Chinese Zodiac Years
2023 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Rabbit
Born in 2023? Your Chinese zodiac animal is most likely the Rabbit, but check the date: the 2023 Water Rabbit year began on 22 January 2023. Here is everything about the year, from its element to its lucky colors and best matches.
2023: a Yin Water Rabbit year
The Chinese zodiac year 2023 was the Year of the Rabbit. It began with Lunar New Year on 22 January 2023 and ended on 9 February 2024, the eve of the next Lunar New Year.
Each year also has an element and a Yin or Yang quality. 2023 ends in 3, which makes it a Water year, and as an odd year it is Yin. In the traditional stem-and-branch count, 2023 is a Gui-mao year. The same Water Rabbit combination comes round only once every 60 years: 1963 before it and 2083 after it.
Born in January or February 2023?
Lunar New Year 2023 fell on 22 January 2023. Anyone born from 1 January 2023 up to the day before belongs to the previous year's animal, the Tiger; from 22 January 2023 on, the Rabbit.
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 Rabbit's personality
Our Rabbit guide describes the sign like this: “Gentle, thoughtful, and diplomatic. Rabbits value harmony and are skilled at avoiding conflict.” The usual watch-out: “Can be overly cautious and avoid necessary confrontation.”
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 Rabbit page.
Careers often linked with the Rabbit: diplomacy, counseling, design, hospitality.
Lucky colors, numbers and days for the Rabbit
- Lucky colors: pink, red and purple
- Lucky numbers: 3, 4 and 6
- Lucky days: Monday and Thursday
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 2023
In traditional compatibility, the Rabbit's best matches are the Goat, Pig and Dog, and its clash sign is the Rooster, which sits directly opposite it on the zodiac circle. Our compatibility calculator compares two full birth dates, elements included.
The Rabbit in 2026 and 2027
2026 (Fire Horse, until 5 February 2027): for the Rabbit, it has no special traditional relationship with the Horse, so 2026 is a neutral year.
2027 (Fire Goat, from 6 February 2027): for the Rabbit, 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 Rabbit years
Years of the same animal come every twelve years, each with a different element: 1999 (Earth Rabbit); 2011 (Metal Rabbit); 2035 (Wood Rabbit). The full list is in our Chinese zodiac years chart.
Related articles
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac is 2023?
2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, a Yin Water Rabbit year (Gui-mao).
When does the 2023 Year of the Rabbit start and end?
It starts on 22 January 2023 and ends on 9 February 2024.
I was born in January 2023. What is my Chinese zodiac?
If you were born before 22 January 2023, you are a Tiger; from 22 January 2023 on, a Rabbit.
What element is 2023?
Water. 2023 ends in 3, which belongs to Water, and it is a Yin year.
Who is the Rabbit compatible with?
Traditionally the Goat, Pig and Dog. The Rabbit's clash sign is the Rooster.
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 Rabbit · Born in January? · Zodiac sign checker
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