Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1984 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Rat
甲子年 Wood Rat, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Rat, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1984.
The answer
1984 is the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac: a Wood Rat year, 甲子 (jiǎ zǐ) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 2 February 1984 to 19 February 1985, so people born from 1 January to 1 February 1984 belong to the previous animal, the Pig. China recorded 18.02 million births in 1984.
1984 at a glance
- Animal
- Rat 鼠 (shǔ), first of the 12
- Element
- Wood 木, yang (阳), from the stem 甲 (jiǎ)
- 60-year cycle
- 甲子 jiǎ zǐ · the same Wood Rat year was 1924 and comes again in 2044
- Starts
- Thursday, 2 February 1984 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Tuesday, 19 February 1985 · the Year of the Ox begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1984 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1984
- 18.02 million in mainland China (NBS), −5.1% on 1983
- Age in 2026
- Turns 42 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2032
- Best matches
- Dragon and Monkey (三合 trine), Ox (六合 pair) · clashes with the Horse
Born in 1984? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1984 the cut-off was 2 February 1984.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 1 Feb 1984 1984 | Pig 猪 | Water | 癸亥 |
| 2 Feb 1984 – 31 Dec 1984 | Rat 鼠 | Wood | 甲子 |
| 1 Jan 1985 – 19 Feb 1985 | Rat 鼠 (still) | Wood | 甲子 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1984 in 1984) 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 Rats: China’s births in 1984
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 18.02 million births in mainland China in 1984, −5.1% compared with 1983 (19 million); 1985 had 21.99 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1984 ranks 46th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1984’s babies belong to the Pig and the first weeks of 1985 to the Rat. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Rat means
Tradition calls Rat people quick-witted, adaptable and sociable, and pairs them best with the Dragon and Monkey. The element adds a layer: a Wood Rat is read differently from a Fire Rat. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Rat years. Read the full Year of the Rat guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Rat
The Rat returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Wood Rat itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Wood Rat 木鼠 · 甲子 | 5 Feb 1924 | 23 Jan 1925 |
| 1936 | Fire Rat 火鼠 · 丙子 | 24 Jan 1936 | 10 Feb 1937 |
| 1948 | Earth Rat 土鼠 · 戊子 | 10 Feb 1948 | 28 Jan 1949 |
| 1960 | Metal Rat 金鼠 · 庚子 | 28 Jan 1960 | 14 Feb 1961 |
| 1972 | Water Rat 水鼠 · 壬子 | 15 Feb 1972 | 2 Feb 1973 |
| 1984 | Wood Rat 木鼠 · 甲子 | 2 Feb 1984 | 19 Feb 1985 |
| 1996 | Fire Rat 火鼠 · 丙子 | 19 Feb 1996 | 6 Feb 1997 |
| 2008 | Earth Rat 土鼠 · 戊子 | 7 Feb 2008 | 25 Jan 2009 |
| 2020 | Metal Rat 金鼠 · 庚子 | 25 Jan 2020 | 11 Feb 2021 |
| 2032 | Water Rat 水鼠 · 壬子 | 11 Feb 2032 | 30 Jan 2033 |
| 2044 | Wood Rat 木鼠 · 甲子 | 30 Jan 2044 | 16 Feb 2045 |
Matches for people born in 1984
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 1984
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1984. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1984 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 2 February 1984 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 16 February 1984 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 1984 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 4 June 1984 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 10 September 1984 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 1 February 1984 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1984?
1984 is the Year of the Rat (鼠, shǔ). In the full 60-year cycle it is 甲子, a Wood Rat year, yang (阳). It began on 2 February 1984 and ended on 19 February 1985; 1985 is the Year of the Ox.
I was born in January or February 1984. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Rat started on 2 February 1984. Born on or after that date, you are a Rat; born between 1 January and 1 February 1984, you are a Pig. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1984 in 1984; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1984 in the Chinese zodiac?
Wood (木, mù). The element comes from the heavenly stem 甲 (jiǎ), which also makes 1984 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Wood Rat, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1924 and the next is 2044.
How old is someone born in 1984 in 2026?
Someone born in 1984 turns 42 in 2026 (41 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 43 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Rat?
2032, starting on 11 February 2032. For someone born in 1984 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 1984?
About 18.02 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −5.1% compared with 1983. That ranks 1984 46th 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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