Chinese Zodiac Years
2003 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Goat
Born in 2003? Your Chinese zodiac animal is most likely the Goat, but check the date: the 2003 Water Goat year began on 1 February 2003. Here is everything about the year, from its element to its lucky colors and best matches.
2003: a Yin Water Goat year
The Chinese zodiac year 2003 was the Year of the Goat. It began with Lunar New Year on 1 February 2003 and ended on 21 January 2004, the eve of the next Lunar New Year.
Each year also has an element and a Yin or Yang quality. 2003 ends in 3, which makes it a Water year, and as an odd year it is Yin. In the traditional stem-and-branch count, 2003 is a Gui-wei year. The same Water Goat combination comes round only once every 60 years: 1943 before it and 2063 after it.
Born in January or February 2003?
Lunar New Year 2003 fell on 1 February 2003, so everyone born in January 2003, and in February before that date, belongs to the previous year's animal, the Horse.
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 Water element adds its own flavour. Water years bring intuition, adaptability, and calm wisdom. People of this element tend to be thoughtful, diplomatic, and perceptive. Read more in our Water 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 2003
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: 1979 (Earth Goat); 1991 (Metal Goat); 2015 (Wood Goat); 2027 (Fire Goat). The full list is in our Chinese zodiac years chart.
Related articles
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac is 2003?
2003 is the Year of the Goat, a Yin Water Goat year (Gui-wei).
When does the 2003 Year of the Goat start and end?
It starts on 1 February 2003 and ends on 21 January 2004.
I was born in January 2003. What is my Chinese zodiac?
A Horse: Lunar New Year 2003 was on 1 February 2003, so all of January 2003 belongs to the Horse year.
What element is 2003?
Water. 2003 ends in 3, which belongs to Water, 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
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