Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2036 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dragon
丙辰年 Fire Dragon, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Dragon, the element and matches.
The answer
2036 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac: a Fire Dragon year, 丙辰 (bǐng chén) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 28 January 2036 to 14 February 2037, so people born from 1 January to 27 January 2036 belong to the previous animal, the Rabbit.
2036 at a glance
- Animal
- Dragon 龙 (lóng), fifth of the 12
- Element
- Fire 火, yang (阳), from the stem 丙 (bǐng)
- 60-year cycle
- 丙辰 bǐng chén · the same Fire Dragon year was 1976 and comes again in 2096
- Starts
- Monday, 28 January 2036 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Saturday, 14 February 2037 · the Year of the Snake begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2036 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- 本命年
- Children born in 2036 have their first 本命年 (own zodiac year) in 2048, then 2060
- Best matches
- Monkey and Rat (三合 trine), Rooster (六合 pair) · clashes with the Dog
Born in 2036? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2036 the cut-off was 28 January 2036.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 27 Jan 2036 2036 | Rabbit 兔 | Wood | 乙卯 |
| 28 Jan 2036 – 31 Dec 2036 | Dragon 龙 | Fire | 丙辰 |
| 1 Jan 2037 – 14 Feb 2037 | Dragon 龙 (still) | Fire | 丙辰 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2036 in 2036) 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 Dragon means
Tradition calls Dragon people confident, ambitious and energetic, and pairs them best with the Monkey and Rat. The element adds a layer: a Fire Dragon is read differently from a Earth Dragon. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Dragon years. Read the full Year of the Dragon guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Dragon
The Dragon returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Fire Dragon itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Fire Dragon 火龙 · 丙辰 | 31 Jan 1976 | 17 Feb 1977 |
| 1988 | Earth Dragon 土龙 · 戊辰 | 17 Feb 1988 | 5 Feb 1989 |
| 2000 | Metal Dragon 金龙 · 庚辰 | 5 Feb 2000 | 23 Jan 2001 |
| 2012 | Water Dragon 水龙 · 壬辰 | 23 Jan 2012 | 9 Feb 2013 |
| 2024 | Wood Dragon 木龙 · 甲辰 | 10 Feb 2024 | 28 Jan 2025 |
| 2036 | Fire Dragon 火龙 · 丙辰 | 28 Jan 2036 | 14 Feb 2037 |
| 2048 | Earth Dragon 土龙 · 戊辰 | 14 Feb 2048 | 1 Feb 2049 |
| 2060 | Metal Dragon 金龙 · 庚辰 | 2 Feb 2060 | 20 Jan 2061 |
| 2072 | Water Dragon 水龙 · 壬辰 | 19 Feb 2072 | 6 Feb 2073 |
| 2084 | Wood Dragon 木龙 · 甲辰 | 6 Feb 2084 | 25 Jan 2085 |
| 2096 | Fire Dragon 火龙 · 丙辰 | 25 Jan 2096 | 11 Feb 2097 |
Matches for people born in 2036
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 2036
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2036. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2036 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 28 January 2036 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 11 February 2036 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 2036 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 30 May 2036 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 4 October 2036 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 27 January 2036 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2036?
2036 is the Year of the Dragon (龙, lóng). In the full 60-year cycle it is 丙辰, a Fire Dragon year, yang (阳). It began on 28 January 2036 and ended on 14 February 2037; 2037 is the Year of the Snake.
I was born in January or February 2036. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Dragon started on 28 January 2036. Born on or after that date, you are a Dragon; born between 1 January and 27 January 2036, you are a Rabbit. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2036 in 2036; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2036 in the Chinese zodiac?
Fire (火, huǒ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 丙 (bǐng), which also makes 2036 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Fire Dragon, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1976 and the next is 2096.
When is the next Year of the Dragon?
2048, starting on 14 February 2048. For someone born in 2036 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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