Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2021 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Ox
辛丑年 Metal Ox, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as an Ox, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 2021.
The answer
2021 is the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac: an Metal Ox year, 辛丑 (xīn chǒu) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 12 February 2021 to 31 January 2022, so people born from 1 January to 11 February 2021 belong to the previous animal, the Rat. China recorded 10.62 million births in 2021.
2021 at a glance
- Animal
- Ox 牛 (niú), second of the 12
- Element
- Metal 金, yin (阴), from the stem 辛 (xīn)
- 60-year cycle
- 辛丑 xīn chǒu · the same Metal Ox year was 1961 and comes again in 2081
- Starts
- Friday, 12 February 2021 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Monday, 31 January 2022 · the Year of the Tiger begins the next day
- Lichun
- 3 February 2021 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 2021
- 10.62 million in mainland China (NBS), −11.6% on 2020
- Age in 2026
- Turns 5 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2033
- Best matches
- Snake and Rooster (三合 trine), Rat (六合 pair) · clashes with the Goat
Born in 2021? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2021 the cut-off was 12 February 2021.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 11 Feb 2021 2021 | Rat 鼠 | Metal | 庚子 |
| 12 Feb 2021 – 31 Dec 2021 | Ox 牛 | Metal | 辛丑 |
| 1 Jan 2022 – 31 Jan 2022 | Ox 牛 (still) | Metal | 辛丑 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (3 February 2021 in 2021) 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 Oxs: China’s births in 2021
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 10.62 million births in mainland China in 2021, −11.6% compared with 2020 (12.02 million); 2022 had 9.56 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 2021 ranks 73th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 2021’s babies belong to the Rat and the first weeks of 2022 to the Ox. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Ox means
Tradition calls Ox people diligent, dependable and patient, and pairs them best with the Snake and Rooster. The element adds a layer: a Metal Ox is read differently from a Water Ox. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Ox years. Read the full Year of the Ox guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Ox
The Ox returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Metal Ox itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Metal Ox 金牛 · 辛丑 | 15 Feb 1961 | 4 Feb 1962 |
| 1973 | Water Ox 水牛 · 癸丑 | 3 Feb 1973 | 22 Jan 1974 |
| 1985 | Wood Ox 木牛 · 乙丑 | 20 Feb 1985 | 8 Feb 1986 |
| 1997 | Fire Ox 火牛 · 丁丑 | 7 Feb 1997 | 27 Jan 1998 |
| 2009 | Earth Ox 土牛 · 己丑 | 26 Jan 2009 | 13 Feb 2010 |
| 2021 | Metal Ox 金牛 · 辛丑 | 12 Feb 2021 | 31 Jan 2022 |
| 2033 | Water Ox 水牛 · 癸丑 | 31 Jan 2033 | 18 Feb 2034 |
| 2045 | Wood Ox 木牛 · 乙丑 | 17 Feb 2045 | 5 Feb 2046 |
| 2057 | Fire Ox 火牛 · 丁丑 | 4 Feb 2057 | 23 Jan 2058 |
| 2069 | Earth Ox 土牛 · 己丑 | 23 Jan 2069 | 10 Feb 2070 |
| 2081 | Metal Ox 金牛 · 辛丑 | 9 Feb 2081 | 28 Jan 2082 |
Matches for people born in 2021
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 2021
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2021. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2021 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 12 February 2021 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 26 February 2021 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 2021 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 14 June 2021 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 21 September 2021 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 11 February 2021 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2021?
2021 is the Year of the Ox (牛, niú). In the full 60-year cycle it is 辛丑, an Metal Ox year, yin (阴). It began on 12 February 2021 and ended on 31 January 2022; 2022 is the Year of the Tiger.
I was born in January or February 2021. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Ox started on 12 February 2021. Born on or after that date, you are an Ox; born between 1 January and 11 February 2021, you are a Rat. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 3 February 2021 in 2021; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2021 in the Chinese zodiac?
Metal (金, jīn). The element comes from the heavenly stem 辛 (xīn), which also makes 2021 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Metal Ox, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1961 and the next is 2081.
How old is someone born in 2021 in 2026?
Someone born in 2021 turns 5 in 2026 (4 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 6 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Ox?
2033, starting on 31 January 2033. For someone born in 2021 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 2021?
About 10.62 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −11.6% compared with 2020. That ranks 2021 73th 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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