Our answer
Year of the Pig 属猪
Twelfth of the 12 zodiac animals
The short answer
The Pig (猪, zhū) is the twelfth of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Pig years include 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2031, each starting at Lunar New Year. Tradition calls Pig people generous, sincere and optimistic, and pairs them best with the Rabbit and Goat.
| In Chinese | 猪 (zhū); earthly branch 亥 |
|---|---|
| Place in the cycle | Twelfth of 12 |
| Recent Pig years | 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 |
| Next Year of the Pig | 2031, from 23 Jan 2031 |
| Best matches | Rabbit, Goat, Tiger; clashes with the Snake |
Year of the Pig: all the years and exact dates
Each Year of the Pig 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Earth Pig (土猪) | 8 Feb 1959 | 27 Jan 1960 |
| 1971 | Metal Pig (金猪) | 27 Jan 1971 | 14 Feb 1972 |
| 1983 | Water Pig (水猪) | 13 Feb 1983 | 1 Feb 1984 |
| 1995 | Wood Pig (木猪) | 31 Jan 1995 | 18 Feb 1996 |
| 2007 | Fire Pig (火猪) | 18 Feb 2007 | 6 Feb 2008 |
| 2019 | Earth Pig (土猪) | 5 Feb 2019 | 24 Jan 2020 |
| 2031 | Metal Pig (金猪) | 23 Jan 2031 | 10 Feb 2032 |
Pig personality: traits tradition gives Pig people
Folk tradition says people born in a Pig year are generous, sincere and optimistic, though sometimes easy-going. The lists differ from source to source, and there is no scientific evidence that birth year shapes personality.[2][3][4]
Pig 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 Pig | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 三合 (sānhé), trio | Rabbit and Goat | Animals four years apart; the most harmonious |
| 六合 (liùhé), pair | Tiger | A secret friend; a good match |
| 六冲 (liùchōng), clash | Snake | Six years apart, opposite on the wheel; traditionally avoided |
What the Pig means in Chinese culture
The Pig stands for wealth and good fortune. The character for family, 家 (jiā), shows a pig under a roof, and Zhu Bajie, the greedy, lovable pig of Journey to the West, is one of China’s best-known characters. In the folk tale of the Great Race the Pig stopped to eat and finished last.
A “golden pig” year, said to come every 60 years, is thought lucky for babies.[4][7][8][9]
How many babies are born in Pig years in China?
| Pig year | Births in China | Year before | Year after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 15.94 million | 15.84 million (2006) | 16.08 million (2008) |
| 2019 | 14.65 million | 15.23 million (2018) | 12.00 million (2020) |
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 Pig?
Recent Pig years are 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019; the next is 2031, starting on 23 Jan 2031. Each year starts at Lunar New Year, not 1 January.
What is the Pig compatible with?
Traditionally the Rabbit and Goat (its 三合 trio) and the Tiger (its 六合 pair). Its clash animal is the Snake.
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: Pig (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
- The Met, Celebrating the Year of the Pig (2019) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chinese zodiac · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Smithsonian Magazine, Year of the Pig · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2006 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2007 (births) · 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 2018 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2019 (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
Update log. 31 October 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 15 January 2027. Suggest a correction