Generous, easy-going and sincere: the twelfth animal of the Chinese zodiac, and the sign of the year that begins on 23 January 2031.
- Recent Pig years
- 2007 · 2019 · 2031
- Next Pig year begins
- 23 January 2031
- Fixed element
- Water (yin)
- Best matches
- Rabbit · Goat · Tiger
- Clashes with
- Snake
- The Pig’s hours
- 9 pm – 11 pm (亥时 hàishí)
Are you a Pig?
The zodiac year doesn’t start on 1 January. It starts at Chinese New Year, which falls anywhere from 21 January to 20 February. So if you were born in January or February, your birth year alone can’t tell you your animal. Enter your full date of birth for the exact answer.
Every Year of the Pig, with exact dates
| Year | Chinese name | Element | Begins | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | 癸亥 guǐhài | Water Pig | 16 Feb 1923 | 4 Feb 1924 |
| 1935 | 乙亥 yǐhài | Wood Pig | 4 Feb 1935 | 23 Jan 1936 |
| 1947 | 丁亥 dīnghài | Fire Pig | 22 Jan 1947 | 9 Feb 1948 |
| 1959 | 己亥 jǐhài | Earth Pig | 8 Feb 1959 | 27 Jan 1960 |
| 1971 | 辛亥 xīnhài | Metal Pig | 27 Jan 1971 | 14 Feb 1972 |
| 1983 | 癸亥 guǐhài | Water Pig | 13 Feb 1983 | 1 Feb 1984 |
| 1995 | 乙亥 yǐhài | Wood Pig | 31 Jan 1995 | 18 Feb 1996 |
| 2007 | 丁亥 dīnghài | Fire Pig | 18 Feb 2007 | 6 Feb 2008 |
| 2019 | 己亥 jǐhài | Earth Pig | 5 Feb 2019 | 24 Jan 2020 |
| 2031 | 辛亥 xīnhài | Metal Pig | 23 Jan 2031 | 10 Feb 2032 |
| 2043 | 癸亥 guǐhài | Water Pig | 10 Feb 2043 | 29 Jan 2044 |
Dates follow the lunar calendar’s New Year, the convention used for the zodiac in everyday Chinese life. Some fortune-tellers instead start the year at 立春 (lìchūn, Start of Spring, around 4 February), so a few early-February birthdays get read differently. In 2031 the two fall twelve days apart: New Year on 23 January, 立春 on 4 February.
How to write 猪, and the older pig hiding behind it
猪 (zhū) is a newer character than you might expect. The original word for pig was 豕 (shǐ), a picture of the animal turned on end, with its belly, legs and tail drawn top to bottom, the way Shang scribes stood animals up to fit narrow strips of bone. The Shuowen Jiezi later wrote 豬: 豕 for meaning plus 者 (zhě) for sound. Today’s simplified 猪 keeps 者 but swaps the pig for 犭, the dog radical used for animals, a form long used in handwriting before it became the standard.
11 strokes · the three-stroke 犭 on the left first, then 者: 土, the long slash, and 日 last
From 豕 to 猪, in four steps
Oracle bone豕 shǐ, Shang dynasty
Bronze豕 shǐ, Shang and Zhou bronzes
Small seal豬 zhū, Shuowen, c. 100 CE- 猪TodayTraditional 豬, simplified 猪
Ancient forms: public-domain drawings from the Ancient Chinese Characters project on Wikimedia Commons.
Six characters built from 豕, the original pig
The modern 猪 rarely turns up inside other characters, but its ancestor 豕 (shǐ) is everywhere, from home and marriage to dolphins and tunnels. Sometimes it brings meaning, and sometimes it is only there for sound. Tap the speaker to hear each one.
Want the system behind cards like these? Read how Chinese characters actually work and the stroke order rules, then practise 猪 on the free writing practice board.
Pig or boar?
Both, depending on where you look. In Chinese, 猪 (zhū) is the everyday word for the farmyard pig, and the zodiac sign is simply 猪. Japan writes the same character but reads it as inoshishi, the wild boar, so Japanese zodiac art shows a tusked boar, and many English sources followed. When Chinese speakers need to be precise, they add a word.
猪
zhū
Pig, the domestic animal and the zodiac sign.
野猪
yězhū
Wild boar. Literally “wild pig”.
小猪
xiǎozhū
Piglet, a little 猪.
猪肉
zhūròu
Pork. On many Chinese menus, 肉 on its own means pork.
Behind 猪 sit two older words. 豕 (shǐ) is the classical word for pig, the one on the oracle bones. 亥 (hài) is the twelfth Earthly Branch, the calendar slot the Pig stands for. Nobody says 我属亥 in conversation, though: it’s always 我属猪. We use “Pig”, the standard English choice and the closest to the Chinese.
The Pig personality
Zodiac personalities are folk tradition, not science, and Chinese people treat them much the way others treat star signs: half seriously, often with a smile. Still, the character traditionally given to people born in the Year of the Pig is remarkably consistent across almanacs. It’s the warmest and most trusting of the twelve.
Generous
dàfang. Open-handed with money, food and time. The Pig is the friend who insists on paying and means it.
Sincere
zhēnchéng. What you see is what you get. Pigs say what they think and keep their word.
Easy-going
suíhé. Relaxed, tolerant and good company, rarely the one who starts an argument.
Hard-working
qínláo. Behind the relaxed manner, a steady worker who sees a job through to the end.
And the other side
Too trusting
qīngxìn. Pigs expect the best of people, which makes them easy to take advantage of.
Complacent
ānyú xiànzhuàng. Content with things as they are, the Pig can lack the drive to push for more.
Self-indulgent
lǎnsǎn. A love of comfort, good food and a lie-in can slide into letting things drift.
Avoids trouble
pà máfan. Pigs dislike conflict and hassle, and may dodge a hard conversation that needs having.
Lucky things, by tradition
Almanacs disagree about the Pig’s lucky charms more than for most signs, and we’d rather show you that than pretend otherwise. Here is what the major sources share, and where they split.
| Lucky | What the sources say | Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers | 2, 5 and 8 in most lists, though one major guide gives 1, 3 and 4 instead | Mostly |
| Flowers | Hydrangea in every list, plus daisy, marguerite or chrysanthemum depending on the source | Mostly |
| Colours | Yellow, grey, brown and gold in most lists, white, silver and blue in others | Disputed |
| Numbers to avoid | 7 in the major lists, joined by 1 in some and by 2 and 5 in others | Mostly |
Which Pig are you? The five elements
Every animal returns once every 12 years, but it pairs with each of the five elements only once every 60. So a 1971 Pig and a 2031 Pig share both animal and element: both are Metal Pigs.
乙亥 yǐhài · 1935 · 1995
The Wood Pig is said to be the kindest of the five: courteous, loyal and generous to a fault. Its traditional caution is overthinking until it can’t decide.
丁亥 dīnghài · 1947 · 2007
The Fire Pig is the boldest Pig: outgoing, ambitious and quick to help. Tradition warns of a short temper and projects left half finished.
己亥 jǐhài · 1959 · 2019
The Earth Pig is the most down-to-earth Pig: honest, diligent and easy to trust. It’s said to be so content with what it has that it rarely takes a leap.
辛亥 xīnhài · 1971 · 2031
The Metal Pig is said to be the most determined Pig: principled, disciplined and broad-minded, with a firmness other Pigs lack. Its weakness is stubbornness. 2031 is a Metal Pig year.
癸亥 guǐhài · 1923 · 1983 · 2043
Water is the Pig’s own fixed element, so the Water Pig is the Pig at its most typical: gentle, sociable and perceptive. Its traditional weakness is being too easily swayed by others.
Pig compatibility
Zodiac compatibility isn’t a list of opinions. It’s geometry. Place the twelve animals around a circle, and the classic matches form fixed shapes: triangles of allies, pairs of secret friends, and opposites that clash. Here is the Pig’s position.
- Best: Rabbit 兔 and Goat 羊The Three Harmonies (三合 sānhé), the green triangle. These three are the gentlest of the four triangles, kind and peace-loving signs that tradition sees as the happiest pairing for friendship, business or marriage.
- Secret friend: Tiger 虎The Six Harmonies (六合 liùhé), the gold line. The bold Tiger leads and the easy-going Pig supports, a pairing tradition reads as loyal and warm.
- Clash: Snake 蛇The Six Conflicts (六冲 liùchōng), straight across the circle. The guarded, calculating Snake sits directly opposite the open, trusting Pig on the zodiac wheel.
- Friction: Monkey 猴The Six Harms (六害 liùhài), the dashed line. A quieter mismatch: the restless, clever Monkey and the straightforward Pig are said to misread each other.
See the other pairings from each side: the Rabbit, the Goat, the Tiger and the Snake.
The Pig in Chinese culture
猪八戒 Pigsy, the pilgrim
Zhū Bājiè, known in English as Pigsy, is one of the four pilgrims in Journey to the West (西游记 Xīyóu Jì), the 16th-century novel usually attributed to Wu Cheng’en. In the story he was once Marshal Tianpeng of heaven, banished for drunkenly flirting with the moon goddess Chang’e and reborn with a pig’s face. Greedy, lazy and lovable, he is still China’s favourite fictional pig. More stories in our Chinese culture guides.
东坡肉 Su Shi’s pork
Dōngpō ròu. Slow-braised pork belly named after the Song-dynasty poet Su Shi (苏轼), also called Su Dongpo. In exile in Huangzhou he wrote a playful poem, In Praise of Pork (猪肉颂 Zhūròu Sòng), praising a low fire, little water and patience. Legend says he later shared the dish with workers dredging West Lake. Taste it in our Zhejiang guide.
肥猪拱门 A fat pig at the door
féizhū gǒng mén. “A fat pig nudges open the door”: a favourite New Year paper-cut in north China, showing a plump pig with 福 (fú, good fortune) on its side and a treasure bowl on its back. Stuck on the windows at Spring Festival, it means wealth walking into the house. In Chinese folk art the pig stands for plenty, not greed.
没吃过猪肉，还没见过猪跑吗 Seen a pig run
méi chī guo zhūròu, hái méi jiàn guo zhū pǎo ma? “You may never have eaten pork, but haven’t you seen a pig run?” A folk saying for knowing the basics of something even without first-hand experience. It’s the everyday cousin of the four-character Chinese idioms, and very much alive in conversation.
Famous people born in the Year of the Pig
Pigs are said to be generous, warm and hard-working, and these nine have certainly given the world plenty. They span stage, screen, sport and song, across all five elements.
- Richard AttenboroughActor and film director, EnglandBorn 29 Aug 1923 · Water Pig
- Julie AndrewsActor and singer, EnglandBorn 1 Oct 1935 · Wood Pig
- Elton JohnSinger and songwriter, EnglandBorn 25 Mar 1947 · Fire Pig
- Hou Hsiao-hsien 侯孝贤Film director, TaiwanBorn 8 Apr 1947 · Fire Pig
- Alice CooperRock singer, United StatesBorn 4 Feb 1948 · Fire PigBorn 6 days before Chinese New Year 1948, so many lists get this one wrong
- Magic JohnsonBasketball player, United StatesBorn 14 Aug 1959 · Earth Pig
- Ewan McGregorActor, ScotlandBorn 31 Mar 1971 · Metal Pig
- Huang Lei 黄磊Actor and director, NanchangBorn 6 Dec 1971 · Metal Pig
- Liu Xiang 刘翔Olympic champion hurdler, ShanghaiBorn 13 Jul 1983 · Water Pig
We checked each full date of birth against the exact Chinese New Year date for that year, so January and early-February birthdays are placed in the right sign.
The Year of the Metal Pig, 2031
The Metal Pig year, 辛亥年 (xīnhài nián), runs from 23 January 2031 to 10 February 2032. Metal is said to give the easy-going Pig more backbone and resolve, so tradition reads 2031 as a year for steady work, saving and generosity. For how the festival itself is celebrated, the fifteen days and the greetings, see our guide to the Spring Festival.
běnmìngnián, “your own zodiac year”. If you were born in a Pig year (2019, 2007, 1995, 1983, 1971…), 2031 is your 本命年. Tradition says it’s a year to be careful, so many people wear something red all year round, often red socks, a red string bracelet or red underwear, which shops sell in a rush before every New Year.
Talk about your sign in Mandarin
Asking someone’s zodiac animal is one of the most natural small-talk questions in Chinese, and a polite way to guess an age without asking. Here is the whole conversation.
我属猪
wǒ shǔ zhū
“I’m a Pig,” literally “I belong to the pig”.
你属什么？
nǐ shǔ shénme?
“What’s your zodiac sign?”
你也属猪吗？
nǐ yě shǔ zhū ma?
“Are you a Pig too?”
今年是我的本命年。
jīnnián shì wǒ de běnmìngnián.
“This year is my zodiac year.”
Common misunderstandings
- “I was born in January 1995, so I’m a Pig.” Not quite: the Pig year only began on 31 January 1995, so earlier January birthdays belong to the Wood Dog. The same trap catches Elvis Presley, born 8 January 1935 and often listed as a Pig, who was in fact a Dog. Check any date with the tool above.
- “The Pig is an insulting sign.” In English “pig” can be an insult, but the zodiac Pig stands for plenty, good fortune and an easy, contented life. New Year paper-cuts show a fat pig bringing wealth through the door, and many families are delighted to welcome a Pig baby.
- “The Pig and the Boar are two different signs.” There’s only one, 猪. “Boar” comes from Japan, where the same character is read as the wild boar, and from translators who followed.
- “2007 was the Golden Pig year.” The media called it that, and a baby boom followed, but by the element cycle 2007 (丁亥 dīnghài) was a Fire Pig, as some fortune-tellers pointed out at the time. The Metal, or golden, Pig years are 1971 and 2031.
Quick quiz
1. In the modern character 猪, what is the left-hand part 犭?
2. Which sign is the Pig’s Six Harmonies partner?
3. 海豚 (hǎitún) literally means “sea piglet”. Which animal is it?
FAQs
The Year of the Pig comes round every 12 years: 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2031. Each one starts at Chinese New Year rather than on 1 January. The next begins on 23 January 2031 and runs to 10 February 2032.
Yes. 2031 is a Metal Pig year (辛亥 xīnhài). It begins on 23 January 2031. Anyone born between 1 and 22 January 2031 is still a Dog, the sign of the year before.
In Chinese it’s the Pig. The sign is 猪 (zhū), the everyday word for the domestic pig, while a wild boar is 野猪. “Boar” comes from the Japanese zodiac, which reads the same character as wild boar.
Traditionally the Rabbit and the Goat, which form the Three Harmonies (三合) with the Pig, and the Tiger, its Six Harmonies (六合) partner. The Snake is the Pig’s clash sign, sitting directly opposite on the zodiac wheel.
Most sources give 2, 5 and 8 as the Pig’s lucky numbers, with yellow, grey, brown and gold as its colours, though one major guide lists 1, 3 and 4 with white, silver and blue instead. Every list agrees on the hydrangea as its flower. These are folk associations, so treat them as tradition rather than rules.
The Pig’s fixed element is Water, and it’s a yin sign. Each Pig year also carries a rotating element (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water), set by the year’s heavenly stem. 2031 is Metal, 2019 was Earth and 2007 was Fire.
In the legend of the Great Race, the Jade Emperor ranked the animals by the order they arrived. The Pig grew hungry along the way, stopped for a feast, fell asleep, and still finished, but long after everyone else, so it came twelfth. Read the whole story on our Chinese zodiac guide.
Say 我属猪 (wǒ shǔ zhū), literally “I belong to the pig”. To ask someone else, say 你属什么？ (nǐ shǔ shénme?), “What’s your sign?”. It’s a polite, roundabout way to guess someone’s age, since the answer narrows it to every 12 years.
Say “我属猪” like a native
The zodiac is one of the easiest conversations to start in Mandarin. Learn the words, the tones and the stories behind them in 1-on-1 online lessons with a native speaker.
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