Our answer
Year of the Ox 属牛
Second of the 12 zodiac animals
The short answer
The Ox (牛, niú) is the second of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Ox years include 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 and 2033, each starting at Lunar New Year. Tradition calls Ox people diligent, dependable and patient, and pairs them best with the Snake and Rooster.
| In Chinese | 牛 (niú); earthly branch 丑 |
|---|---|
| Place in the cycle | Second of 12 |
| Recent Ox years | 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| Next Year of the Ox | 2033, from 31 Jan 2033 |
| Best matches | Snake, Rooster, Rat; clashes with the Goat |
Year of the Ox: all the years and exact dates
Each Year of the Ox starts at Lunar New Year, so people born in January or early February belong to the previous animal. Check a birth date with our Chinese zodiac calculator.[1]
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Earth Ox (土牛) | 29 Jan 1949 | 16 Feb 1950 |
| 1961 | Metal Ox (金牛) | 15 Feb 1961 | 4 Feb 1962 |
| 1973 | Water Ox (水牛) | 3 Feb 1973 | 22 Jan 1974 |
| 1985 | Wood Ox (木牛) | 20 Feb 1985 | 8 Feb 1986 |
| 1997 | Fire Ox (火牛) | 7 Feb 1997 | 27 Jan 1998 |
| 2009 | Earth Ox (土牛) | 26 Jan 2009 | 13 Feb 2010 |
| 2021 | Metal Ox (金牛) | 12 Feb 2021 | 31 Jan 2022 |
Ox personality: traits tradition gives Ox people
Folk tradition says people born in a Ox year are diligent, dependable and patient, though sometimes stubborn. The lists differ from source to source, and there is no scientific evidence that birth year shapes personality.[2][3][4]
Ox compatibility: best and worst matches
Traditional matching, which some couples in China still take into account, uses three rules.[2][3][5][6]
| Rule | Match for the Ox | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 三合 (sānhé), trio | Snake and Rooster | Animals four years apart; the most harmonious |
| 六合 (liùhé), pair | Rat | A secret friend; a good match |
| 六冲 (liùchōng), clash | Goat | Six years apart, opposite on the wheel; traditionally avoided |
What the Ox means in Chinese culture
The Ox stands for hard work because it pulled China’s ploughs for thousands of years. At the Start of Spring (立春, Lìchūn) solar term, villages traditionally “whip the spring ox”, a clay or paper ox, to open the ploughing season. China treats oxen and water buffalo as one animal, and a boy riding a buffalo is a classic subject in Chinese painting.
Vietnam keeps the twelve-year cycle but uses the water buffalo in place of the Ox.[7][8][9]
How many babies are born in Ox years in China?
| Ox year | Births in China | Year before | Year after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 16.15 million | 16.08 million (2008) | not published (2010) |
| 2021 | 10.62 million | 12.00 million (2020) | 9.56 million (2022) |
Calendar-year births from China’s National Bureau of Statistics, as first published. A zodiac year starts at Lunar New Year, so it overlaps two calendar years. The 2020 figure comes from the census and covers November 2019 to October 2020.
Questions readers ask
What years are the Year of the Ox?
Recent Ox years are 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021; the next is 2033, starting on 31 Jan 2033. Each year starts at Lunar New Year, not 1 January.
What is the Ox compatible with?
Traditionally the Snake and Rooster (its 三合 trio) and the Rat (its 六合 pair). Its clash animal is the Goat.
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- China Daily, The 12 Chinese zodiac animals and their best matches (2016), part 2 · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- China Daily, The 12 Chinese zodiac animals and their best matches (2016), part 3 · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- CGTN, The 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac: Ox (January 2020) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Wikipedia, Chinese zodiac (six harmonies and clashes) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Duke Kunshan University, Lingwei Wu (Fudan): zodiac compatibility and marriage matching in China · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- CGTN, A glance at China’s ox-related farming rituals (1 May 2023) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- The Met, Celebrating the Year of the Ox (2021) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Tuoi Tre News, Why Vietnam is celebrating the Year of the Cat, not the Rabbit (19 January 2023) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2008 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2009 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Caixin, Census shows China’s population grew above 1.4 billion (11 May 2021); 2020 births from the census · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2021 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2022 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
Update log. 31 October 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 15 January 2027. Suggest a correction