Zodiac Sign Calculator
Enter a date to find its Western zodiac sign and Chinese zodiac animal. The Western sign uses the month and day; the Chinese animal uses the calendar year.
Zodiac Sign Finder
Zodiac Sign Formula
Where:
- \(M\) and \(D\) — the selected month and day.
- \(W\) — the Western sign found in the date-range table below.
- \(Y\) — the selected calendar year; 1924 is the calculator’s reference Rat year.
- \(i\) — an index from 0 to 11; \(A_i\) is the animal at that index, and \(C\) is the resulting Chinese sign.
The Western sign is a lookup based on the month and day. The Chinese sign follows a repeating 12-year sequence based on the calendar year; the extra modulo step keeps the index nonnegative for years before 1924.
Zodiac Sign – Calculation Example
Example: select April 5, 2000. April 5 falls in the Aries date range. For the Chinese sign, count forward from the reference year 1924.
\[ W(04,05)=\text{Aries},\qquad i=(2000-1924)\bmod 12=76\bmod 12=4,\qquad A_4=\text{Dragon} \]
Result: Zodiac Sign: Aries; Chinese Sign: Dragon.
How to use the calculator
- Choose the date you want to check in the Date field. It is initially set to the current date, so change it if you want to use a birth date.
- Read Zodiac Sign for the Western sign associated with that month and day.
- Read Chinese Sign for the animal associated with the selected calendar year. Check the limitation below if the date is in January or February.
What your zodiac results mean
The Western zodiac divides the calendar into 12 conventional sun-sign date ranges. This calculator assigns one sign by comparing the selected month and day with those ranges. The year does not affect its Western result: April 5 is Aries regardless of which year you select. People commonly use sun signs in horoscopes, but a sign alone does not describe a complete astrological birth chart.
The Chinese zodiac is a repeating sequence of 12 animals. Here, the calculator takes the selected calendar year, compares it with 1924—a Rat year in its sequence—and advances one animal for each year. For example, the sequence places 2000 four positions after Rat, at Dragon.
These are two different systems, so receiving both results is expected. One describes a conventional Western month-and-day range; the other is this calculator’s year-based Chinese animal. Neither result is a scientific measure of personality or compatibility. If you want another way to explore a birth date, the Age Calculator calculates age, while the Day of the Week calculator identifies the weekday of a date.
Western zodiac date ranges
The calculator uses the following fixed boundaries. Both the first and last dates shown for each sign are included.
| Sign | Dates |
|---|---|
| Capricorn | December 22–January 19 |
| Aquarius | January 20–February 18 |
| Pisces | February 19–March 20 |
| Aries | March 21–April 19 |
| Taurus | April 20–May 20 |
| Gemini | May 21–June 20 |
| Cancer | June 21–July 22 |
| Leo | July 23–August 22 |
| Virgo | August 23–September 22 |
| Libra | September 23–October 22 |
| Scorpio | October 23–November 21 |
| Sagittarius | November 22–December 21 |
Assumptions and limitations
The Chinese animal sequence used here is Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. The calculation changes animals on January 1. Traditional Chinese zodiac years instead begin at Lunar New Year, which usually falls in January or February. Consequently, the displayed Chinese Sign can differ from the traditional birth-year animal for a date before that year’s Lunar New Year. The calculator does not check Lunar New Year dates.
Western sign dates are also treated as fixed. Some astrological sources place a sign’s transition on a different date or consider the time and location of birth, so a date near a boundary may be classified differently elsewhere. This calculator does not accept a birth time or location.
If a result seems one day off near a boundary, compare the selected date with the table. Date parsing can be affected by the browser’s time zone. For other date-based checks, you can use the Days Between Dates calculator or view a month with the Monthly Calendar Generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I work out my Chinese zodiac animal by hand?
Subtract 1924 from the year, divide the difference by 12, and use the remainder to count forward from Rat, with Rat at zero. For 1991, the difference is 67 and the remainder is 7. Counting forward seven places gives Goat. This quick method uses calendar years, so check the Lunar New Year date if the birthday is in January or February.
Why does another site give me a different Chinese zodiac animal?
A different result often comes from where the site starts the Chinese zodiac year. This calculator changes animals on January 1, while traditional birth-year calculations generally change at Lunar New Year. If you were born in January or February, look up the Lunar New Year date for your birth year and compare it with your birthday. Animal names can also vary in translation, such as Goat, Sheep, or Ram.
What is the zodiac sign for someone born on February 29?
February 29 falls under Pisces in the fixed Western date ranges used here. Being born in a leap year does not change how your Western sign is assigned, and you do not need to substitute February 28 or March 1 in other years. For the Chinese animal, the birth year still matters; check the Lunar New Year date if you want the traditional result.
Can I have two Western zodiac signs if I was born on a cusp?
A cusp birthday is close to the conventional change between two signs, but this calculator assigns exactly one sign to each date. Astrological sources may disagree near a boundary because they use different conventions or account for the Sun’s position at a particular birth time and place. If you want that more specific interpretation, you need a birth chart rather than a date-only sign lookup.
Is my sun sign the same as my moon sign or rising sign?
No. A Western sun sign describes the Sun’s position in an astrological chart, while moon and rising signs refer to the Moon’s position and the sign ascending on the horizon. A date-only calculator cannot determine all three. Calculating a rising sign requires an accurate birth time and location; those details are also useful for finding a precise moon sign.
Does the Chinese zodiac include elements as well as animals?
Yes. Traditional Chinese zodiac descriptions pair the 12 animals with a cycle of five elements, commonly named Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Together, the animal-and-element combinations repeat every 60 years. This calculator displays only the animal, so two people with the same animal can have different elements. For a traditional birth-year pairing, account for Lunar New Year as well.
Can zodiac signs tell whether two people are compatible?
Zodiac compatibility is an astrological tradition, not a scientifically reliable way to predict whether a relationship will work. Popular comparisons may use Western sun signs, Chinese animals, or fuller birth charts, so they can produce different answers. Treat any match as entertainment or a conversation starter, not as a substitute for communication, shared values, and how people actually treat each other.
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