What years are the Year of the Ox?

Recent and upcoming Years of the Ox are 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033. The next one is 2033. 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 Ox's personality like?

The Ox is diligent, dependable, and quietly strong — the one who puts their head down and finishes the work while everyone else is still talking about it. At their best they are hardworking, honest, methodical, steadfast; the flip side can be stubborn, inflexible, slow to trust, reserved. The Ox is a Yin sign with a fixed element of Earth (土).

Which signs are most compatible with the Ox?

The Ox gets along best with the Snake, Rooster, Rat. The one classic clash (六冲) is the Goat, the sign sitting directly opposite in the cycle.

2nd sign · 牛

Year of the Ox

牛 · niú

The Ox is diligent, dependable, and quietly strong — the one who puts their head down and finishes the work while everyone else is still talking about it.

Element: Earth (土 tǔ)Yin

Birth years

Were you born in a Year of the Ox?

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

1961197319851997200920212033

Personality

What the Ox is like

diligentdependablepatientdetermined

Strengths

hardworking
honest
methodical
steadfast

Watch out for

stubborn
inflexible
slow to trust
reserved

Element & polarity

A Yin Earth sign

Every sign carries a fixed element from the 五行 (wǔ xíng, the five elements). The Ox's is Earth (土 tǔ), which shades its character toward the qualities that element suggests.

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

Compatibility

Who the Ox 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

Snake Rooster Rat

Biggest clash

Goat

The Goat sits opposite the Ox in the cycle — the pairing tradition says strikes the most sparks.

Fortune

Lucky for the Ox

Lucky numbers

1, 4

Lucky colours

white, yellow, green

Suits careers in

engineer, doctor, craftsman, farmer

FAQ

Ox: common questions

What years are the Year of the Ox?: Recent and upcoming Years of the Ox are 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033. The next one is 2033. 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 Ox's personality like?: The Ox is diligent, dependable, and quietly strong — the one who puts their head down and finishes the work while everyone else is still talking about it. At their best they are hardworking, honest, methodical, steadfast; the flip side can be stubborn, inflexible, slow to trust, reserved. The Ox is a Yin sign with a fixed element of Earth (土).
Which signs are most compatible with the Ox?: The Ox gets along best with the Snake, Rooster, Rat. The one classic clash (六冲) is the Goat, the sign sitting directly opposite in the cycle.