Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2032 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Rat
壬子年 Water Rat, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Rat, the element and matches.
The answer
2032 is the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac: a Water Rat year, 壬子 (rén zǐ) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 11 February 2032 to 30 January 2033, so people born from 1 January to 10 February 2032 belong to the previous animal, the Pig.
2032 at a glance
- Animal
- Rat 鼠 (shǔ), first of the 12
- Element
- Water 水, yang (阳), from the stem 壬 (rén)
- 60-year cycle
- 壬子 rén zǐ · the same Water Rat year was 1972 and comes again in 2092
- Starts
- Wednesday, 11 February 2032 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Sunday, 30 January 2033 · the Year of the Ox begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2032 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- 本命年
- Children born in 2032 have their first 本命年 (own zodiac year) in 2044, then 2056
- Best matches
- Dragon and Monkey (三合 trine), Ox (六合 pair) · clashes with the Horse
Born in 2032? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2032 the cut-off was 11 February 2032.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 10 Feb 2032 2032 | Pig 猪 | Metal | 辛亥 |
| 11 Feb 2032 – 31 Dec 2032 | Rat 鼠 | Water | 壬子 |
| 1 Jan 2033 – 30 Jan 2033 | Rat 鼠 (still) | Water | 壬子 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2032 in 2032) 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 Rat means
Tradition calls Rat people quick-witted, adaptable and sociable, and pairs them best with the Dragon and Monkey. The element adds a layer: a Water Rat is read differently from a Wood Rat. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Rat years. Read the full Year of the Rat guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Rat
The Rat returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Water Rat itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Water Rat 水鼠 · 壬子 | 15 Feb 1972 | 2 Feb 1973 |
| 1984 | Wood Rat 木鼠 · 甲子 | 2 Feb 1984 | 19 Feb 1985 |
| 1996 | Fire Rat 火鼠 · 丙子 | 19 Feb 1996 | 6 Feb 1997 |
| 2008 | Earth Rat 土鼠 · 戊子 | 7 Feb 2008 | 25 Jan 2009 |
| 2020 | Metal Rat 金鼠 · 庚子 | 25 Jan 2020 | 11 Feb 2021 |
| 2032 | Water Rat 水鼠 · 壬子 | 11 Feb 2032 | 30 Jan 2033 |
| 2044 | Wood Rat 木鼠 · 甲子 | 30 Jan 2044 | 16 Feb 2045 |
| 2056 | Fire Rat 火鼠 · 丙子 | 15 Feb 2056 | 3 Feb 2057 |
| 2068 | Earth Rat 土鼠 · 戊子 | 3 Feb 2068 | 22 Jan 2069 |
| 2080 | Metal Rat 金鼠 · 庚子 | 22 Jan 2080 | 8 Feb 2081 |
| 2092 | Water Rat 水鼠 · 壬子 | 7 Feb 2092 | 26 Jan 2093 |
Matches for people born in 2032
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 2032
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2032. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2032 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 11 February 2032 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 25 February 2032 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 2032 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 12 June 2032 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 19 September 2032 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 10 February 2032 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2032?
2032 is the Year of the Rat (鼠, shǔ). In the full 60-year cycle it is 壬子, a Water Rat year, yang (阳). It began on 11 February 2032 and ended on 30 January 2033; 2033 is the Year of the Ox.
I was born in January or February 2032. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Rat started on 11 February 2032. Born on or after that date, you are a Rat; born between 1 January and 10 February 2032, you are a Pig. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2032 in 2032; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2032 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 壬 (rén), which also makes 2032 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Water Rat, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1972 and the next is 2092.
When is the next Year of the Rat?
2044, starting on 30 January 2044. For someone born in 2032 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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