Your Day of Birth
Yang · 1 of 12

Year of the Rat

First in the zodiac, the Rat won its place in the legendary Great Race by riding on the Ox's back and leaping ahead at the finish. Rats are quick-witted, resourceful and sociable, with a knack for spotting opportunities other people miss.

Next Rat year

The next Year of the Rat is the Water Rat, starting February 11, 2032.

Rat years

YearDatesType
1900Jan 31, 1900 to Feb 18, 1901Metal Rat
1912Feb 18, 1912 to Feb 5, 1913Water Rat
1924Feb 5, 1924 to Jan 23, 1925Wood Rat
1936Jan 24, 1936 to Feb 10, 1937Fire Rat
1948Feb 10, 1948 to Jan 28, 1949Earth Rat
1960Jan 28, 1960 to Feb 14, 1961Metal Rat
1972Feb 15, 1972 to Feb 2, 1973Water Rat
1984Feb 2, 1984 to Feb 19, 1985Wood Rat
1996Feb 19, 1996 to Feb 6, 1997Fire Rat
2008Feb 7, 2008 to Jan 25, 2009Earth Rat
2020Jan 25, 2020 to Feb 11, 2021Metal Rat
2032Feb 11, 2032 to Jan 30, 2033Water Rat

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

  • Quick thinking
  • Resourceful
  • Charming and sociable
  • Good with money

Watch out for

  • Can be restless
  • May hold on to things too tightly
  • Sometimes too calculating

The five kinds of Rat

Metal Rat
1900, 1960, 2020
Metal adds determination and backbone. Metal types set high standards, keep their word and don't give up easily.
Water Rat
1912, 1972, 2032
Water adds intuition and flexibility. Water types read people well, adapt fast and are good at finding a way around problems.
Wood Rat
1924, 1984
Wood adds warmth and generosity. Wood types are cooperative and fair, and they like to see things, and people, grow.
Fire Rat
1936, 1996
Fire adds passion and drive. Fire types are bold, energetic and hard to ignore, sometimes a little too fast to act.
Earth Rat
1948, 2008
Earth adds steadiness and common sense. Earth types are practical, patient and the person everyone relies on.
Lucky numbers
2, 3
Lucky colors
Blue, gold, green
Lucky flowers
Lily, African violet, lily of the valley
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 matchDragonSee the Dragon →Best matchMonkeySee the Monkey →Secret friendOxSee the Ox →Opposite sign, can clashHorseSee the Horse →

Famous people born in the Year of the Rat

Alan TuringEnglish computer scientistJune 23, 1912 · Water RatRosa ParksCivil rights activistFebruary 4, 1913 · Water Rat (born before Lunar New Year)Marlon BrandoAmerican actorApril 3, 1924 · Wood RatGeorge H. W. Bush41st President of the United StatesJune 12, 1924 · Wood RatAl GoreVice President of the United States from 1993 to 2001March 31, 1948 · Earth RatGeorge R. R. MartinAmerican writer and television producerSeptember 20, 1948 · Earth RatJulianne MooreBritish-American actress and authorDecember 3, 1960 · Metal RatWayne GretzkyCanadian ice hockey player and coachJanuary 26, 1961 · Metal Rat (born before Lunar New Year)Ben AffleckAmerican film actor, director and screenwriterAugust 15, 1972 · Water RatEminemAmerican rapper, record producer and actorOctober 17, 1972 · Water RatScarlett JohanssonAmerican actressNovember 22, 1984 · Wood RatCristiano RonaldoPortuguese association football playerFebruary 5, 1985 · Wood Rat (born before Lunar New Year)

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.