Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2019 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Pig
己亥年 Earth Pig, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Pig, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 2019.
The answer
2019 is the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac: a Earth Pig year, 己亥 (jǐ hài) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 5 February 2019 to 24 January 2020, so people born from 1 January to 4 February 2019 belong to the previous animal, the Dog. China recorded 14.65 million births in 2019.
2019 at a glance
- Animal
- Pig 猪 (zhū), twelfth of the 12
- Element
- Earth 土, yin (阴), from the stem 己 (jǐ)
- 60-year cycle
- 己亥 jǐ hài · the same Earth Pig year was 1959 and comes again in 2079
- Starts
- Tuesday, 5 February 2019 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Friday, 24 January 2020 · the Year of the Rat begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2019 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 2019
- 14.65 million in mainland China (NBS), −3.8% on 2018
- Age in 2026
- Turns 7 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2031
- Best matches
- Rabbit and Goat (三合 trine), Tiger (六合 pair) · clashes with the Snake
Born in 2019? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2019 the cut-off was 5 February 2019.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 4 Feb 2019 2019 | Dog 狗 | Earth | 戊戌 |
| 5 Feb 2019 – 31 Dec 2019 | Pig 猪 | Earth | 己亥 |
| 1 Jan 2020 – 24 Jan 2020 | Pig 猪 (still) | Earth | 己亥 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2019 in 2019) 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 Pigs: China’s births in 2019
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 14.65 million births in mainland China in 2019, −3.8% compared with 2018 (15.23 million); 2020 had 12.02 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 2019 ranks 69th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 2019’s babies belong to the Dog and the first weeks of 2020 to the Pig. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Pig means
Tradition calls Pig people generous, sincere and optimistic, and pairs them best with the Rabbit and Goat. The element adds a layer: a Earth Pig is read differently from a Metal Pig. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Pig years. Read the full Year of the Pig guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Pig
The Pig returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Earth Pig itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Earth Pig 土猪 · 己亥 | 8 Feb 1959 | 27 Jan 1960 |
| 1971 | Metal Pig 金猪 · 辛亥 | 27 Jan 1971 | 14 Feb 1972 |
| 1983 | Water Pig 水猪 · 癸亥 | 13 Feb 1983 | 1 Feb 1984 |
| 1995 | Wood Pig 木猪 · 乙亥 | 31 Jan 1995 | 18 Feb 1996 |
| 2007 | Fire Pig 火猪 · 丁亥 | 18 Feb 2007 | 6 Feb 2008 |
| 2019 | Earth Pig 土猪 · 己亥 | 5 Feb 2019 | 24 Jan 2020 |
| 2031 | Metal Pig 金猪 · 辛亥 | 23 Jan 2031 | 10 Feb 2032 |
| 2043 | Water Pig 水猪 · 癸亥 | 10 Feb 2043 | 29 Jan 2044 |
| 2055 | Wood Pig 木猪 · 乙亥 | 28 Jan 2055 | 14 Feb 2056 |
| 2067 | Fire Pig 火猪 · 丁亥 | 14 Feb 2067 | 2 Feb 2068 |
| 2079 | Earth Pig 土猪 · 己亥 | 2 Feb 2079 | 21 Jan 2080 |
Matches for people born in 2019
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 2019
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2019. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2019 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 5 February 2019 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 19 February 2019 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 2019 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 7 June 2019 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 13 September 2019 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 4 February 2019 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2019?
2019 is the Year of the Pig (猪, zhū). In the full 60-year cycle it is 己亥, a Earth Pig year, yin (阴). It began on 5 February 2019 and ended on 24 January 2020; 2020 is the Year of the Rat.
I was born in January or February 2019. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Pig started on 5 February 2019. Born on or after that date, you are a Pig; born between 1 January and 4 February 2019, you are a Dog. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2019 in 2019; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2019 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth (土, tǔ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 己 (jǐ), which also makes 2019 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Earth Pig, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1959 and the next is 2079.
How old is someone born in 2019 in 2026?
Someone born in 2019 turns 7 in 2026 (6 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 8 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Pig?
2031, starting on 23 January 2031. For someone born in 2019 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 2019?
About 14.65 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −3.8% compared with 2018. That ranks 2019 69th 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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