What years are the Year of the Monkey?

Recent and upcoming Years of the Monkey are 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040. The next one is 2040. Because the zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, a birthday in January or early February may fall under the previous sign.

What is the Monkey's personality like?

The Monkey is clever, curious, and irrepressibly playful — a quick-thinking inventor who can talk their way into (and out of) anything and is always three steps ahead. At their best they are intelligent, witty, adaptable, sociable; the flip side can be mischievous, restless, cunning, easily bored. The Monkey is a Yang sign with a fixed element of Metal (金).

Which signs are most compatible with the Monkey?

The Monkey gets along best with the Rat, Dragon, Snake. The one classic clash (六冲) is the Tiger, the sign sitting directly opposite in the cycle.

9th sign · 猴

Year of the Monkey

猴 · hóu

The Monkey is clever, curious, and irrepressibly playful — a quick-thinking inventor who can talk their way into (and out of) anything and is always three steps ahead.

Element: Metal (金 jīn)Yang

Birth years

Were you born in a Year of the Monkey?

If your birth year is below, you're a Monkey — but a January or February birthday may put you under the Goat, since the zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year.

1968198019922004201620282040

Personality

What the Monkey is like

clevercuriousplayfulinventive

Strengths

intelligent
witty
adaptable
sociable

Watch out for

mischievous
restless
cunning
easily bored

Element & polarity

A Yang Metal sign

Every sign carries a fixed element from the 五行 (wǔ xíng, the five elements). The Monkey's is Metal (金 jīn), which shades its character toward the qualities that element suggests.

Its polarity is Yang (阳 yáng) — the signs alternate down the cycle, and each birth year's own element layers on top, so a Monkey born in one element's year reads differently from a Monkey born in another.

Compatibility

Who the Monkey matches

Best matches come from the harmony triangle (三合) and the six-harmony friend (六合); the classic clash (六冲) is the sign directly opposite.

Best matches

Rat Dragon Snake

Biggest clash

Tiger

The Tiger sits opposite the Monkey in the cycle — the pairing tradition says strikes the most sparks.

Fortune

Lucky for the Monkey

Lucky numbers

1, 7, 8

Lucky colours

white, gold, blue

Suits careers in

engineer, scientist, entertainer, entrepreneur

FAQ

Monkey: common questions

What years are the Year of the Monkey?: Recent and upcoming Years of the Monkey are 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040. The next one is 2040. Because the zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, a birthday in January or early February may fall under the previous sign.
What is the Monkey's personality like?: The Monkey is clever, curious, and irrepressibly playful — a quick-thinking inventor who can talk their way into (and out of) anything and is always three steps ahead. At their best they are intelligent, witty, adaptable, sociable; the flip side can be mischievous, restless, cunning, easily bored. The Monkey is a Yang sign with a fixed element of Metal (金).
Which signs are most compatible with the Monkey?: The Monkey gets along best with the Rat, Dragon, Snake. The one classic clash (六冲) is the Tiger, the sign sitting directly opposite in the cycle.