Chinese Zodiac Years
2019 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Pig
Born in 2019? Your Chinese zodiac animal is most likely the Pig, but check the date: the 2019 Earth Pig year began on 5 February 2019. Here is everything about the year, from its element to its lucky colors and best matches.
2019: a Yin Earth Pig year
The Chinese zodiac year 2019 was the Year of the Pig. It began with Lunar New Year on 5 February 2019 and ended on 24 January 2020, the eve of the next Lunar New Year.
Each year also has an element and a Yin or Yang quality. 2019 ends in 9, which makes it an Earth year, and as an odd year it is Yin. In the traditional stem-and-branch count, 2019 is a Ji-hai year. The same Earth Pig combination comes round only once every 60 years: 1959 before it and 2079 after it.
Born in January or February 2019?
Lunar New Year 2019 fell on 5 February 2019, so everyone born in January 2019, and in February before that date, belongs to the previous year's animal, the Dog.
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 Pig's personality
Our Pig guide describes the sign like this: “Warm-hearted, generous, and easygoing. Pigs value comfort, kindness, and honest relationships.” The usual watch-out: “Can be overly trusting or indulgent.”
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 Pig page.
Careers often linked with the Pig: hospitality, food industry, teaching, healthcare.
Lucky colors, numbers and days for the Pig
- Lucky colors: yellow, gray and brown
- Lucky numbers: 2, 5 and 8
- Lucky days: Thursday 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 2019
In traditional compatibility, the Pig's best matches are the Tiger, Rabbit and Goat, and its clash sign is the Snake, which sits directly opposite it on the zodiac circle. Our compatibility calculator compares two full birth dates, elements included.
The Pig in 2026 and 2027
2026 (Fire Horse, until 5 February 2027): for the Pig, it has no special traditional relationship with the Horse, so 2026 is a neutral year.
2027 (Fire Goat, from 6 February 2027): for the Pig, it shares the Goat's triangle (Rabbit, Goat and Pig), so 2027 is traditionally favourable. See Chinese zodiac 2027 predictions for every sign.
Other Year of the Pig years
Years of the same animal come every twelve years, each with a different element: 1995 (Wood Pig); 2007 (Fire Pig); 2031 (Metal Pig). The full list is in our Chinese zodiac years chart.
Related articles
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac is 2019?
2019 is the Year of the Pig, a Yin Earth Pig year (Ji-hai).
When does the 2019 Year of the Pig start and end?
It starts on 5 February 2019 and ends on 24 January 2020.
I was born in January 2019. What is my Chinese zodiac?
A Dog: Lunar New Year 2019 was on 5 February 2019, so all of January 2019 belongs to the Dog year.
What element is 2019?
Earth. 2019 ends in 9, which belongs to Earth, and it is a Yin year.
Who is the Pig compatible with?
Traditionally the Tiger, Rabbit and Goat. The Pig's clash sign is the Snake.
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 Pig · Born in January? · Zodiac sign checker
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