Zodiac Sign Calculator
Look up your Western sun sign (with element) and your Chinese zodiac animal (with element) from your date of birth.
Western zodiac (sun signs)
The Western zodiac divides the year into twelve roughly equal calendar blocks, each linked to a constellation along the ecliptic. The boundaries — known as cusps — fall around the 20th of each month. Because the tropical year is slightly more than 365 days, the cusp can shift by up to a day from year to year; we use the consensus dates here.
Each sign is also associated with one of four classical elements: Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), and Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces). The element grouping is the most-cited "compatibility" lens in popular astrology.
Chinese zodiac
The Chinese zodiac is a sixty-year cycle made by combining a twelve-animal sequence with a ten-year heavenly-stem (element) sequence. The twelve animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The five elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, each appearing twice in a row before rotating.
For simplicity we compute the year by Gregorian calendar; the traditional Chinese New Year falls in late January or February, so people born in the early weeks of the Gregorian year may belong to the previous Chinese zodiac year. Our headline shows the Gregorian-calendar mapping.
Frequently asked questions
Which zodiac do you use?
We compute both the Western (sun-sign) zodiac and the Chinese zodiac. Western dates use the standard tropical date ranges; Chinese signs use the 12-year animal cycle and the 10-year heavenly stem (element) cycle.
Why do some sources give a different sign for the same date?
Western sun-sign cusps shift by a day every few years because the tropical year is not exactly 365 days. We use the most widely accepted dates; for cusp dates the difference is at most one day.
Is this astrology?
No. We are reporting which calendar block your date of birth falls in, nothing more. We do not interpret personality, predict the future, or recommend life decisions.