In the Chinese zodiac, 1992 is the Year of the Monkey, with Water as its element. The Water Monkey year began on Tuesday, February 4, 1992 and ended on Friday, January 22, 1993. People born between those dates are Water Monkeys. People born from January 1 to February 3, 1992 belong to the year before and are Metal Goats.
Which birthdays fall in the 1992 Monkey year?
| Birthday | Sign |
|---|---|
| January 1 to February 3, 1992 | Metal Goat |
| February 4, 1992 to January 22, 1993 | Water Monkey |
| January 23, 1993 and later | Water Rooster |
The Monkey year had 12 lunar months and ran for 354 days. It left out the first 34 days of 1992 and took in the first 22 days of 1993.
A new animal and a new element
On February 4, 1992 both parts of the year's name changed. The day before was a Metal Goat day; the new year was a Water Monkey year. Elements come in pairs of years, and 1992 is the first of the two Water years, so people born a few days apart in early February 1992 share neither animal nor element.
The end of the year is quieter. The Rooster year that began on January 23, 1993 is the second Water year, and only the animal changed.
Were you born in January or February?
- Born on January 20, 1992? You are a Goat. See 1991 in the Chinese zodiac.
- Born on February 3, 1992? A Goat, on the last day of the Goat year.
- Born on February 4, 1992? You are a Monkey, born on Lunar New Year's Day.
- Born on January 15, 1993? A Monkey as well. The Rooster year was eight days away.
For other dates, use the tool below. It gives the animal and element of any birthday and is the same one as on the Birthday Profile page.
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What does Water Monkey mean?
The Monkey is the zodiac's quick mind, traditionally said to be clever, curious and playful. National Museums Liverpool calls it a mischievous sign: intelligent, sociable and witty. Water is the element linked with flexibility, intuition and communication. In the tradition, a Water Monkey is a clever sign in a year of an adaptable, talkative element. It is a folk portrait and not a description of any real person.
In the old system of year names, 1992 is ren-shen. Ren is the ninth of the ten "heavenly stems" and shen the "earthly branch" of the Monkey. How stems and branches combine is explained on our page about Chinese New Year animals. For the sign's years, traits and element types, see the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac.
When was the last Water Monkey year, and when is the next?
| Water Monkey year | First day | Last day |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | February 6, 1932 | January 25, 1933 |
| 1992 | February 4, 1992 | January 22, 1993 |
| 2052 | February 1, 2052 | February 18, 2053 |
The pairing returns every 60 years. The 2052 year is the odd one of the three: it contains a leap month and lasts well into the following February, while the 1932 and 1992 years were over by late January.
How old are people born in 1992, and when is their next Monkey year?
People born in 1992 turn 35 in 2027. Their sign's year is close: the Monkey follows the Goat in the cycle, and the Year of the Monkey begins on January 26, 2028, the day after the Year of the Goat ends. It runs to February 12, 2029 and is the third return of the sign for the Monkeys of 1992, after 2004 and 2016.
A person's own zodiac year is called the ben ming nian. Folk belief sees it as a hurdle and not as a lucky year, and wearing red is the custom tied to it.
For the Goats of January 1992 it comes a year sooner, on February 6, 2027.
The years on either side
- 1991 was a Metal Goat year: February 15, 1991 to February 3, 1992.
- 1993 was a Water Rooster year: January 23, 1993 to February 9, 1994. See 1993 in the Chinese zodiac.