7 of 12 · Wu 午

Chinese zodiac Horse: year of the Horse

Chinese zodiac Horse: years, element, personality traits and compatibility for people born in the year of the Horse.

Position
7 of 12
Earthly branch
Wu 午
Polarity
Yang
Fixed element
Fire
Hours
11 am – 1 pm
Solar month
Jun 6 – Jul 6
Next year
2026

Chinese zodiac Horse years

The year of the Horse returns every 12 years. It begins at Lunar New Year, so people born in January or early February belong to the previous animal if they were born before the new year.

Years of the Horse, 1924–2043
YearElementDates
1930Metal HorseJan 30, 1930 – Feb 16, 1931
1942Water HorseFeb 15, 1942 – Feb 4, 1943
1954Wood HorseFeb 3, 1954 – Jan 23, 1955
1966Fire HorseJan 21, 1966 – Feb 8, 1967
1978Earth HorseFeb 7, 1978 – Jan 27, 1979
1990Metal HorseJan 27, 1990 – Feb 14, 1991
2002Water HorseFeb 12, 2002 – Jan 31, 2003
2014Wood HorseJan 31, 2014 – Feb 18, 2015
2026Fire HorseFeb 17, 2026 – Feb 5, 2027
2038Earth HorseFeb 4, 2038 – Jan 23, 2039

Horse personality

The Horse stands for speed, freedom and success on the road. Horse years are associated with an active, cheerful and independent temperament, with impatience as the traditional weakness.

Traditional traits: energetic, independent, sociable, free-spirited.

Sales, travel, journalism, sport and performing are traditionally linked with the Horse.

Horse compatibility

Element variations

Each Horse year also carries one of the five elements, so there are five kinds of Horse: Metal Horse, Water Horse, Wood Horse, Fire Horse, Earth Horse. The element is set by the last digit of the year.

Other animals

Chinese zodiac calculator · The 2026 Chinese zodiac year

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