Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2022 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Tiger
壬寅年 Water Tiger, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Tiger, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 2022.
The answer
2022 is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac: a Water Tiger year, 壬寅 (rén yín) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 1 February 2022 to 21 January 2023, so people born from 1 January to 31 January 2022 belong to the previous animal, the Ox. China recorded 9.56 million births in 2022.
2022 at a glance
- Animal
- Tiger 虎 (hǔ), third of the 12
- Element
- Water 水, yang (阳), from the stem 壬 (rén)
- 60-year cycle
- 壬寅 rén yín · the same Water Tiger year was 1962 and comes again in 2082
- Starts
- Tuesday, 1 February 2022 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Saturday, 21 January 2023 · the Year of the Rabbit begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2022 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 2022
- 9.56 million in mainland China (NBS), −10% on 2021
- Age in 2026
- Turns 4 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2034
- Best matches
- Horse and Dog (三合 trine), Pig (六合 pair) · clashes with the Monkey
Born in 2022? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2022 the cut-off was 1 February 2022.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 31 Jan 2022 2022 | Ox 牛 | Metal | 辛丑 |
| 1 Feb 2022 – 31 Dec 2022 | Tiger 虎 | Water | 壬寅 |
| 1 Jan 2023 – 21 Jan 2023 | Tiger 虎 (still) | Water | 壬寅 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2022 in 2022) 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 Tigers: China’s births in 2022
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 9.56 million births in mainland China in 2022, −10% compared with 2021 (10.62 million); 2023 had 9.02 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 2022 ranks 74th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 2022’s babies belong to the Ox and the first weeks of 2023 to the Tiger. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Tiger means
Tradition calls Tiger people brave, confident and competitive, and pairs them best with the Horse and Dog. The element adds a layer: a Water Tiger is read differently from a Wood Tiger. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Tiger years. Read the full Year of the Tiger guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Tiger
The Tiger returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Water Tiger itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Water Tiger 水虎 · 壬寅 | 5 Feb 1962 | 24 Jan 1963 |
| 1974 | Wood Tiger 木虎 · 甲寅 | 23 Jan 1974 | 10 Feb 1975 |
| 1986 | Fire Tiger 火虎 · 丙寅 | 9 Feb 1986 | 28 Jan 1987 |
| 1998 | Earth Tiger 土虎 · 戊寅 | 28 Jan 1998 | 15 Feb 1999 |
| 2010 | Metal Tiger 金虎 · 庚寅 | 14 Feb 2010 | 2 Feb 2011 |
| 2022 | Water Tiger 水虎 · 壬寅 | 1 Feb 2022 | 21 Jan 2023 |
| 2034 | Wood Tiger 木虎 · 甲寅 | 19 Feb 2034 | 7 Feb 2035 |
| 2046 | Fire Tiger 火虎 · 丙寅 | 6 Feb 2046 | 25 Jan 2047 |
| 2058 | Earth Tiger 土虎 · 戊寅 | 24 Jan 2058 | 11 Feb 2059 |
| 2070 | Metal Tiger 金虎 · 庚寅 | 11 Feb 2070 | 30 Jan 2071 |
| 2082 | Water Tiger 水虎 · 壬寅 | 29 Jan 2082 | 16 Feb 2083 |
Matches for people born in 2022
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 2022
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2022. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2022 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 1 February 2022 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 15 February 2022 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 2022 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 3 June 2022 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 10 September 2022 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 31 January 2022 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2022?
2022 is the Year of the Tiger (虎, hǔ). In the full 60-year cycle it is 壬寅, a Water Tiger year, yang (阳). It began on 1 February 2022 and ended on 21 January 2023; 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit.
I was born in January or February 2022. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Tiger started on 1 February 2022. Born on or after that date, you are a Tiger; born between 1 January and 31 January 2022, you are an Ox. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2022 in 2022; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2022 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 壬 (rén), which also makes 2022 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Water Tiger, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1962 and the next is 2082.
How old is someone born in 2022 in 2026?
Someone born in 2022 turns 4 in 2026 (3 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 5 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Tiger?
2034, starting on 19 February 2034. For someone born in 2022 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 2022?
About 9.56 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −10% compared with 2021. That ranks 2022 74th 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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