Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1981 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Rooster
辛酉年 Metal Rooster, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Rooster, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1981.
The answer
1981 is the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese zodiac: a Metal Rooster year, 辛酉 (xīn yǒu) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 5 February 1981 to 24 January 1982, so people born from 1 January to 4 February 1981 belong to the previous animal, the Monkey. China recorded 20.78 million births in 1981.
1981 at a glance
- Animal
- Rooster 鸡 (jī), tenth of the 12
- Element
- Metal 金, yin (阴), from the stem 辛 (xīn)
- 60-year cycle
- 辛酉 xīn yǒu · the same Metal Rooster year was 1921 and comes again in 2041
- Starts
- Thursday, 5 February 1981 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Sunday, 24 January 1982 · the Year of the Dog begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1981 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1981
- 20.78 million in mainland China (NBS), +16.3% on 1980
- Age in 2026
- Turns 45 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2029
- Best matches
- Ox and Snake (三合 trine), Dragon (六合 pair) · clashes with the Rabbit
Born in 1981? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1981 the cut-off was 5 February 1981.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 4 Feb 1981 1981 | Monkey 猴 | Metal | 庚申 |
| 5 Feb 1981 – 31 Dec 1981 | Rooster 鸡 | Metal | 辛酉 |
| 1 Jan 1982 – 24 Jan 1982 | Rooster 鸡 (still) | Metal | 辛酉 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1981 in 1981) 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 Roosters: China’s births in 1981
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 20.78 million births in mainland China in 1981, +16.3% compared with 1980 (17.87 million); 1982 had 21.26 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1981 ranks 31th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1981’s babies belong to the Monkey and the first weeks of 1982 to the Rooster. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Rooster means
Tradition calls Rooster people honest, hard-working and confident, and pairs them best with the Ox and Snake. The element adds a layer: a Metal Rooster is read differently from a Water Rooster. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Rooster years. Read the full Year of the Rooster guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Rooster
The Rooster returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Metal Rooster itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | Metal Rooster 金鸡 · 辛酉 | 8 Feb 1921 | 27 Jan 1922 |
| 1933 | Water Rooster 水鸡 · 癸酉 | 26 Jan 1933 | 13 Feb 1934 |
| 1945 | Wood Rooster 木鸡 · 乙酉 | 13 Feb 1945 | 1 Feb 1946 |
| 1957 | Fire Rooster 火鸡 · 丁酉 | 31 Jan 1957 | 17 Feb 1958 |
| 1969 | Earth Rooster 土鸡 · 己酉 | 17 Feb 1969 | 5 Feb 1970 |
| 1981 | Metal Rooster 金鸡 · 辛酉 | 5 Feb 1981 | 24 Jan 1982 |
| 1993 | Water Rooster 水鸡 · 癸酉 | 23 Jan 1993 | 9 Feb 1994 |
| 2005 | Wood Rooster 木鸡 · 乙酉 | 9 Feb 2005 | 28 Jan 2006 |
| 2017 | Fire Rooster 火鸡 · 丁酉 | 28 Jan 2017 | 15 Feb 2018 |
| 2029 | Earth Rooster 土鸡 · 己酉 | 13 Feb 2029 | 2 Feb 2030 |
| 2041 | Metal Rooster 金鸡 · 辛酉 | 1 Feb 2041 | 21 Jan 2042 |
Matches for people born in 1981
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 1981
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1981. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1981 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 5 February 1981 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 19 February 1981 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1981 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 6 June 1981 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 12 September 1981 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 4 February 1981 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1981?
1981 is the Year of the Rooster (鸡, jī). In the full 60-year cycle it is 辛酉, a Metal Rooster year, yin (阴). It began on 5 February 1981 and ended on 24 January 1982; 1982 is the Year of the Dog.
I was born in January or February 1981. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Rooster started on 5 February 1981. Born on or after that date, you are a Rooster; born between 1 January and 4 February 1981, you are a Monkey. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1981 in 1981; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1981 in the Chinese zodiac?
Metal (金, jīn). The element comes from the heavenly stem 辛 (xīn), which also makes 1981 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Metal Rooster, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1921 and the next is 2041.
How old is someone born in 1981 in 2026?
Someone born in 1981 turns 45 in 2026 (44 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 46 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Rooster?
2029, starting on 13 February 2029. For someone born in 1981 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 1981?
About 20.78 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, +16.3% compared with 1980. That ranks 1981 31th 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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