Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1975 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Rabbit
乙卯年 Wood Rabbit, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Rabbit, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1975.
The answer
1975 is the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac: a Wood Rabbit year, 乙卯 (yǐ mǎo) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 11 February 1975 to 30 January 1976, so people born from 1 January to 10 February 1975 belong to the previous animal, the Tiger. China recorded 21.09 million births in 1975.
1975 at a glance
- Animal
- Rabbit 兔 (tù), fourth of the 12
- Element
- Wood 木, yin (阴), from the stem 乙 (yǐ)
- 60-year cycle
- 乙卯 yǐ mǎo · the same Wood Rabbit year was 1915 and comes again in 2035
- Starts
- Tuesday, 11 February 1975 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Friday, 30 January 1976 · the Year of the Dragon begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1975 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1975
- 21.09 million in mainland China (NBS), −5.6% on 1974
- Age in 2026
- Turns 51 · 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 1975? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1975 the cut-off was 11 February 1975.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 10 Feb 1975 1975 | Tiger 虎 | Wood | 甲寅 |
| 11 Feb 1975 – 31 Dec 1975 | Rabbit 兔 | Wood | 乙卯 |
| 1 Jan 1976 – 30 Jan 1976 | Rabbit 兔 (still) | Wood | 乙卯 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1975 in 1975) 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 1975
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 21.09 million births in mainland China in 1975, −5.6% compared with 1974 (22.35 million); 1976 had 18.53 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1975 ranks 28th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1975’s babies belong to the Tiger and the first weeks of 1976 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 Wood Rabbit is read differently from a Fire 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 Wood Rabbit itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2035 | Wood Rabbit 木兔 · 乙卯 | 8 Feb 2035 | 27 Jan 2036 |
Matches for people born in 1975
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 1975
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1975. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1975 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 11 February 1975 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 25 February 1975 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1975 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 14 June 1975 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 20 September 1975 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 10 February 1975 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1975?
1975 is the Year of the Rabbit (兔, tù). In the full 60-year cycle it is 乙卯, a Wood Rabbit year, yin (阴). It began on 11 February 1975 and ended on 30 January 1976; 1976 is the Year of the Dragon.
I was born in January or February 1975. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Rabbit started on 11 February 1975. Born on or after that date, you are a Rabbit; born between 1 January and 10 February 1975, 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 1975 in 1975; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1975 in the Chinese zodiac?
Wood (木, mù). The element comes from the heavenly stem 乙 (yǐ), which also makes 1975 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Wood Rabbit, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1915 and the next is 2035.
How old is someone born in 1975 in 2026?
Someone born in 1975 turns 51 in 2026 (50 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 52 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Rabbit?
2035, starting on 8 February 2035. For someone born in 1975 that is a 本命年 (běnmìngnián), their own zodiac year, which tradition treats as a year to be careful in; many people wear something red for it.
How many babies were born in China in 1975?
About 21.09 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −5.6% compared with 1974. That ranks 1975 28th 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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