Cathay Ink › Chinese zodiac › Year of the Rat
Year of the Rat
Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it.
The Rat is the first of the twelve animals, paired with the earthly branch 子 and the hours 11 pm – 1 am. The next Year of the Rat is 2032, a Water Rat year, from 11 February 2032.
Check my birthdayYears of the Rat
Each year starts at Chinese New Year, so a January birthday usually belongs to the previous animal.
- 1924Wood Rat, from 5 February 1924
- 1936Fire Rat, from 24 January 1936
- 1948Earth Rat, from 10 February 1948
- 1960Metal Rat, from 28 January 1960
- 1972Water Rat, from 15 February 1972
- 1984Wood Rat, from 2 February 1984
- 1996Fire Rat, from 19 February 1996
- 2008Earth Rat, from 7 February 2008
- 2020Metal Rat, from 25 January 2020
- 2032Water Rat, from 11 February 2032
- 2044Wood Rat, from 30 January 2044
Born in one of these years? Enter the exact date to confirm the animal and see your lunar birthday.
The Rat in Chinese culture
Character
Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it.
Closest companions in the cycle: the Dragon and the Monkey, the two animals that share the Rat's trine. Its secret friend is the Ox.
A story
In the race that fixed the order of the zodiac, the Rat rode across the river on the Ox's back and leapt ahead at the bank to finish first.
Element changes the flavour of each Rat year. Metal 金: resolve and clarity: the edge of a blade, the ring of a bell. Wood 木: growth and flexibility: spring, bamboo, new shoots. Water 水: adaptability and depth: rivers finding their way. Fire 火: warmth and drive: summer, lanterns, the hearth. Earth 土: steadiness and care: harvest, soil, the centre.
Your Rat in ink
A poster with the Rat above, your name and lunar birthday below, and your Chinese name as a round seal.
Make the poster
Enter your birthday and we set the poster: the animal in ink wash, the year's element, the date in the lunar calendar, your name. Full-resolution download, printable at A3.
Start with my birthdayWant a Chinese name on the seal? Find one first: three real names with every character explained, free.