Check compatibility between two Chinese zodiac signs
The Chinese zodiac assigns an animal to each year in a repeating 12-year cycle. The animals in order are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal is said to carry distinct personality characteristics that influence the people born in that year.
The Chinese zodiac system is more complex than the 12 animals alone. Each year also belongs to one of five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) in a 10-year cycle, creating a 60-year complete cycle before any exact year-element combination repeats. A person born in 1990 is a Metal Horse. Someone born in 2002 is a Water Horse. Both are Horses but with different elemental modifiers.
Traditional Chinese zodiac compatibility is based on the arrangement of animals in the 12-year cycle. The system identifies "triangles of affinity" — groups of three signs that are considered highly compatible: Rat-Dragon-Monkey, Ox-Snake-Rooster, Tiger-Horse-Dog, Rabbit-Goat-Pig. Signs that are six positions apart (directly opposite in the cycle) are considered the most challenging match: Rat-Horse, Ox-Goat, Tiger-Monkey, Rabbit-Rooster, Dragon-Dog, Snake-Pig.
Chinese New Year falls between late January and mid-February each year, meaning people born in January or early February may belong to the previous year's animal, not the calendar year in which they were born. This is a frequent source of confusion. A person born on 15 February 1990 is a Metal Horse. A person born on 25 January 1990 is an Earth Snake (the 1989 animal), because Chinese New Year 1990 fell on 27 January.
The Chinese zodiac remains deeply embedded in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and many other East and Southeast Asian cultural practices — consulted for naming children, selecting wedding dates, and assessing business relationships. This tool presents the framework respectfully as cultural and entertainment content.
Related: Zodiac Compatibility · Numerology Life Path · Birth Chart Summary