Our answer
Year of the Rabbit 属兔
Fourth of the 12 zodiac animals
The short answer
The Rabbit (兔, tù) is the fourth of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Rabbit years include 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 and 2035, each starting at Lunar New Year. Tradition calls Rabbit people gentle, considerate and diplomatic, and pairs them best with the Goat and Pig.
| In Chinese | 兔 (tù); earthly branch 卯 |
|---|---|
| Place in the cycle | Fourth of 12 |
| Recent Rabbit years | 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| Next Year of the Rabbit | 2035, from 8 Feb 2035 |
| Best matches | Goat, Pig, Dog; clashes with the Rooster |
Year of the Rabbit: all the years and exact dates
Each Year of the Rabbit 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Metal Rabbit (金兔) | 6 Feb 1951 | 26 Jan 1952 |
| 1963 | Water Rabbit (水兔) | 25 Jan 1963 | 12 Feb 1964 |
| 1975 | Wood Rabbit (木兔) | 11 Feb 1975 | 30 Jan 1976 |
| 1987 | Fire Rabbit (火兔) | 29 Jan 1987 | 16 Feb 1988 |
| 1999 | Earth Rabbit (土兔) | 16 Feb 1999 | 4 Feb 2000 |
| 2011 | Metal Rabbit (金兔) | 3 Feb 2011 | 22 Jan 2012 |
| 2023 | Water Rabbit (水兔) | 22 Jan 2023 | 9 Feb 2024 |
Rabbit personality: traits tradition gives Rabbit people
Folk tradition says people born in a Rabbit year are gentle, considerate and diplomatic, though sometimes cautious. The lists differ from source to source, and there is no scientific evidence that birth year shapes personality.[2][3][4]
Rabbit 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 Rabbit | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 三合 (sānhé), trio | Goat and Pig | Animals four years apart; the most harmonious |
| 六合 (liùhé), pair | Dog | A secret friend; a good match |
| 六冲 (liùchōng), clash | Rooster | Six years apart, opposite on the wheel; traditionally avoided |
What the Rabbit means in Chinese culture
In Chinese legend a jade rabbit lives on the moon with the goddess Chang’e and prepares the elixir of immortality. The animal stands for longevity, peace and prosperity, and appears on Chinese jades and bronzes from the Shang and Western Zhou periods.
Vietnam’s version of the zodiac has a cat instead of the rabbit, partly because the branch 卯 (mǎo) sounds like the Vietnamese word for cat, “mèo”. So Vietnam’s 2023 was the Year of the Cat.[4][7][8]
How many babies are born in Rabbit years in China?
| Rabbit year | Births in China | Year before | Year after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 16.04 million | not published (2010) | 16.35 million (2012) |
| 2023 | 9.02 million | 9.56 million (2022) | 9.54 million (2024) |
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.
Questions readers ask
What years are the Year of the Rabbit?
Recent Rabbit years are 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023; the next is 2035, starting on 8 Feb 2035. Each year starts at Lunar New Year, not 1 January.
What is the Rabbit compatible with?
Traditionally the Goat and Pig (its 三合 trio) and the Dog (its 六合 pair). Its clash animal is the Rooster.
Is it the Year of the Rabbit or the Cat?
In China it is the Rabbit. Vietnam uses the Cat for the same years, partly because 卯 (mǎo) sounds like “mèo”, cat.
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: Rabbit (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 Rabbit (2023) · 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 2011 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2012 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2022 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2023 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2024 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
Update log. 31 October 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 15 January 2027. Suggest a correction