Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1993 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Rooster
癸酉年 Water Rooster, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Rooster, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1993.
The answer
1993 is the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese zodiac: a Water Rooster year, 癸酉 (guǐ yǒu) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 23 January 1993 to 9 February 1994, so people born from 1 January to 22 January 1993 belong to the previous animal, the Monkey. China recorded 21.32 million births in 1993.
1993 at a glance
- Animal
- Rooster 鸡 (jī), tenth of the 12
- Element
- Water 水, yin (阴), from the stem 癸 (guǐ)
- 60-year cycle
- 癸酉 guǐ yǒu · the same Water Rooster year was 1933 and comes again in 2053
- Starts
- Saturday, 23 January 1993 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Wednesday, 9 February 1994 · the Year of the Dog begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1993 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1993
- 21.32 million in mainland China (NBS), +0.3% on 1992
- Age in 2026
- Turns 33 · 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 1993? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1993 the cut-off was 23 January 1993.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 22 Jan 1993 1993 | Monkey 猴 | Water | 壬申 |
| 23 Jan 1993 – 31 Dec 1993 | Rooster 鸡 | Water | 癸酉 |
| 1 Jan 1994 – 9 Feb 1994 | Rooster 鸡 (still) | Water | 癸酉 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1993 in 1993) 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 1993
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 21.32 million births in mainland China in 1993, +0.3% compared with 1992 (21.25 million); 1994 had 21.1 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1993 ranks 24th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1993’s babies belong to the Monkey and the first weeks of 1994 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 Water Rooster is read differently from a Wood 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 Water Rooster itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2053 | Water Rooster 水鸡 · 癸酉 | 19 Feb 2053 | 7 Feb 2054 |
Matches for people born in 1993
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 1993
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1993. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1993 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 23 January 1993 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 6 February 1993 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1993 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 24 June 1993 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 30 September 1993 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 22 January 1993 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1993?
1993 is the Year of the Rooster (鸡, jī). In the full 60-year cycle it is 癸酉, a Water Rooster year, yin (阴). It began on 23 January 1993 and ended on 9 February 1994; 1994 is the Year of the Dog.
I was born in January or February 1993. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Rooster started on 23 January 1993. Born on or after that date, you are a Rooster; born between 1 January and 22 January 1993, 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 1993 in 1993; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1993 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 癸 (guǐ), which also makes 1993 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Water Rooster, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1933 and the next is 2053.
How old is someone born in 1993 in 2026?
Someone born in 1993 turns 33 in 2026 (32 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 34 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Rooster?
2029, starting on 13 February 2029. For someone born in 1993 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 1993?
About 21.32 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, +0.3% compared with 1992. That ranks 1993 24th 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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