The Rooster is the tenth of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. Recent Rooster years are 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 and 2017, and the next begins on February 13, 2029. Each one starts on Lunar New Year and not on January 1, so the exact dates matter for early-year birthdays. People born under the sign are traditionally said to be observant, punctual and outspoken.
What years are Rooster years?
The Rooster has one year in every 12. The table lists the first and last day of each Rooster year and its element.
| Rooster year | First day | Last day | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | January 26, 1933 | February 13, 1934 | Water |
| 1945 | February 13, 1945 | February 1, 1946 | Wood |
| 1957 | January 31, 1957 | February 17, 1958 | Fire |
| 1969 | February 17, 1969 | February 5, 1970 | Earth |
| 1981 | February 5, 1981 | January 24, 1982 | Metal |
| 1993 | January 23, 1993 | February 9, 1994 | Water |
| 2005 | February 9, 2005 | January 28, 2006 | Wood |
| 2017 | January 28, 2017 | February 15, 2018 | Fire |
| 2029 | February 13, 2029 | February 2, 2030 | Earth |
| 2041 | February 1, 2041 | January 21, 2042 | Metal |
What if you were born in January or February?
Then the calendar year can mislead you. Lunar New Year falls between January 21 and February 20, and the zodiac animal changes on that day.
- Born on February 1, 2005? The Rooster year began on February 9. You are a Monkey.
- Born on February 1, 1994? You are a Rooster. Most people born in 1994 are Dogs, but the Rooster year ran until February 9.
- Born on February 10, 2018? A Rooster as well. The Dog year started on February 16.
The tool below settles it for any birthday and shows the element along with the animal. It is also on the Birthday Profile page.
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What is the Rooster's personality said to be?
The rooster is the bird that announces the morning, and the zodiac sign is built on that: alert, on time and not shy about being heard. People born in a Rooster year are traditionally said to be observant, punctual and outspoken. National Museums Liverpool describes the sign as a pioneer in spirit, devoted to work and hungry for knowledge. It adds the other side of the reputation: a Rooster is said to dress well, to enjoy attention and to strike others at times as selfish or eccentric.
Traits commonly attached to the sign:
- Said to be strengths: diligence, honesty, a sharp eye for detail, confidence.
- Said to be weaknesses: bluntness, vanity, a need to be right, fussiness.
Roosters have been part of Chinese households for a very long time. The Victoria and Albert Museum notes that pottery models of roosters were placed in tombs during the Han dynasty, some 2,000 years ago, so that the dead could go on living as they had in life.
The character sketch is much newer. The same museum describes the link between birth year and personality as a fairly recent development that old Chinese texts do not mention. About one person in 12 is a Rooster; they are not all early risers.
What are the five types of Rooster?
In the traditional calendar every year has an element as well as an animal: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water. The elements belong to a cycle of ten "heavenly stems" that runs next to the 12 animals, so a pairing such as Earth and Rooster comes back only after 60 years.
Rooster years end in an odd number. That last digit gives the element.
| Type | Years | Year ends in | The element is traditionally linked with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Rooster | 1933, 1993 | 3 | Flexibility, intuition and communication |
| Wood Rooster | 1945, 2005 | 5 | Growth, generosity and cooperation |
| Fire Rooster | 1957, 2017 | 7 | Passion, energy and leadership |
| Earth Rooster | 1969, 2029 | 9 | Stability, patience and practicality |
| Metal Rooster | 1981, 2041 | 1 | Determination, discipline and strength |
In the tradition, the element shades the sign. A Water Rooster is described as a more adaptable, talkative Rooster and a Metal Rooster as an especially exacting one. It is folklore, the same as the traits.
Where did the Rooster finish in the Great Race?
Tenth, and not alone. In the legend, the Jade Emperor ordered a race across a river to decide the order of the years. The Rooster, the Goat and the Monkey made the crossing as a team, sharing a raft and helping one another along. They arrived together, and the Emperor placed them eighth, ninth and tenth: Goat, Monkey, Rooster.
Like any folktale it changes with the teller. The full version is on our page about Chinese New Year animals.
The animals stand for an older set of counters, the 12 "earthly branches." The Rooster's is the tenth, written 酉 (you), and the animal is 鸡 (ji). The same branch names the hours from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the direction west. The sign is also translated as the Chicken or the Cock.
What does a Rooster year mean if you are a Rooster?
Babies born from February 13, 2029 to February 2, 2030 will be Earth Roosters. For people born in earlier Rooster years, 2029 is their own sign's year, which arrives at ages 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60. Those born in the Earth Rooster year of 1969 turn 60, and for them the element comes back together with the animal.
Folk belief is cautious about this. A person's own zodiac year, the ben ming nian, is traditionally regarded as a hurdle and not as a lucky year, and wearing red is the custom linked to it. That is a belief, not a forecast.
Which signs is the Rooster said to get along with?
Traditional lore puts the Rooster in a group of three with the Ox and the Snake and pairs it with the Dragon. Its opposite, six places away in the cycle, is the Rabbit. How the sets work, and why they are best read as folklore, is explained in our guide to Chinese zodiac compatibility.
The Rooster comes after the Monkey and before the Dog. For the year that begins on February 6, 2027, see Year of the Goat 2027.