2021 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Ox

2021: a Yin Metal Ox year

The Chinese zodiac year 2021 was the Year of the Ox. It began with Lunar New Year on 12 February 2021 and ended on 31 January 2022, the eve of the next Lunar New Year.

Each year also has an element and a Yin or Yang quality. 2021 ends in 1, which makes it a Metal year, and as an odd year it is Yin. In the traditional stem-and-branch count, 2021 is a Xin-chou year. The same Metal Ox combination comes round only once every 60 years: 1961 before it and 2081 after it.

Born in January or February 2021?

Lunar New Year 2021 fell on 12 February 2021, so everyone born in January 2021, and in February before that date, belongs to the previous year's animal, the Rat.

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 Ox's personality

Our Ox guide describes the sign like this: “Reliable, honest, and hard-working. Oxen build success slowly and steadily through persistence.” The usual watch-out: “Can be stubborn and slow to adapt to sudden change.”

The Metal element adds its own flavour. Metal years bring discipline, ambition, and strong will. People of this element tend to be determined, independent, and value-driven. Read more in our Metal element guide, or the full Year of the Ox page.

Careers often linked with the Ox: agriculture, engineering, finance, medicine.

Lucky colors, numbers and days for the Ox

• Lucky colors: white, yellow and green
• Lucky numbers: 1 and 4
• Lucky days: Wednesday and Friday

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 2021

In traditional compatibility, the Ox's best matches are the Rat, Snake and Rooster, and its clash sign is the Goat, which sits directly opposite it on the zodiac circle. Our compatibility calculator compares two full birth dates, elements included.

The Ox in 2026 and 2027

2026 (Fire Horse, until 5 February 2027): for the Ox, it has no special traditional relationship with the Horse, so 2026 is a neutral year.

2027 (Fire Goat, from 6 February 2027): for the Ox, it sits directly opposite the Goat, so 2027 is its clash year. See Chinese zodiac 2027 predictions for every sign.

Other Year of the Ox years

Years of the same animal come every twelve years, each with a different element: 1997 (Fire Ox); 2009 (Earth Ox); 2033 (Water Ox). The full list is in our Chinese zodiac years chart.

Frequently asked questions

What Chinese zodiac is 2021?

2021 is the Year of the Ox, a Yin Metal Ox year (Xin-chou).

When does the 2021 Year of the Ox start and end?

It starts on 12 February 2021 and ends on 31 January 2022.

I was born in January 2021. What is my Chinese zodiac?

A Rat: Lunar New Year 2021 was on 12 February 2021, so all of January 2021 belongs to the Rat year.

What element is 2021?

Metal. 2021 ends in 1, which belongs to Metal, and it is a Yin year.

Who is the Ox compatible with?

Traditionally the Rat, Snake and Rooster. The Ox's clash sign is the Goat.

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.