Chinese Zodiac Years
1989 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Snake
Born in 1989? Your Chinese zodiac animal is most likely the Snake, but check the date: the 1989 Earth Snake year began on 6 February 1989. Here is everything about the year, from its element to its lucky colors and best matches.
1989: a Yin Earth Snake year
The Chinese zodiac year 1989 was the Year of the Snake. It began with Lunar New Year on 6 February 1989 and ended on 26 January 1990, the eve of the next Lunar New Year.
Each year also has an element and a Yin or Yang quality. 1989 ends in 9, which makes it an Earth year, and as an odd year it is Yin. In the traditional stem-and-branch count, 1989 is a Ji-si year. The same Earth Snake combination comes round only once every 60 years: 1929 before it and 2049 after it.
Born in January or February 1989?
Lunar New Year 1989 fell on 6 February 1989, so everyone born in January 1989, and in February before that date, belongs to the previous year's animal, the Dragon.
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 Snake's personality
Our Snake guide describes the sign like this: “Wise, intuitive, and elegant. Snakes are deep thinkers who plan carefully before acting.” The usual watch-out: “Can be secretive or prone to overthinking.”
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 Snake page.
Careers often linked with the Snake: finance, research, psychology, strategy.
Lucky colors, numbers and days for the Snake
- Lucky colors: black, red and yellow
- Lucky numbers: 2, 8 and 9
- Lucky days: Wednesday and Saturday
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 1989
In traditional compatibility, the Snake's best matches are the Ox, Rooster and Monkey, and its clash sign is the Pig, which sits directly opposite it on the zodiac circle. Our compatibility calculator compares two full birth dates, elements included.
The Snake in 2026 and 2027
2026 (Fire Horse, until 5 February 2027): for the Snake, it has no special traditional relationship with the Horse, so 2026 is a neutral year.
2027 (Fire Goat, from 6 February 2027): for the Snake, it has no special traditional relationship with the Goat, so 2027 is a neutral year. See Chinese zodiac 2027 predictions for every sign.
Other Year of the Snake years
Years of the same animal come every twelve years, each with a different element: 1965 (Wood Snake); 1977 (Fire Snake); 2001 (Metal Snake); 2013 (Water Snake). The full list is in our Chinese zodiac years chart.
Related articles
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac is 1989?
1989 is the Year of the Snake, a Yin Earth Snake year (Ji-si).
When does the 1989 Year of the Snake start and end?
It starts on 6 February 1989 and ends on 26 January 1990.
I was born in January 1989. What is my Chinese zodiac?
A Dragon: Lunar New Year 1989 was on 6 February 1989, so all of January 1989 belongs to the Dragon year.
What element is 1989?
Earth. 1989 ends in 9, which belongs to Earth, and it is a Yin year.
Who is the Snake compatible with?
Traditionally the Ox, Rooster and Monkey. The Snake's clash sign is the Pig.
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 Snake · Born in January? · Zodiac sign checker
← All years: Chinese zodiac years chart