What years are the Year of the Rat?

Recent and upcoming Years of the Rat are 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032. The next one is 2032. 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 Rat's personality like?

First of the twelve signs, the Rat is quick-witted, resourceful, and endlessly adaptable — a charming opportunist who wins by being cleverer than the room. At their best they are adaptable, clever, sociable, thrifty; the flip side can be opportunistic, acquisitive, restless, quick to worry. The Rat is a Yang sign with a fixed element of Water (水).

Which signs are most compatible with the Rat?

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

1st sign · 鼠

Year of the Rat

鼠 · shǔ

First of the twelve signs, the Rat is quick-witted, resourceful, and endlessly adaptable — a charming opportunist who wins by being cleverer than the room.

Element: Water (水 shuǐ)Yang

Birth years

Were you born in a Year of the Rat?

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

1960197219841996200820202032

Personality

What the Rat is like

quick-wittedresourcefulversatilecharming

Strengths

adaptable
clever
sociable
thrifty

Watch out for

opportunistic
acquisitive
restless
quick to worry

Element & polarity

A Yang Water sign

Every sign carries a fixed element from the 五行 (wǔ xíng, the five elements). The Rat's is Water (水 shuǐ), 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 Rat born in one element's year reads differently from a Rat born in another.

Compatibility

Who the Rat 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

Dragon Monkey Ox

Biggest clash

Horse

The Horse sits opposite the Rat in the cycle — the pairing tradition says strikes the most sparks.

Fortune

Lucky for the Rat

Lucky numbers

2, 3

Lucky colours

blue, gold, green

Suits careers in

entrepreneur, writer, financier, manager

FAQ

Rat: common questions

What years are the Year of the Rat?: Recent and upcoming Years of the Rat are 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032. The next one is 2032. 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 Rat's personality like?: First of the twelve signs, the Rat is quick-witted, resourceful, and endlessly adaptable — a charming opportunist who wins by being cleverer than the room. At their best they are adaptable, clever, sociable, thrifty; the flip side can be opportunistic, acquisitive, restless, quick to worry. The Rat is a Yang sign with a fixed element of Water (水).
Which signs are most compatible with the Rat?: The Rat gets along best with the Dragon, Monkey, Ox. The one classic clash (六冲) is the Horse, the sign sitting directly opposite in the cycle.