Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1996 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Rat
丙子年 Fire Rat, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Rat, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1996.
The answer
1996 is the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac: a Fire Rat year, 丙子 (bǐng zǐ) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 19 February 1996 to 6 February 1997, so people born from 1 January to 18 February 1996 belong to the previous animal, the Pig. China recorded 20.67 million births in 1996.
1996 at a glance
- Animal
- Rat 鼠 (shǔ), first of the 12
- Element
- Fire 火, yang (阳), from the stem 丙 (bǐng)
- 60-year cycle
- 丙子 bǐng zǐ · the same Fire Rat year was 1936 and comes again in 2056
- Starts
- Monday, 19 February 1996 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Thursday, 6 February 1997 · the Year of the Ox begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1996 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1996
- 20.67 million in mainland China (NBS), +0.2% on 1995
- Age in 2026
- Turns 30 · 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 1996? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1996 the cut-off was 19 February 1996.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 18 Feb 1996 1996 | Pig 猪 | Wood | 乙亥 |
| 19 Feb 1996 – 31 Dec 1996 | Rat 鼠 | Fire | 丙子 |
| 1 Jan 1997 – 6 Feb 1997 | Rat 鼠 (still) | Fire | 丙子 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1996 in 1996) 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 1996
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 20.67 million births in mainland China in 1996, +0.2% compared with 1995 (20.63 million); 1997 had 20.38 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1996 ranks 32th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1996’s babies belong to the Pig and the first weeks of 1997 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 Fire Rat is read differently from a Earth 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 Fire Rat itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2056 | Fire Rat 火鼠 · 丙子 | 15 Feb 2056 | 3 Feb 2057 |
Matches for people born in 1996
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 1996
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1996. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1996 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 19 February 1996 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 4 March 1996 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 1996 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 20 June 1996 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 27 September 1996 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 18 February 1996 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1996?
1996 is the Year of the Rat (鼠, shǔ). In the full 60-year cycle it is 丙子, a Fire Rat year, yang (阳). It began on 19 February 1996 and ended on 6 February 1997; 1997 is the Year of the Ox.
I was born in January or February 1996. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Rat started on 19 February 1996. Born on or after that date, you are a Rat; born between 1 January and 18 February 1996, 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 1996 in 1996; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1996 in the Chinese zodiac?
Fire (火, huǒ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 丙 (bǐng), which also makes 1996 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Fire Rat, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1936 and the next is 2056.
How old is someone born in 1996 in 2026?
Someone born in 1996 turns 30 in 2026 (29 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 31 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Rat?
2032, starting on 11 February 2032. For someone born in 1996 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 1996?
About 20.67 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, +0.2% compared with 1995. That ranks 1996 32th 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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