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Year of the Monkey

Chinese zodiac sign 9 of 12 ยท said to be clever, playful, curious

The next year of the Monkey is 2028, the Earth Monkey, from January 26, 2028.

Years of the Monkey

YearElementDates
2028 Earth Jan 26, 2028 โ€“ Feb 12, 2029
2016 Fire Feb 8, 2016 โ€“ Jan 27, 2017
2004 Wood Jan 22, 2004 โ€“ Feb 8, 2005
1992 Water Feb 4, 1992 โ€“ Jan 22, 1993
1980 Metal Feb 16, 1980 โ€“ Feb 4, 1981
1968 Earth Jan 30, 1968 โ€“ Feb 16, 1969
1956 Fire Feb 12, 1956 โ€“ Jan 30, 1957
1944 Wood Jan 25, 1944 โ€“ Feb 12, 1945
1932 Water Feb 6, 1932 โ€“ Jan 25, 1933

Monkey compatibility

Best matches (same trine)

๐Ÿ€ Rat ๐Ÿ‰ Dragon

Secret friend

๐Ÿ Snake

Clashes with

๐Ÿ… Tiger

Traditional Chinese astrology, for fun.

Born in January or February?

Each Monkey 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 Monkey?

Recent years of the Monkey are 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 and 2028. Each starts at Lunar New Year (late January or February), not on January 1.

When is the next year of the Monkey?

The next year of the Monkey is 2028, the Earth Monkey, starting on January 26, 2028.

Who is the Monkey compatible with?

Traditionally the Rat and the Dragon (the same trine) and the Snake (its โ€œsecret friendโ€). The Tiger, 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.