Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1964 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dragon
甲辰年 Wood Dragon, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Dragon, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1964.
The answer
1964 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac: a Wood Dragon year, 甲辰 (jiǎ chén) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 13 February 1964 to 1 February 1965, so people born from 1 January to 12 February 1964 belong to the previous animal, the Rabbit. China recorded 27.33 million births in 1964.
1964 at a glance
- Animal
- Dragon 龙 (lóng), fifth of the 12
- Element
- Wood 木, yang (阳), from the stem 甲 (jiǎ)
- 60-year cycle
- 甲辰 jiǎ chén · the same Wood Dragon year was 1904 and comes again in 2024
- Starts
- Thursday, 13 February 1964 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Monday, 1 February 1965 · the Year of the Snake begins the next day
- Lichun
- 5 February 1964 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1964
- 27.33 million in mainland China (NBS), −7.6% on 1963
- Age in 2026
- Turns 62 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2036
- Best matches
- Monkey and Rat (三合 trine), Rooster (六合 pair) · clashes with the Dog
Born in 1964? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1964 the cut-off was 13 February 1964.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 12 Feb 1964 1964 | Rabbit 兔 | Water | 癸卯 |
| 13 Feb 1964 – 31 Dec 1964 | Dragon 龙 | Wood | 甲辰 |
| 1 Jan 1965 – 1 Feb 1965 | Dragon 龙 (still) | Wood | 甲辰 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (5 February 1964 in 1964) 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 Dragons: China’s births in 1964
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 27.33 million births in mainland China in 1964, −7.6% compared with 1963 (29.59 million); 1965 had 27.09 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1964 ranks 4th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1964’s babies belong to the Rabbit and the first weeks of 1965 to the Dragon. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Dragon means
Tradition calls Dragon people confident, ambitious and energetic, and pairs them best with the Monkey and Rat. The element adds a layer: a Wood Dragon is read differently from a Fire Dragon. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Dragon years. Read the full Year of the Dragon guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Dragon
The Dragon returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Wood Dragon itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 | Wood Dragon 木龙 · 甲辰 | 16 Feb 1904 | 3 Feb 1905 |
| 1916 | Fire Dragon 火龙 · 丙辰 | 3 Feb 1916 | 22 Jan 1917 |
| 1928 | Earth Dragon 土龙 · 戊辰 | 23 Jan 1928 | 9 Feb 1929 |
| 1940 | Metal Dragon 金龙 · 庚辰 | 8 Feb 1940 | 26 Jan 1941 |
| 1952 | Water Dragon 水龙 · 壬辰 | 27 Jan 1952 | 13 Feb 1953 |
| 1964 | Wood Dragon 木龙 · 甲辰 | 13 Feb 1964 | 1 Feb 1965 |
| 1976 | Fire Dragon 火龙 · 丙辰 | 31 Jan 1976 | 17 Feb 1977 |
| 1988 | Earth Dragon 土龙 · 戊辰 | 17 Feb 1988 | 5 Feb 1989 |
| 2000 | Metal Dragon 金龙 · 庚辰 | 5 Feb 2000 | 23 Jan 2001 |
| 2012 | Water Dragon 水龙 · 壬辰 | 23 Jan 2012 | 9 Feb 2013 |
| 2024 | Wood Dragon 木龙 · 甲辰 | 10 Feb 2024 | 28 Jan 2025 |
Matches for people born in 1964
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 1964
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1964. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1964 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 13 February 1964 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 27 February 1964 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1964 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 14 June 1964 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 20 September 1964 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 12 February 1964 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1964?
1964 is the Year of the Dragon (龙, lóng). In the full 60-year cycle it is 甲辰, a Wood Dragon year, yang (阳). It began on 13 February 1964 and ended on 1 February 1965; 1965 is the Year of the Snake.
I was born in January or February 1964. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Dragon started on 13 February 1964. Born on or after that date, you are a Dragon; born between 1 January and 12 February 1964, you are a Rabbit. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 5 February 1964 in 1964; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1964 in the Chinese zodiac?
Wood (木, mù). The element comes from the heavenly stem 甲 (jiǎ), which also makes 1964 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Wood Dragon, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1904 and the next is 2024.
How old is someone born in 1964 in 2026?
Someone born in 1964 turns 62 in 2026 (61 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 63 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Dragon?
The Year of the Dragon returns every 12 years.
How many babies were born in China in 1964?
About 27.33 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −7.6% compared with 1963. That ranks 1964 4th 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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