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Year of the Dog

Chinese zodiac sign 11 of 12 ยท said to be loyal, honest, kind

The next year of the Dog is 2030, the Metal Dog, from February 2, 2030.

Years of the Dog

YearElementDates
2030 Metal Feb 2, 2030 โ€“ Jan 22, 2031
2018 Earth Feb 16, 2018 โ€“ Feb 4, 2019
2006 Fire Jan 29, 2006 โ€“ Feb 17, 2007
1994 Wood Feb 10, 1994 โ€“ Jan 30, 1995
1982 Water Jan 25, 1982 โ€“ Feb 12, 1983
1970 Metal Feb 6, 1970 โ€“ Jan 26, 1971
1958 Earth Feb 18, 1958 โ€“ Feb 7, 1959
1946 Fire Feb 2, 1946 โ€“ Jan 21, 1947
1934 Wood Feb 14, 1934 โ€“ Feb 3, 1935

Dog compatibility

Best matches (same trine)

๐Ÿ… Tiger ๐ŸŽ Horse

Secret friend

๐Ÿ‡ Rabbit

Clashes with

๐Ÿ‰ Dragon

Traditional Chinese astrology, for fun.

Born in January or February?

Each Dog year starts at Lunar New Year, between January 21 and February 20. If you were born earlier in the year, you belong to the animal before โ€” check your full birth date:

Other animals

About the Chinese Zodiac

Chinese Zodiac tells you your animal sign and element from your birth year โ€” and gets it right for January and February birthdays, which most charts miss. The Chinese zodiac year starts at Lunar New Year, between January 21 and February 20, so someone born before it belongs to the previous yearโ€™s animal. Every year from 1924 to 2035 has a page with its exact start and end dates, its element and yin or yang, and every animal has a page listing its years and its best and worst matches.

How to use it

  1. 1 Enter your birth year, and the month and day if you were born in January or February.
  2. 2 See your animal, element and yin or yang.
  3. 3 Open your year to see when it started and ended.
  4. 4 Check the animals you match and clash with.

Frequently asked questions

What years are the year of the Dog?

Recent years of the Dog are 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 and 2030. Each starts at Lunar New Year (late January or February), not on January 1.

When is the next year of the Dog?

The next year of the Dog is 2030, the Metal Dog, starting on February 2, 2030.

Who is the Dog compatible with?

Traditionally the Tiger and the Horse (the same trine) and the Rabbit (its โ€œsecret friendโ€). The Dragon, six signs away, is the classic clash.

What are the 12 Chinese zodiac animals in order?

Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The cycle repeats every 12 years, and each year also has one of five elements โ€” Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water โ€” giving a full cycle of 60 years.

What is the Chinese zodiac for 2026?

2026 is the year of the Fire Horse. It starts at Lunar New Year on February 17, 2026 and runs until February 5, 2027, when the year of the Fire Goat begins.

Why is my Chinese zodiac different from my birth year?

Because the Chinese zodiac year begins at Lunar New Year, not on January 1. If you were born in January or early February before that yearโ€™s Lunar New Year, your animal is the one for the year before. Enter your full birth date to check.

Where do the Lunar New Year dates come from?

They are worked out from the Chinese lunisolar calendar (the same calculation used by the Unicode ICU calendar library), which places Lunar New Year on the second new moon after the winter solstice in Chinese time.