Your Day of Birth
Yang · 5 of 12

Year of the Dragon

The Dragon is the only mythical creature in the zodiac and traditionally the most celebrated. Dragons are ambitious, charismatic and full of ideas, and Dragon years have long been popular years to have a baby.

Next Dragon year

The next Year of the Dragon is the Fire Dragon, starting January 28, 2036.

Dragon years

YearDatesType
1904Feb 16, 1904 to Feb 3, 1905Wood Dragon
1916Feb 3, 1916 to Jan 22, 1917Fire Dragon
1928Jan 23, 1928 to Feb 9, 1929Earth Dragon
1940Feb 8, 1940 to Jan 26, 1941Metal Dragon
1952Jan 27, 1952 to Feb 13, 1953Water Dragon
1964Feb 13, 1964 to Feb 1, 1965Wood Dragon
1976Jan 31, 1976 to Feb 17, 1977Fire Dragon
1988Feb 17, 1988 to Feb 5, 1989Earth Dragon
2000Feb 5, 2000 to Jan 23, 2001Metal Dragon
2012Jan 23, 2012 to Feb 9, 2013Water Dragon
2024Feb 10, 2024 to Jan 28, 2025Wood Dragon
2036Jan 28, 2036 to Feb 14, 2037Fire Dragon

Born in January or February? Check the dates: if your birthday is before that year’s start date, you belong to the animal before.

Strengths

  • Ambitious
  • Charismatic
  • Confident
  • Full of energy

Watch out for

  • Can be arrogant
  • Impatient with others
  • Takes on too much

The five kinds of Dragon

Metal Dragon
1940, 2000
Metal adds determination and backbone. Metal types set high standards, keep their word and don't give up easily.
Water Dragon
1952, 2012
Water adds intuition and flexibility. Water types read people well, adapt fast and are good at finding a way around problems.
Wood Dragon
1904, 1964, 2024
Wood adds warmth and generosity. Wood types are cooperative and fair, and they like to see things, and people, grow.
Fire Dragon
1916, 1976, 2036
Fire adds passion and drive. Fire types are bold, energetic and hard to ignore, sometimes a little too fast to act.
Earth Dragon
1928, 1988
Earth adds steadiness and common sense. Earth types are practical, patient and the person everyone relies on.
Lucky numbers
1, 6, 7
Lucky colors
Gold, silver, grayish white
Lucky flowers
Bleeding-heart glory bower, dragon flowers
Yin or yang
Yang

Compatibility

Tradition groups the animals into teams of three that think alike, pairs of “secret friends”, and opposite signs that clash.

Best matchMonkeySee the Monkey →Best matchRatSee the Rat →Secret friendRoosterSee the Rooster →Opposite sign, can clashDogSee the Dog →

Famous people born in the Year of the Dragon

Dr. SeussAmerican children's author and cartoonistMarch 2, 1904 · Wood DragonMaya AngelouAmerican poet, author, and civil rights activistApril 4, 1928 · Earth DragonMartin Luther King Jr.American Baptist minister and civil rights leaderJanuary 15, 1929 · Earth Dragon (born before Lunar New Year)Al PacinoAmerican actorApril 25, 1940 · Metal DragonJohn LennonBritish musicianOctober 9, 1940 · Metal DragonBruce LeeHong Kong–American martial artist and actorNovember 27, 1940 · Metal DragonSandra BullockAmerican actress and film producerJuly 26, 1964 · Wood DragonKeanu ReevesCanadian actor and musicianSeptember 2, 1964 · Wood DragonShakiraColombian singer-songwriterFebruary 2, 1977 · Fire Dragon (born before Lunar New Year)RihannaBarbadian singerFebruary 20, 1988 · Earth DragonAdeleEnglish singer-songwriterMay 5, 1988 · Earth DragonEmma StoneAmerican actress and producerNovember 6, 1988 · Earth Dragon

Find your animal

The Chinese year starts at Lunar New Year, between January 21 and February 20, so a January or early February birthday often belongs to the year before. We use the exact date. We don’t save your birthdate or link it to you.

The other animals

Rat1984, 1996, 2008, 2020Ox1985, 1997, 2009, 2021Tiger1986, 1998, 2010, 2022Rabbit1987, 1999, 2011, 2023Dragon1988, 2000, 2012, 2024Snake1989, 2001, 2013, 2025Horse1990, 2002, 2014, 2026Goat1979, 1991, 2003, 2015Monkey1980, 1992, 2004, 2016Rooster1981, 1993, 2005, 2017Dog1982, 1994, 2006, 2018Pig1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

Personality traits, lucky items and compatibility come from Chinese tradition and are shared for fun, not as predictions. Lucky numbers, colors and flowers follow China Highlights' zodiac guide. Lunar New Year dates are calculated from the Chinese calendar and checked against a published table for 1924 to 2043. Famous birthdays come from Wikidata.