Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac
Rabbit illustration
The Rabbit (sometimes called Hare in English) is fourth in the cycle. It sits between the Tiger’s roar and the Dragon’s spectacle.
Popular summaries often connect Rabbit years with gentleness and careful timing.
A short history of the cycle
The Chinese zodiac (shēngxiào) ties each year to one of twelve animals linked to the Earthly Branches, an older counting system used for years, hours, and more. Over time the animals became the memorable public face of that cycle. Festival culture, family lore, and almanacs kept the sequence alive long before online birthday charts.
The Rabbit is the fourth animal in the traditional order still used across much of East Asia.
How this site counts Rabbit years
We follow Chinese New Year, not January 1. The Year of the Rabbit runs from New Year’s day for that animal through the day before the next New Year. Recent Chinese years that began as Rabbit opened in 1987, 1999, 2011, and 2023 (and every twelve years around those dates).
Rabbit or Hare?
English translations vary. This site uses Rabbit because that is the calculator label, but you will see Hare on some charts for the same place in the cycle.
Western signs are a different chart
A birth date can also carry a tropical Western zodiac sign based on month and day. Chinese animals answer a year-cycle question. See Western zodiac for that system.
Try the calculator
Enter your birth date in the birthday calculator to see your Chinese zodiac animal beside weekday, age, and other birthday results.
Common questions
When does Year of the Rabbit begin?
At Chinese New Year for that animal’s turn in the cycle. Recent New Years that opened a Rabbit year include those in 1987, 1999, 2011, and 2023. The day before that New Year still belongs to the previous animal.
How is this different from Western zodiac signs?
Chinese animals follow a twelve-year cycle marked by Chinese New Year. Western tropical signs follow month-and-day ranges within each year. A birthday can carry both labels.
Do Rabbit years always match the Gregorian calendar year?
Not exactly. If you were born in January or early February, check whether your birthday fell before that year’s Chinese New Year. Before New Year you still belong to the prior animal.