Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1990 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Horse
庚午年 Metal Horse, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Horse, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1990.
The answer
1990 is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac: a Metal Horse year, 庚午 (gēng wǔ) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 27 January 1990 to 14 February 1991, so people born from 1 January to 26 January 1990 belong to the previous animal, the Snake. China recorded 23.91 million births in 1990.
1990 at a glance
- Animal
- Horse 马 (mǎ), seventh of the 12
- Element
- Metal 金, yang (阳), from the stem 庚 (gēng)
- 60-year cycle
- 庚午 gēng wǔ · the same Metal Horse year was 1930 and comes again in 2050
- Starts
- Saturday, 27 January 1990 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Thursday, 14 February 1991 · the Year of the Goat begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1990 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1990
- 23.91 million in mainland China (NBS), −1% on 1989
- Age in 2026
- Turns 36 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2026 (this year)
- Best matches
- Dog and Tiger (三合 trine), Goat (六合 pair) · clashes with the Rat
Born in 1990? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1990 the cut-off was 27 January 1990.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 26 Jan 1990 1990 | Snake 蛇 | Earth | 己巳 |
| 27 Jan 1990 – 31 Dec 1990 | Horse 马 | Metal | 庚午 |
| 1 Jan 1991 – 14 Feb 1991 | Horse 马 (still) | Metal | 庚午 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1990 in 1990) 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 Horses: China’s births in 1990
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 23.91 million births in mainland China in 1990, −1% compared with 1989 (24.14 million); 1991 had 22.65 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1990 ranks 17th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1990’s babies belong to the Snake and the first weeks of 1991 to the Horse. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Horse means
Tradition calls Horse people energetic, independent and adventurous. The element adds a layer: a Metal Horse is read differently from a Water Horse. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Horse years. Read the full Year of the Horse guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Horse
The Horse returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Metal Horse itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Metal Horse 金马 · 庚午 | 30 Jan 1930 | 16 Feb 1931 |
| 1942 | Water Horse 水马 · 壬午 | 15 Feb 1942 | 4 Feb 1943 |
| 1954 | Wood Horse 木马 · 甲午 | 3 Feb 1954 | 23 Jan 1955 |
| 1966 | Fire Horse 火马 · 丙午 | 21 Jan 1966 | 8 Feb 1967 |
| 1978 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 7 Feb 1978 | 27 Jan 1979 |
| 1990 | Metal Horse 金马 · 庚午 | 27 Jan 1990 | 14 Feb 1991 |
| 2002 | Water Horse 水马 · 壬午 | 12 Feb 2002 | 31 Jan 2003 |
| 2014 | Wood Horse 木马 · 甲午 | 31 Jan 2014 | 18 Feb 2015 |
| 2026 | Fire Horse 火马 · 丙午 | 17 Feb 2026 | 5 Feb 2027 |
| 2038 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 4 Feb 2038 | 23 Jan 2039 |
| 2050 | Metal Horse 金马 · 庚午 | 23 Jan 2050 | 10 Feb 2051 |
Matches for people born in 1990
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 1990
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1990. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1990 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 27 January 1990 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 10 February 1990 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1990 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 28 May 1990 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 3 October 1990 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 26 January 1990 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1990?
1990 is the Year of the Horse (马, mǎ). In the full 60-year cycle it is 庚午, a Metal Horse year, yang (阳). It began on 27 January 1990 and ended on 14 February 1991; 1991 is the Year of the Goat.
I was born in January or February 1990. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Horse started on 27 January 1990. Born on or after that date, you are a Horse; born between 1 January and 26 January 1990, you are a Snake. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1990 in 1990; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1990 in the Chinese zodiac?
Metal (金, jīn). The element comes from the heavenly stem 庚 (gēng), which also makes 1990 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Metal Horse, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1930 and the next is 2050.
How old is someone born in 1990 in 2026?
Someone born in 1990 turns 36 in 2026 (35 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 37 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Horse?
2038, starting on 4 February 2038. For someone born in 1990 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 1990?
About 23.91 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −1% compared with 1989. That ranks 1990 17th 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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