What years are the Year of the Snake?

Recent and upcoming Years of the Snake are 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037. The next one is 2037. 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 Snake's personality like?

The Snake is wise, intuitive, and enigmatic — a graceful thinker who says little, watches everything, and moves only when the moment is exactly right. At their best they are intelligent, perceptive, determined, composed; the flip side can be secretive, suspicious, possessive, guarded. The Snake is a Yin sign with a fixed element of Fire (火).

Which signs are most compatible with the Snake?

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

6th sign · 蛇

Year of the Snake

蛇 · shé

The Snake is wise, intuitive, and enigmatic — a graceful thinker who says little, watches everything, and moves only when the moment is exactly right.

Element: Fire (火 huǒ)Yin

Birth years

Were you born in a Year of the Snake?

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

1965197719892001201320252037

Personality

What the Snake is like

wiseintuitivegracefulenigmatic

Strengths

intelligent
perceptive
determined
composed

Watch out for

secretive
suspicious
possessive
guarded

Element & polarity

A Yin Fire sign

Every sign carries a fixed element from the 五行 (wǔ xíng, the five elements). The Snake's is Fire (火 huǒ), 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 Snake born in one element's year reads differently from a Snake born in another.

Compatibility

Who the Snake 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

Ox Rooster Monkey

Biggest clash

Pig

The Pig sits opposite the Snake in the cycle — the pairing tradition says strikes the most sparks.

Fortune

Lucky for the Snake

Lucky numbers

2, 8, 9

Lucky colours

red, yellow, black

Suits careers in

scientist, analyst, philosopher, investigator

FAQ

Snake: common questions

What years are the Year of the Snake?: Recent and upcoming Years of the Snake are 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037. The next one is 2037. 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 Snake's personality like?: The Snake is wise, intuitive, and enigmatic — a graceful thinker who says little, watches everything, and moves only when the moment is exactly right. At their best they are intelligent, perceptive, determined, composed; the flip side can be secretive, suspicious, possessive, guarded. The Snake is a Yin sign with a fixed element of Fire (火).
Which signs are most compatible with the Snake?: The Snake gets along best with the Ox, Rooster, Monkey. The one classic clash (六冲) is the Pig, the sign sitting directly opposite in the cycle.