Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2018 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dog
戊戌年 Earth Dog, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Dog, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 2018.
The answer
2018 is the Year of the Dog in the Chinese zodiac: a Earth Dog year, 戊戌 (wù xū) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 16 February 2018 to 4 February 2019, so people born from 1 January to 15 February 2018 belong to the previous animal, the Rooster. China recorded 15.23 million births in 2018.
2018 at a glance
- Animal
- Dog 狗 (gǒu), eleventh of the 12
- Element
- Earth 土, yang (阳), from the stem 戊 (wù)
- 60-year cycle
- 戊戌 wù xū · the same Earth Dog year was 1958 and comes again in 2078
- Starts
- Friday, 16 February 2018 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Monday, 4 February 2019 · the Year of the Pig begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2018 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 2018
- 15.23 million in mainland China (NBS), −11.6% on 2017
- Age in 2026
- Turns 8 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2030
- Best matches
- Tiger and Horse (三合 trine), Rabbit (六合 pair) · clashes with the Dragon
Born in 2018? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2018 the cut-off was 16 February 2018.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 15 Feb 2018 2018 | Rooster 鸡 | Fire | 丁酉 |
| 16 Feb 2018 – 31 Dec 2018 | Dog 狗 | Earth | 戊戌 |
| 1 Jan 2019 – 4 Feb 2019 | Dog 狗 (still) | Earth | 戊戌 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2018 in 2018) 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 Dogs: China’s births in 2018
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 15.23 million births in mainland China in 2018, −11.6% compared with 2017 (17.23 million); 2019 had 14.65 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 2018 ranks 68th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 2018’s babies belong to the Rooster and the first weeks of 2019 to the Dog. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Dog means
Tradition calls Dog people loyal, honest and brave, and pairs them best with the Tiger and Horse. The element adds a layer: a Earth Dog is read differently from a Metal Dog. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Dog years. Read the full Year of the Dog guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Dog
The Dog returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Earth Dog itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Earth Dog 土狗 · 戊戌 | 18 Feb 1958 | 7 Feb 1959 |
| 1970 | Metal Dog 金狗 · 庚戌 | 6 Feb 1970 | 26 Jan 1971 |
| 1982 | Water Dog 水狗 · 壬戌 | 25 Jan 1982 | 12 Feb 1983 |
| 1994 | Wood Dog 木狗 · 甲戌 | 10 Feb 1994 | 30 Jan 1995 |
| 2006 | Fire Dog 火狗 · 丙戌 | 29 Jan 2006 | 17 Feb 2007 |
| 2018 | Earth Dog 土狗 · 戊戌 | 16 Feb 2018 | 4 Feb 2019 |
| 2030 | Metal Dog 金狗 · 庚戌 | 3 Feb 2030 | 22 Jan 2031 |
| 2042 | Water Dog 水狗 · 壬戌 | 22 Jan 2042 | 9 Feb 2043 |
| 2054 | Wood Dog 木狗 · 甲戌 | 8 Feb 2054 | 27 Jan 2055 |
| 2066 | Fire Dog 火狗 · 丙戌 | 26 Jan 2066 | 13 Feb 2067 |
| 2078 | Earth Dog 土狗 · 戊戌 | 12 Feb 2078 | 1 Feb 2079 |
Matches for people born in 2018
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 2018
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2018. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2018 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 16 February 2018 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 2 March 2018 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 2018 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 18 June 2018 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 24 September 2018 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 15 February 2018 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2018?
2018 is the Year of the Dog (狗, gǒu). In the full 60-year cycle it is 戊戌, a Earth Dog year, yang (阳). It began on 16 February 2018 and ended on 4 February 2019; 2019 is the Year of the Pig.
I was born in January or February 2018. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Dog started on 16 February 2018. Born on or after that date, you are a Dog; born between 1 January and 15 February 2018, you are a Rooster. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2018 in 2018; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2018 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth (土, tǔ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 戊 (wù), which also makes 2018 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Earth Dog, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1958 and the next is 2078.
How old is someone born in 2018 in 2026?
Someone born in 2018 turns 8 in 2026 (7 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 9 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Dog?
2030, starting on 3 February 2030. For someone born in 2018 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 2018?
About 15.23 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −11.6% compared with 2017. That ranks 2018 68th 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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