Year of the Dragon: Birth Years, Ages and Sign Relations
If you were born in a Year of the Dragon, the earthly branch of your birth year is Chen (辰). It comes round every 12 years; the most recent were 1988, 2000, 2012 and 2024. Below: every Dragon year with its year pillar, na yin, your age in 2026, and the date the sign actually changes each year.
How does today look for the Dragon? See the Dragon daily and weekly horoscope (calculated live for today in Taiwan) →
Year of the Dragon: every year from 1924 to 2043
| Year | Year pillar | Na yin | Age in 2026 | Start of Spring (BaZi new year) | Lunar New Year (popular new year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Wu-Chen 戊辰 | Great Forest Wood | 98 | Feb 5 09:16 | Jan 23 |
| 1940 | Geng-Chen 庚辰 | White Wax Metal | 86 | Feb 5 07:07 | Feb 8 |
| 1952 | Ren-Chen 壬辰 | Long-Flowing Water | 74 | Feb 5 04:52 | Jan 27 |
| 1964 | Jia-Chen 甲辰 | Sheltered Lamp Fire | 62 | Feb 5 03:04 | Feb 13 |
| 1976 | Bing-Chen 丙辰 | Sand Earth | 50 | Feb 5 00:39 | Jan 31 |
| 1988 | Wu-Chen 戊辰 | Great Forest Wood | 38 | Feb 4 22:42 | Feb 17 |
| 2000 | Geng-Chen 庚辰 | White Wax Metal | 26 | Feb 4 20:40 | Feb 5 |
| 2012 | Ren-Chen 壬辰 | Long-Flowing Water | 14 | Feb 4 18:22 | Jan 23 |
| 2024 | Jia-Chen 甲辰 | Sheltered Lamp Fire | 2 | Feb 4 16:27 | Feb 10 |
| 2036 | Bing-Chen 丙辰 | Sand Earth | — | Feb 4 14:19 | Jan 28 |
Ages here are the age you reach on your birthday in 2026. In Taiwan and much of East Asia people also use "virtual age" (xu sui), where you are 1 at birth and add a year at each Lunar New Year, so it runs one or two years higher. Start of Spring times are Taiwan time (UTC+8).
Pay attention if you were born between late January and mid-February. BaZi changes the year at the Start of Spring (Li Chun), while popular custom, and most zodiac websites, change it at Lunar New Year. Between 1924 and 2043, Lunar New Year fell up to 14 days before the Start of Spring and up to 16 days after it. Born after the Start of Spring but before Lunar New Year in one of the years above, you are a Dragon by BaZi but still the previous sign by popular reckoning; the reverse can happen too. The lookup below settles it from your birthday.
The Dragon's branch at a glance
| Earthly branch | Chen 辰 (Yang branch) |
|---|---|
| Main element | Earth |
| Hidden stems | Wu 戊, Yi 乙, Gui 癸 (see hidden stems) |
| Double hour | Chen hour, 07:00–08:59 |
| Month | Chen month: from Clear and Bright (清明) to Start of Summer (立夏) |
| Direction | East-southeast |
Earthly branches label years, months and two-hour periods alike. Being "a Dragon" only refers to the branch of your year pillar. Someone born in a Chen month or a Chen hour also has Chen in their chart, but their zodiac sign is not the Dragon.
How the Dragon relates to the other signs
| Relation | Sign | Branch relation |
|---|---|---|
| Trine (San He) | Monkey and Rat | Shen-Zi-Chen Water trine |
| Six Combination (Liu He) | Rooster | Chen-You combination, transforming to Metal |
| Clash (Chong) | Dog | Chen-Xu clash |
| Punishment (Xing) | another Dragon (self-punishment) | self-punishment |
| Harm (Hai) | Rabbit | Chen-Mao harm |
| Break (Po) | Ox | Chen-Chou break |
Classical texts sort the relations between branches into combinations (attraction, joining forces) and clashes, punishments, harms and breaks (friction and wear). Popular "zodiac compatibility" comes straight from this: trines and Six Combinations are said to get along, clashes are said to collide. But that compares only the year branches of two people, and a BaZi chart has eight characters. Our compatibility guide reads how two whole charts interact and never calls a couple incompatible because their signs clash.
The Dragon and each of the other 11 signs
The table below sets the Dragon against each of the other eleven signs. One thing first: the year branch is only one character of a BaZi chart. Whether two signs "match" compares one character from each chart; how two people actually get along depends on the Day Masters, the favorable elements and how the whole charts interact. The same pair of signs can be a great match or a poor one.
| Sign | Branch relation | In plain words |
|---|---|---|
| Rat | Trine | same trine group, strongest when aiming at the same goal |
| Ox | Break | existing plans tend to be broken up and redone |
| Tiger | No special relation | no combination, clash, punishment, harm or break; it comes down to the two people |
| Rabbit | Harm | hidden wear and easy misunderstandings |
| Snake | No special relation | no combination, clash, punishment, harm or break; it comes down to the two people |
| Horse | No special relation | no combination, clash, punishment, harm or break; it comes down to the two people |
| Goat | No special relation | no combination, clash, punishment, harm or break; it comes down to the two people |
| Monkey | Trine | same trine group, strongest when aiming at the same goal |
| Rooster | Six Combination | yin and yang complete each other; folk custom calls it the best match |
| Dog | Clash | directly opposite: blunt exchanges and more change |
| Pig | No special relation | no combination, clash, punishment, harm or break; it comes down to the two people |
To compare two whole charts, enter both birthdays in the compatibility tool. It reads the Day Pillars, favorable elements and Ten Gods, not just the signs. The ideas behind it are in compatibility.
The Dragon and Tai Sui in 2026 and 2027
| Year | Annual pillar | Relation to Tai Sui |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Bing-Wu (Year of the Horse) | no clash, punishment, harm or break |
| 2027 | Ding-Wei (Year of the Goat) | no clash, punishment, harm or break |
Tai Sui is the branch of the current year. For the full 2027 reading for the Dragon, see Dragon in 2027; for what offending Tai Sui means and its five forms, see offending Tai Sui. For when people in Taiwan register with Tai Sui and light lamps, see 2027 Tai Sui registration dates; for wedding and work-start dates in 2027, see 2027 wedding dates and the 2027 Lunar New Year calendar.
The popular image of the Dragon
Folk wisdom says people born in the Year of the Dragon are ambitious, confident and proud. It grew out of the animal's image and is fun as an association, but in BaZi personality is read mainly from the Day Master, the heavenly stem of your birth day; see the ten Day Masters.
What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
Enter your Gregorian date of birth. You will see your sign by both rules, the Start of Spring (used in BaZi) and Lunar New Year (popular custom), plus your year pillar, na yin and your age this year. You can also pick a second sign to see how the two relate. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Born on the day of the Start of Spring itself? Then your sign depends on whether you were born before or after the exact moment it begins; see solar-term boundaries.
Three common misconceptions
Your sign changes at Lunar New Year.
That is the popular convention, but BaZi and the rest of Chinese metaphysics change the year at the Start of Spring. We checked every day from 1960 to 2005: the two rules give different signs on about 2.0% of days, roughly 7 days a year.
A Dragon and a Dog clash, so they should not marry.
A clash between signs is a clash between two year branches only. A chart has eight characters, and matching two people means reading how the whole charts interact; even the classical matching texts never looked at the year branch alone. See compatibility.
All Dragons have the same personality.
Millions of people are born in any one Dragon year, and they are very different people. In BaZi, character is read from the Day Master and the Ten Gods; see BaZi personality.
The other signs
A straight word: your sign is one branch of your chart
Your Chinese zodiac sign is the earthly branch of your birth year, one of the eight characters in a BaZi chart. What a chart says about personality, relationships or money comes mainly from the Day Master and the balance of the whole chart; millions of people share a birth year, and they do not share a destiny. Signs are a handy way to talk about years and about how you stand with Tai Sui, but they are not a way to sum a person up. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Beyond your sign: the whole chart
Your sign is one character of your year pillar. Enter your birthday to cast all four pillars for free and see your Day Master, elements and Ten Gods.
Year of the Dragon: FAQ
Which years are the Year of the Dragon?
1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036. The year changes at the Start of Spring, so if you were born between late January and mid-February, check the Start of Spring and Lunar New Year dates for your year.
How old is a Dragon this year?
In 2026, on their birthday: born 1940: 86; born 1952: 74; born 1964: 62; born 1976: 50; born 1988: 38; born 2000: 26; born 2012: 14; born 2024: 2. East Asian virtual age is one or two years higher.
Which signs is the Dragon most compatible with?
Traditionally the Dragon forms a trine with the Monkey and Rat and a Six Combination with the Rooster, and clashes with the Dog. That only compares year branches; real compatibility depends on the whole chart.
Does the Dragon offend Tai Sui in 2027?
No. In the Ding Wei year 2027 the Dragon has no clash, punishment, harm or break with Tai Sui.