1963 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1963
- 29.59 million in mainland China (NBS), +20.1% on 1962
- Age in 2026
- Turns 63 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2035
- Best matches
- Goat and Pig (三合 trine), Dog (六合 pair) · clashes with the Rooster
Born in 1963? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1963 the cut-off was 25 January 1963.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 24 Jan 1963 1963 | Tiger 虎 | Water | 壬寅 |
| 25 Jan 1963 – 31 Dec 1963 | Rabbit 兔 | Water | 癸卯 |
| 1 Jan 1964 – 12 Feb 1964 | Rabbit 兔 (still) | Water | 癸卯 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1963 in 1963) 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 Rabbits: China’s births in 1963
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 29.59 million births in mainland China in 1963, +20.1% compared with 1962 (24.64 million); 1964 had 27.33 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1963 ranks 1st for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1963’s babies belong to the Tiger and the first weeks of 1964 to the Rabbit. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Rabbit means
Tradition calls Rabbit people gentle, considerate and diplomatic, and pairs them best with the Goat and Pig. The element adds a layer: a Water Rabbit is read differently from a Wood Rabbit. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Rabbit years. Read the full Year of the Rabbit guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Rabbit
The Rabbit returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Water Rabbit itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | Water Rabbit 水兔 · 癸卯 | 29 Jan 1903 | 15 Feb 1904 |
| 1915 | Wood Rabbit 木兔 · 乙卯 | 14 Feb 1915 | 2 Feb 1916 |
| 1927 | Fire Rabbit 火兔 · 丁卯 | 2 Feb 1927 | 22 Jan 1928 |
| 1939 | Earth Rabbit 土兔 · 己卯 | 19 Feb 1939 | 7 Feb 1940 |
| 1951 | Metal Rabbit 金兔 · 辛卯 | 6 Feb 1951 | 26 Jan 1952 |
| 1963 | Water Rabbit 水兔 · 癸卯 | 25 Jan 1963 | 12 Feb 1964 |
| 1975 | Wood Rabbit 木兔 · 乙卯 | 11 Feb 1975 | 30 Jan 1976 |
| 1987 | Fire Rabbit 火兔 · 丁卯 | 29 Jan 1987 | 16 Feb 1988 |
| 1999 | Earth Rabbit 土兔 · 己卯 | 16 Feb 1999 | 4 Feb 2000 |
| 2011 | Metal Rabbit 金兔 · 辛卯 | 3 Feb 2011 | 22 Jan 2012 |
| 2023 | Water Rabbit 水兔 · 癸卯 | 22 Jan 2023 | 9 Feb 2024 |
Matches for people born in 1963
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 1963
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1963. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1963 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 25 January 1963 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 8 February 1963 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1963 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 25 June 1963 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 2 October 1963 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 24 January 1963 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1963?
1963 is the Year of the Rabbit (兔, tù). In the full 60-year cycle it is 癸卯, a Water Rabbit year, yin (阴). It began on 25 January 1963 and ended on 12 February 1964; 1964 is the Year of the Dragon.
I was born in January or February 1963. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Rabbit started on 25 January 1963. Born on or after that date, you are a Rabbit; born between 1 January and 24 January 1963, you are a Tiger. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1963 in 1963; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1963 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 癸 (guǐ), which also makes 1963 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Water Rabbit, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1903 and the next is 2023.
How old is someone born in 1963 in 2026?
Someone born in 1963 turns 63 in 2026 (62 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 64 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Rabbit?
The Year of the Rabbit returns every 12 years.
How many babies were born in China in 1963?
About 29.59 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, +20.1% compared with 1962. That ranks 1963 1st 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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