Chinese Zodiac Years
1979 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Goat
Born in 1979? Your Chinese zodiac animal is most likely the Goat, but check the date: the 1979 Earth Goat year began on 28 January 1979. Here is everything about the year, from its element to its lucky colors and best matches.
1979: a Yin Earth Goat year
The Chinese zodiac year 1979 was the Year of the Goat. It began with Lunar New Year on 28 January 1979 and ended on 15 February 1980, the eve of the next Lunar New Year.
Each year also has an element and a Yin or Yang quality. 1979 ends in 9, which makes it an Earth year, and as an odd year it is Yin. In the traditional stem-and-branch count, 1979 is a Ji-wei year. The same Earth Goat combination comes round only once every 60 years: 1919 before it and 2039 after it.
Born in January or February 1979?
Lunar New Year 1979 fell on 28 January 1979. Anyone born from 1 January 1979 up to the day before belongs to the previous year's animal, the Horse; from 28 January 1979 on, the Goat.
The zodiac year starts at Lunar New Year, not on 1 January, which is why early-year birthdays need checking. Our guide Born in January? explains the rule, and the zodiac sign checker gives the exact answer for any birth date.
The Goat's personality
Our Goat guide describes the sign like this: “Gentle, creative, and compassionate. Goats have a strong artistic sensibility and care deeply for others.” The usual watch-out: “Can be indecisive or overly dependent on others.”
The Earth element adds its own flavour. Earth years bring stability, practicality, and patience. People of this element tend to be dependable, grounded, and good at long-term planning. Read more in our Earth element guide, or the full Year of the Goat page.
Careers often linked with the Goat: art, design, counseling, nonprofit work.
Lucky colors, numbers and days for the Goat
- Lucky colors: green, red and purple
- Lucky numbers: 2 and 7
- Lucky days: Friday and Sunday
These are the values used across this site. For a lucky color, number and time that change every day, see the daily fortune.
Best matches for someone born in 1979
In traditional compatibility, the Goat's best matches are the Rabbit, Horse and Pig, and its clash sign is the Ox, which sits directly opposite it on the zodiac circle. Our compatibility calculator compares two full birth dates, elements included.
The Goat in 2026 and 2027
2026 (Fire Horse, until 5 February 2027): for the Goat, it is listed as a supportive match of the Horse, so 2026 is traditionally a friendly year.
2027 (Fire Goat, from 6 February 2027): for the Goat, 2027 is a Goat year, so Goat people are in their own year (ben ming nian). See Chinese zodiac 2027 predictions for every sign.
Other Year of the Goat years
Years of the same animal come every twelve years, each with a different element: 1955 (Wood Goat); 1967 (Fire Goat); 1991 (Metal Goat); 2003 (Water Goat). The full list is in our Chinese zodiac years chart.
Related articles
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac is 1979?
1979 is the Year of the Goat, a Yin Earth Goat year (Ji-wei).
When does the 1979 Year of the Goat start and end?
It starts on 28 January 1979 and ends on 15 February 1980.
I was born in January 1979. What is my Chinese zodiac?
If you were born before 28 January 1979, you are a Horse; from 28 January 1979 on, a Goat.
What element is 1979?
Earth. 1979 ends in 9, which belongs to Earth, and it is a Yin year.
Who is the Goat compatible with?
Traditionally the Rabbit, Horse and Pig. The Goat's clash sign is the Ox.
Sources and further reading
- Hong Kong Observatory: “Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches” — the 60-part Gan-Zhi cycle used to name years, months, days and hours.
- Wikipedia: “Sexagenary cycle” — the ten stems and twelve branches, 1984 as the start of the present cycle, and the year changing at Lunar New Year.
- Farmers' Almanac: “When Is Lunar New Year 2027?” — Lunar New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, between 21 January and 21 February.
- New World Encyclopedia: “Wu xing” — the five elements and the generating and overcoming cycles.
- Britannica: Chinese zodiac — the zodiac as a classification of years in a repeating twelve-year cycle.
Traditional Chinese zodiac reading for culture and entertainment, not a scientific prediction. Year dates follow the Lunar New Year table used by our zodiac checker.
Explore more: Chinese zodiac years chart · Year of the Goat · Born in January? · Zodiac sign checker
← All years: Chinese zodiac years chart