Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2030 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dog
庚戌年 Metal Dog, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Dog, the element and matches.
The answer
2030 is the Year of the Dog in the Chinese zodiac: a Metal Dog year, 庚戌 (gēng xū) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 3 February 2030 to 22 January 2031, so people born from 1 January to 2 February 2030 belong to the previous animal, the Rooster.
2030 at a glance
- Animal
- Dog 狗 (gǒu), eleventh of the 12
- Element
- Metal 金, yang (阳), from the stem 庚 (gēng)
- 60-year cycle
- 庚戌 gēng xū · the same Metal Dog year was 1970 and comes again in 2090
- Starts
- Sunday, 3 February 2030 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Wednesday, 22 January 2031 · the Year of the Pig begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2030 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- 本命年
- Children born in 2030 have their first 本命年 (own zodiac year) in 2042, then 2054
- Best matches
- Tiger and Horse (三合 trine), Rabbit (六合 pair) · clashes with the Dragon
Born in 2030? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2030 the cut-off was 3 February 2030.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 2 Feb 2030 2030 | Rooster 鸡 | Earth | 己酉 |
| 3 Feb 2030 – 31 Dec 2030 | Dog 狗 | Metal | 庚戌 |
| 1 Jan 2031 – 22 Jan 2031 | Dog 狗 (still) | Metal | 庚戌 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2030 in 2030) 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.
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 Metal Dog is read differently from a Water 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 Metal Dog itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2090 | Metal Dog 金狗 · 庚戌 | 30 Jan 2090 | 17 Feb 2091 |
Matches for people born in 2030
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 2030
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2030. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2030 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 3 February 2030 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 17 February 2030 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 2030 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 5 June 2030 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 12 September 2030 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 2 February 2030 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2030?
2030 is the Year of the Dog (狗, gǒu). In the full 60-year cycle it is 庚戌, a Metal Dog year, yang (阳). It began on 3 February 2030 and ended on 22 January 2031; 2031 is the Year of the Pig.
I was born in January or February 2030. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Dog started on 3 February 2030. Born on or after that date, you are a Dog; born between 1 January and 2 February 2030, 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 2030 in 2030; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2030 in the Chinese zodiac?
Metal (金, jīn). The element comes from the heavenly stem 庚 (gēng), which also makes 2030 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Metal Dog, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1970 and the next is 2090.
When is the next Year of the Dog?
2042, starting on 22 January 2042. For someone born in 2030 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.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · 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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