Our answer
Year of the Rooster 属鸡
Tenth of the 12 zodiac animals
The short answer
The Rooster (鸡, jī) is the tenth of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Rooster years include 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 and 2029, each starting at Lunar New Year. Tradition calls Rooster people honest, hard-working and confident, and pairs them best with the Ox and Snake.
| In Chinese | 鸡 (jī); earthly branch 酉 |
|---|---|
| Place in the cycle | Tenth of 12 |
| Recent Rooster years | 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 |
| Next Year of the Rooster | 2029, from 13 Feb 2029 |
| Best matches | Ox, Snake, Dragon; clashes with the Rabbit |
Year of the Rooster: all the years and exact dates
Each Year of the Rooster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Fire Rooster (火鸡) | 31 Jan 1957 | 17 Feb 1958 |
| 1969 | Earth Rooster (土鸡) | 17 Feb 1969 | 5 Feb 1970 |
| 1981 | Metal Rooster (金鸡) | 5 Feb 1981 | 24 Jan 1982 |
| 1993 | Water Rooster (水鸡) | 23 Jan 1993 | 9 Feb 1994 |
| 2005 | Wood Rooster (木鸡) | 9 Feb 2005 | 28 Jan 2006 |
| 2017 | Fire Rooster (火鸡) | 28 Jan 2017 | 15 Feb 2018 |
| 2029 | Earth Rooster (土鸡) | 13 Feb 2029 | 2 Feb 2030 |
Rooster personality: traits tradition gives Rooster people
Folk tradition says people born in a Rooster year are honest, hard-working and confident, though sometimes punctual. The lists differ from source to source, and there is no scientific evidence that birth year shapes personality.[2][3][4]
Rooster 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 Rooster | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 三合 (sānhé), trio | Ox and Snake | Animals four years apart; the most harmonious |
| 六合 (liùhé), pair | Dragon | A secret friend; a good match |
| 六冲 (liùchōng), clash | Rabbit | Six years apart, opposite on the wheel; traditionally avoided |
What the Rooster means in Chinese culture
The Rooster stands for punctuality and diligence because it announces the dawn. Two idioms show it: 闻鸡起舞 (rising at the cock’s crow to practise swordplay, meaning working hard) and 金鸡报晓 (the golden rooster heralds the dawn). It is one of the “six domestic animals” of ancient China.[4][7]
How many babies are born in Rooster years in China?
| Rooster year | Births in China | Year before | Year after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 16.17 million | 15.93 million (2004) | 15.84 million (2006) |
| 2017 | 17.23 million | 17.86 million (2016) | 15.23 million (2018) |
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 Rooster?
Recent Rooster years are 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017; the next is 2029, starting on 13 Feb 2029. Each year starts at Lunar New Year, not 1 January.
What is the Rooster compatible with?
Traditionally the Ox and Snake (its 三合 trio) and the Dragon (its 六合 pair). Its clash animal is the Rabbit.
Is it the Year of the Rooster or the Chicken?
The same sign. 鸡 (jī) means chicken in general; Rooster is the usual English name.
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: Rooster (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 Rooster (2017) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2004 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2005 (births) · 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 2016 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2017 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, statistical release for 2018 (births) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
Update log. 31 October 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 15 January 2027. Suggest a correction