Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2038 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Horse
戊午年 Earth Horse, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Horse, the element and matches.
The answer
2038 is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac: a Earth Horse year, 戊午 (wù wǔ) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 4 February 2038 to 23 January 2039, so people born from 1 January to 3 February 2038 belong to the previous animal, the Snake.
2038 at a glance
- Animal
- Horse 马 (mǎ), seventh of the 12
- Element
- Earth 土, yang (阳), from the stem 戊 (wù)
- 60-year cycle
- 戊午 wù wǔ · the same Earth Horse year was 1978 and comes again in 2098
- Starts
- Thursday, 4 February 2038 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Sunday, 23 January 2039 · the Year of the Goat begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2038 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- 本命年
- Children born in 2038 have their first 本命年 (own zodiac year) in 2050, then 2062
- Best matches
- Dog and Tiger (三合 trine), Goat (六合 pair) · clashes with the Rat
Born in 2038? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2038 the cut-off was 4 February 2038.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 3 Feb 2038 2038 | Snake 蛇 | Fire | 丁巳 |
| 4 Feb 2038 – 31 Dec 2038 | Horse 马 | Earth | 戊午 |
| 1 Jan 2039 – 23 Jan 2039 | Horse 马 (still) | Earth | 戊午 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2038 in 2038) 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 Horse means
Tradition calls Horse people energetic, independent and adventurous. The element adds a layer: a Earth Horse is read differently from a Metal Horse. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Horse years. Read the full Year of the Horse guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Horse
The Horse returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Earth Horse itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 7 Feb 1978 | 27 Jan 1979 |
| 1990 | Metal Horse 金马 · 庚午 | 27 Jan 1990 | 14 Feb 1991 |
| 2002 | Water Horse 水马 · 壬午 | 12 Feb 2002 | 31 Jan 2003 |
| 2014 | Wood Horse 木马 · 甲午 | 31 Jan 2014 | 18 Feb 2015 |
| 2026 | Fire Horse 火马 · 丙午 | 17 Feb 2026 | 5 Feb 2027 |
| 2038 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 4 Feb 2038 | 23 Jan 2039 |
| 2050 | Metal Horse 金马 · 庚午 | 23 Jan 2050 | 10 Feb 2051 |
| 2062 | Water Horse 水马 · 壬午 | 9 Feb 2062 | 28 Jan 2063 |
| 2074 | Wood Horse 木马 · 甲午 | 27 Jan 2074 | 14 Feb 2075 |
| 2086 | Fire Horse 火马 · 丙午 | 14 Feb 2086 | 2 Feb 2087 |
| 2098 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 1 Feb 2098 | 20 Jan 2099 |
Matches for people born in 2038
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 2038
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2038. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2038 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 4 February 2038 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 18 February 2038 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 2038 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 7 June 2038 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 13 September 2038 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 3 February 2038 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2038?
2038 is the Year of the Horse (马, mǎ). In the full 60-year cycle it is 戊午, a Earth Horse year, yang (阳). It began on 4 February 2038 and ended on 23 January 2039; 2039 is the Year of the Goat.
I was born in January or February 2038. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Horse started on 4 February 2038. Born on or after that date, you are a Horse; born between 1 January and 3 February 2038, you are a Snake. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2038 in 2038; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2038 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth (土, tǔ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 戊 (wù), which also makes 2038 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Earth Horse, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1978 and the next is 2098.
When is the next Year of the Horse?
2050, starting on 23 January 2050. For someone born in 2038 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
Newsletter · Free · Every Thursday
The China Brief
What China is talking about, in plain English. Every Thursday.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click.