Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2012 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dragon
壬辰年 Water Dragon, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Dragon, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 2012.
The answer
2012 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac: a Water Dragon year, 壬辰 (rén chén) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 23 January 2012 to 9 February 2013, so people born from 1 January to 22 January 2012 belong to the previous animal, the Rabbit. China recorded 19.73 million births in 2012.
2012 at a glance
- Animal
- Dragon 龙 (lóng), fifth of the 12
- Element
- Water 水, yang (阳), from the stem 壬 (rén)
- 60-year cycle
- 壬辰 rén chén · the same Water Dragon year was 1952 and comes again in 2072
- Starts
- Monday, 23 January 2012 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Saturday, 9 February 2013 · the Year of the Snake begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2012 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 2012
- 19.73 million in mainland China (NBS), +9.8% on 2011
- Age in 2026
- Turns 14 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2036
- Best matches
- Monkey and Rat (三合 trine), Rooster (六合 pair) · clashes with the Dog
Born in 2012? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2012 the cut-off was 23 January 2012.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 22 Jan 2012 2012 | Rabbit 兔 | Metal | 辛卯 |
| 23 Jan 2012 – 31 Dec 2012 | Dragon 龙 | Water | 壬辰 |
| 1 Jan 2013 – 9 Feb 2013 | Dragon 龙 (still) | Water | 壬辰 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2012 in 2012) 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 Dragons: China’s births in 2012
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 19.73 million births in mainland China in 2012, +9.8% compared with 2011 (17.97 million); 2013 had 17.76 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 2012 ranks 38th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 2012’s babies belong to the Rabbit and the first weeks of 2013 to the Dragon. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Dragon means
Tradition calls Dragon people confident, ambitious and energetic, and pairs them best with the Monkey and Rat. The element adds a layer: a Water Dragon is read differently from a Wood Dragon. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Dragon years. Read the full Year of the Dragon guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Dragon
The Dragon returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Water Dragon itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Water Dragon 水龙 · 壬辰 | 27 Jan 1952 | 13 Feb 1953 |
| 1964 | Wood Dragon 木龙 · 甲辰 | 13 Feb 1964 | 1 Feb 1965 |
| 1976 | Fire Dragon 火龙 · 丙辰 | 31 Jan 1976 | 17 Feb 1977 |
| 1988 | Earth Dragon 土龙 · 戊辰 | 17 Feb 1988 | 5 Feb 1989 |
| 2000 | Metal Dragon 金龙 · 庚辰 | 5 Feb 2000 | 23 Jan 2001 |
| 2012 | Water Dragon 水龙 · 壬辰 | 23 Jan 2012 | 9 Feb 2013 |
| 2024 | Wood Dragon 木龙 · 甲辰 | 10 Feb 2024 | 28 Jan 2025 |
| 2036 | Fire Dragon 火龙 · 丙辰 | 28 Jan 2036 | 14 Feb 2037 |
| 2048 | Earth Dragon 土龙 · 戊辰 | 14 Feb 2048 | 1 Feb 2049 |
| 2060 | Metal Dragon 金龙 · 庚辰 | 2 Feb 2060 | 20 Jan 2061 |
| 2072 | Water Dragon 水龙 · 壬辰 | 19 Feb 2072 | 6 Feb 2073 |
Matches for people born in 2012
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 2012
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2012. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2012 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 23 January 2012 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 6 February 2012 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 2012 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 23 June 2012 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 30 September 2012 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 22 January 2012 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2012?
2012 is the Year of the Dragon (龙, lóng). In the full 60-year cycle it is 壬辰, a Water Dragon year, yang (阳). It began on 23 January 2012 and ended on 9 February 2013; 2013 is the Year of the Snake.
I was born in January or February 2012. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Dragon started on 23 January 2012. Born on or after that date, you are a Dragon; born between 1 January and 22 January 2012, you are a Rabbit. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2012 in 2012; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2012 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 壬 (rén), which also makes 2012 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Water Dragon, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1952 and the next is 2072.
How old is someone born in 2012 in 2026?
Someone born in 2012 turns 14 in 2026 (13 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 15 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Dragon?
2036, starting on 28 January 2036. For someone born in 2012 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 2012?
About 19.73 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, +9.8% compared with 2011. That ranks 2012 38th 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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