Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1982 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dog
壬戌年 Water Dog, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Dog, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1982.
The answer
1982 is the Year of the Dog in the Chinese zodiac: a Water Dog year, 壬戌 (rén xū) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 25 January 1982 to 12 February 1983, so people born from 1 January to 24 January 1982 belong to the previous animal, the Rooster. China recorded 21.26 million births in 1982.
1982 at a glance
- Animal
- Dog 狗 (gǒu), eleventh of the 12
- Element
- Water 水, yang (阳), from the stem 壬 (rén)
- 60-year cycle
- 壬戌 rén xū · the same Water Dog year was 1922 and comes again in 2042
- Starts
- Monday, 25 January 1982 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Saturday, 12 February 1983 · the Year of the Pig begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1982 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1982
- 21.26 million in mainland China (NBS), +2.3% on 1981
- Age in 2026
- Turns 44 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2030
- Best matches
- Tiger and Horse (三合 trine), Rabbit (六合 pair) · clashes with the Dragon
Born in 1982? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1982 the cut-off was 25 January 1982.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 24 Jan 1982 1982 | Rooster 鸡 | Metal | 辛酉 |
| 25 Jan 1982 – 31 Dec 1982 | Dog 狗 | Water | 壬戌 |
| 1 Jan 1983 – 12 Feb 1983 | Dog 狗 (still) | Water | 壬戌 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1982 in 1982) 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 Dogs: China’s births in 1982
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 21.26 million births in mainland China in 1982, +2.3% compared with 1981 (20.78 million); 1983 had 19 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1982 ranks 25th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1982’s babies belong to the Rooster and the first weeks of 1983 to the Dog. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Dog means
Tradition calls Dog people loyal, honest and brave, and pairs them best with the Tiger and Horse. The element adds a layer: a Water Dog is read differently from a Wood Dog. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Dog years. Read the full Year of the Dog guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Dog
The Dog returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Water Dog itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | Water Dog 水狗 · 壬戌 | 28 Jan 1922 | 15 Feb 1923 |
| 1934 | Wood Dog 木狗 · 甲戌 | 14 Feb 1934 | 3 Feb 1935 |
| 1946 | Fire Dog 火狗 · 丙戌 | 2 Feb 1946 | 21 Jan 1947 |
| 1958 | Earth Dog 土狗 · 戊戌 | 18 Feb 1958 | 7 Feb 1959 |
| 1970 | Metal Dog 金狗 · 庚戌 | 6 Feb 1970 | 26 Jan 1971 |
| 1982 | Water Dog 水狗 · 壬戌 | 25 Jan 1982 | 12 Feb 1983 |
| 1994 | Wood Dog 木狗 · 甲戌 | 10 Feb 1994 | 30 Jan 1995 |
| 2006 | Fire Dog 火狗 · 丙戌 | 29 Jan 2006 | 17 Feb 2007 |
| 2018 | Earth Dog 土狗 · 戊戌 | 16 Feb 2018 | 4 Feb 2019 |
| 2030 | Metal Dog 金狗 · 庚戌 | 3 Feb 2030 | 22 Jan 2031 |
| 2042 | Water Dog 水狗 · 壬戌 | 22 Jan 2042 | 9 Feb 2043 |
Matches for people born in 1982
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 1982
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1982. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1982 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 25 January 1982 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 8 February 1982 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1982 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 25 June 1982 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 1 October 1982 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 24 January 1982 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1982?
1982 is the Year of the Dog (狗, gǒu). In the full 60-year cycle it is 壬戌, a Water Dog year, yang (阳). It began on 25 January 1982 and ended on 12 February 1983; 1983 is the Year of the Pig.
I was born in January or February 1982. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Dog started on 25 January 1982. Born on or after that date, you are a Dog; born between 1 January and 24 January 1982, you are a Rooster. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1982 in 1982; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1982 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 壬 (rén), which also makes 1982 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Water Dog, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1922 and the next is 2042.
How old is someone born in 1982 in 2026?
Someone born in 1982 turns 44 in 2026 (43 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 45 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Dog?
2030, starting on 3 February 2030. For someone born in 1982 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 1982?
About 21.26 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, +2.3% compared with 1981. That ranks 1982 25th 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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