Chinese Zodiac Years
2012 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Dragon
Born in 2012? Your Chinese zodiac animal is most likely the Dragon, but check the date: the 2012 Water Dragon year began on 23 January 2012. Here is everything about the year, from its element to its lucky colors and best matches.
2012: a Yang Water Dragon year
The Chinese zodiac year 2012 was the Year of the Dragon. It began with Lunar New Year on 23 January 2012 and ended on 9 February 2013, the eve of the next Lunar New Year.
Each year also has an element and a Yin or Yang quality. 2012 ends in 2, which makes it a Water year, and as an even year it is Yang. In the traditional stem-and-branch count, 2012 is a Ren-chen year. The same Water Dragon combination comes round only once every 60 years: 1952 before it and 2072 after it.
Born in January or February 2012?
Lunar New Year 2012 fell on 23 January 2012. Anyone born from 1 January 2012 up to the day before belongs to the previous year's animal, the Rabbit; from 23 January 2012 on, 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 Dragon's personality
Our Dragon guide describes the sign like this: “Confident, charismatic, and ambitious. Dragons draw attention and often rise to leadership naturally.” The usual watch-out: “Can come across as proud or impatient with limitations.”
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 Dragon page.
Careers often linked with the Dragon: leadership, entrepreneurship, entertainment, real estate.
Lucky colors, numbers and days for the Dragon
- Lucky colors: gold, silver and gray
- Lucky numbers: 1, 6 and 7
- Lucky days: Tuesday 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 2012
In traditional compatibility, the Dragon's best matches are the Rat, Monkey and Rooster, and its clash sign is the Dog, which sits directly opposite it on the zodiac circle. Our compatibility calculator compares two full birth dates, elements included.
The Dragon in 2026 and 2027
2026 (Fire Horse, until 5 February 2027): for the Dragon, it has no special traditional relationship with the Horse, so 2026 is a neutral year.
2027 (Fire Goat, from 6 February 2027): for the Dragon, 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 Dragon years
Years of the same animal come every twelve years, each with a different element: 1988 (Earth Dragon); 2000 (Metal Dragon); 2024 (Wood Dragon); 2036 (Fire Dragon). The full list is in our Chinese zodiac years chart.
Related articles
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac is 2012?
2012 is the Year of the Dragon, a Yang Water Dragon year (Ren-chen).
When does the 2012 Year of the Dragon start and end?
It starts on 23 January 2012 and ends on 9 February 2013.
I was born in January 2012. What is my Chinese zodiac?
If you were born before 23 January 2012, you are a Rabbit; from 23 January 2012 on, a Dragon.
What element is 2012?
Water. 2012 ends in 2, which belongs to Water, and it is a Yang year.
Who is the Dragon compatible with?
Traditionally the Rat, Monkey and Rooster. The Dragon's clash sign is the Dog.
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 Dragon · Born in January? · Zodiac sign checker
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