Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2039 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Goat
己未年 Earth Goat, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Goat, the element and matches.
The answer
2039 is the Year of the Goat in the Chinese zodiac: a Earth Goat year, 己未 (jǐ wèi) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 24 January 2039 to 11 February 2040, so people born from 1 January to 23 January 2039 belong to the previous animal, the Horse.
2039 at a glance
- Animal
- Goat 羊 (yáng), eighth of the 12
- Element
- Earth 土, yin (阴), from the stem 己 (jǐ)
- 60-year cycle
- 己未 jǐ wèi · the same Earth Goat year was 1979 and comes again in 2099
- Starts
- Monday, 24 January 2039 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Saturday, 11 February 2040 · the Year of the Monkey begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2039 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- 本命年
- Children born in 2039 have their first 本命年 (own zodiac year) in 2051, then 2063
- Best matches
- Pig and Rabbit (三合 trine), Horse (六合 pair) · clashes with the Ox
Born in 2039? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2039 the cut-off was 24 January 2039.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 23 Jan 2039 2039 | Horse 马 | Earth | 戊午 |
| 24 Jan 2039 – 31 Dec 2039 | Goat 羊 | Earth | 己未 |
| 1 Jan 2040 – 11 Feb 2040 | Goat 羊 (still) | Earth | 己未 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2039 in 2039) 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 Goat means
Tradition calls Goat people gentle, kind and creative, and pairs them best with the Pig and Rabbit. The element adds a layer: a Earth Goat is read differently from a Metal Goat. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Goat years. Read the full Year of the Goat guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Goat
The Goat returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Earth Goat itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Earth Goat 土羊 · 己未 | 28 Jan 1979 | 15 Feb 1980 |
| 1991 | Metal Goat 金羊 · 辛未 | 15 Feb 1991 | 3 Feb 1992 |
| 2003 | Water Goat 水羊 · 癸未 | 1 Feb 2003 | 21 Jan 2004 |
| 2015 | Wood Goat 木羊 · 乙未 | 19 Feb 2015 | 7 Feb 2016 |
| 2027 | Fire Goat 火羊 · 丁未 | 6 Feb 2027 | 25 Jan 2028 |
| 2039 | Earth Goat 土羊 · 己未 | 24 Jan 2039 | 11 Feb 2040 |
| 2051 | Metal Goat 金羊 · 辛未 | 11 Feb 2051 | 31 Jan 2052 |
| 2063 | Water Goat 水羊 · 癸未 | 29 Jan 2063 | 16 Feb 2064 |
| 2075 | Wood Goat 木羊 · 乙未 | 15 Feb 2075 | 4 Feb 2076 |
| 2087 | Fire Goat 火羊 · 丁未 | 3 Feb 2087 | 23 Jan 2088 |
| 2099 | Earth Goat 土羊 · 己未 | 21 Jan 2099 | 8 Feb 2100 |
Matches for people born in 2039
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 2039
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2039. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2039 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 24 January 2039 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 7 February 2039 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 2039 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 27 May 2039 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 2 October 2039 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 23 January 2039 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2039?
2039 is the Year of the Goat (羊, yáng). In the full 60-year cycle it is 己未, a Earth Goat year, yin (阴). It began on 24 January 2039 and ended on 11 February 2040; 2040 is the Year of the Monkey.
I was born in January or February 2039. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Goat started on 24 January 2039. Born on or after that date, you are a Goat; born between 1 January and 23 January 2039, you are a Horse. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2039 in 2039; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2039 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth (土, tǔ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 己 (jǐ), which also makes 2039 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Earth Goat, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1979 and the next is 2099.
When is the next Year of the Goat?
2027, starting on 6 February 2027. For someone born in 2039 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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