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Born in January or February? Your Chinese zodiac animal

In 2026, the Year of the Horse starts on February 4, 2026 in Korean saju (Lichun) and on February 17, 2026 on the lunar calendar. If you were born before Lichun, saju counts you in the previous year's animal.

Published · Updated · Bias Match

The Bias Match tiger sage with a goat and the morning sun, marking the start of a new year

When does the Chinese zodiac year start?

The twelve animals follow the old East Asian calendar, not the one on your wall. So the question for a January or February birthday is not "which year?" but "which side of the line?" There are two lines in common use.

Snake Horse Horse Lichun Feb 4 Lunar New Year Feb 17 Jan 1 Feb 1 Mar 1
  1. Jan 1 to Feb 3: saju says Snake, the lunar calendar says Snake
  2. Feb 4 to Feb 16: saju says Horse, the lunar calendar still says Snake
  3. From Feb 17: Horse in both
The start of 2026. Saju changes the animal at Lichun; many zodiac calendars change it at Lunar New Year.

Between the two lines, people get two different answers. Neither calendar is wrong; they are counting from different starts. Bias Match follows saju and uses Lichun, the same as the saju calculator.

Chinese zodiac start dates by year, 1980 to 2027

If your birthday is earlier than the Lichun date for your year, saju counts you in the animal of the year before. The Lunar New Year column is when most zodiac calendars switch.

Lichun and Lunar New Year dates, and the animal that starts at them. Dates follow the Chinese tables (Beijing time); in a few years Korea's Seollal or the Lichun moment lands a day apart, which the calculator handles.
YearLichunLunar New YearAnimal
1980Feb 5Feb 16Monkey
1981Feb 4Feb 5Rooster
1982Feb 4Jan 25Dog
1983Feb 4Feb 13Pig
1984Feb 4Feb 2Rat
1985Feb 4Feb 20Ox
1986Feb 4Feb 9Tiger
1987Feb 4Jan 29Rabbit
1988Feb 4Feb 17Dragon
1989Feb 4Feb 6Snake
1990Feb 4Jan 27Horse
1991Feb 4Feb 15Goat
1992Feb 4Feb 4Monkey
1993Feb 4Jan 23Rooster
1994Feb 4Feb 10Dog
1995Feb 4Jan 31Pig
1996Feb 4Feb 19Rat
1997Feb 4Feb 7Ox
1998Feb 4Jan 28Tiger
1999Feb 4Feb 16Rabbit
2000Feb 4Feb 5Dragon
2001Feb 4Jan 24Snake
2002Feb 4Feb 12Horse
2003Feb 4Feb 1Goat
2004Feb 4Jan 22Monkey
2005Feb 4Feb 9Rooster
2006Feb 4Jan 29Dog
2007Feb 4Feb 18Pig
2008Feb 4Feb 7Rat
2009Feb 4Jan 26Ox
2010Feb 4Feb 14Tiger
2011Feb 4Feb 3Rabbit
2012Feb 4Jan 23Dragon
2013Feb 4Feb 10Snake
2014Feb 4Jan 31Horse
2015Feb 4Feb 19Goat
2016Feb 4Feb 8Monkey
2017Feb 3Jan 28Rooster
2018Feb 4Feb 16Dog
2019Feb 4Feb 5Pig
2020Feb 4Jan 25Rat
2021Feb 3Feb 12Ox
2022Feb 4Feb 1Tiger
2023Feb 4Jan 22Rabbit
2024Feb 4Feb 10Dragon
2025Feb 3Jan 29Snake
2026Feb 4Feb 17Horse
2027Feb 4Feb 6Goat

Which K-pop idols were born on the line?

32 idols with a page on Bias Match were born between January 1 and February 20. For 16 of them, the animal you'd guess from the birth year is not the saju animal.

Each card links to the idol's page, which shows the full year pillar and the sources for the birth date. A card that shows the same animal twice means the birthday came after Lichun.

What is my Chinese zodiac if I was born in January or February?

  1. Find your birth year in the table above and compare your birthday with that year's Lichun date.
  2. Born in January, or born in February before Lichun: saju counts you in the previous year's animal. Born on or after Lichun: the year's own animal.
  3. For the exact answer, including the hour on Lichun day itself, enter your birth date, time and country in the saju calculator. Your year pillar's branch is your animal.

Once you know your animal, see how it pairs with others on the Chinese zodiac chart.

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How we made this: the Lichun and Lunar New Year dates come from the solar-term and lunar tables in our chart engine, the same ones behind the saju calculator, and each idol's animal comes from their public birth date. The text was drafted with an AI writing assistant, then edited and checked by the Bias Match team. Fan-made and not affiliated with any artist or agency. For entertainment only.