Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2004 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Monkey
甲申年 Wood Monkey, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Monkey, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 2004.
The answer
2004 is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac: a Wood Monkey year, 甲申 (jiǎ shēn) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 22 January 2004 to 8 February 2005, so people born from 1 January to 21 January 2004 belong to the previous animal, the Goat. China recorded 15.93 million births in 2004.
2004 at a glance
- Animal
- Monkey 猴 (hóu), ninth of the 12
- Element
- Wood 木, yang (阳), from the stem 甲 (jiǎ)
- 60-year cycle
- 甲申 jiǎ shēn · the same Wood Monkey year was 1944 and comes again in 2064
- Starts
- Thursday, 22 January 2004 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Tuesday, 8 February 2005 · the Year of the Rooster begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2004 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 2004
- 15.93 million in mainland China (NBS), −0.4% on 2003
- Age in 2026
- Turns 22 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2028
- Best matches
- Rat and Dragon (三合 trine), Snake (六合 pair) · clashes with the Tiger
Born in 2004? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2004 the cut-off was 22 January 2004.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 21 Jan 2004 2004 | Goat 羊 | Water | 癸未 |
| 22 Jan 2004 – 31 Dec 2004 | Monkey 猴 | Wood | 甲申 |
| 1 Jan 2005 – 8 Feb 2005 | Monkey 猴 (still) | Wood | 甲申 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2004 in 2004) 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 Monkeys: China’s births in 2004
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 15.93 million births in mainland China in 2004, −0.4% compared with 2003 (15.99 million); 2005 had 16.17 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 2004 ranks 64th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 2004’s babies belong to the Goat and the first weeks of 2005 to the Monkey. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Monkey means
Tradition calls Monkey people clever, lively and versatile, and pairs them best with the Rat and Dragon. The element adds a layer: a Wood Monkey is read differently from a Fire Monkey. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Monkey years. Read the full Year of the Monkey guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Monkey
The Monkey returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Wood Monkey itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Wood Monkey 木猴 · 甲申 | 25 Jan 1944 | 12 Feb 1945 |
| 1956 | Fire Monkey 火猴 · 丙申 | 12 Feb 1956 | 30 Jan 1957 |
| 1968 | Earth Monkey 土猴 · 戊申 | 30 Jan 1968 | 16 Feb 1969 |
| 1980 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 16 Feb 1980 | 4 Feb 1981 |
| 1992 | Water Monkey 水猴 · 壬申 | 4 Feb 1992 | 22 Jan 1993 |
| 2004 | Wood Monkey 木猴 · 甲申 | 22 Jan 2004 | 8 Feb 2005 |
| 2016 | Fire Monkey 火猴 · 丙申 | 8 Feb 2016 | 27 Jan 2017 |
| 2028 | Earth Monkey 土猴 · 戊申 | 26 Jan 2028 | 12 Feb 2029 |
| 2040 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 12 Feb 2040 | 31 Jan 2041 |
| 2052 | Water Monkey 水猴 · 壬申 | 1 Feb 2052 | 18 Feb 2053 |
| 2064 | Wood Monkey 木猴 · 甲申 | 17 Feb 2064 | 4 Feb 2065 |
Matches for people born in 2004
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 2004
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2004. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2004 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 22 January 2004 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 5 February 2004 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 2004 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 22 June 2004 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 28 September 2004 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 21 January 2004 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2004?
2004 is the Year of the Monkey (猴, hóu). In the full 60-year cycle it is 甲申, a Wood Monkey year, yang (阳). It began on 22 January 2004 and ended on 8 February 2005; 2005 is the Year of the Rooster.
I was born in January or February 2004. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Monkey started on 22 January 2004. Born on or after that date, you are a Monkey; born between 1 January and 21 January 2004, you are a Goat. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2004 in 2004; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2004 in the Chinese zodiac?
Wood (木, mù). The element comes from the heavenly stem 甲 (jiǎ), which also makes 2004 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Wood Monkey, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1944 and the next is 2064.
How old is someone born in 2004 in 2026?
Someone born in 2004 turns 22 in 2026 (21 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 23 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Monkey?
2028, starting on 26 January 2028. For someone born in 2004 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 2004?
About 15.93 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −0.4% compared with 2003. That ranks 2004 64th 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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