9 of 12 · Shen 申
Chinese zodiac Monkey: year of the Monkey
Chinese zodiac Monkey: years, element, personality traits and compatibility for people born in the year of the Monkey.
- Position
- 9 of 12
- Earthly branch
- Shen 申
- Polarity
- Yang
- Fixed element
- Metal
- Hours
- 3 – 5 pm
- Solar month
- Aug 8 – Sep 7
- Next year
- 2028
Chinese zodiac Monkey years
The year of the Monkey 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.
| Year | Element | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Water Monkey | Feb 6, 1932 – Jan 25, 1933 |
| 1944 | Wood Monkey | Jan 25, 1944 – Feb 12, 1945 |
| 1956 | Fire Monkey | Feb 12, 1956 – Jan 30, 1957 |
| 1968 | Earth Monkey | Jan 30, 1968 – Feb 16, 1969 |
| 1980 | Metal Monkey | Feb 16, 1980 – Feb 4, 1981 |
| 1992 | Water Monkey | Feb 4, 1992 – Jan 22, 1993 |
| 2004 | Wood Monkey | Jan 22, 2004 – Feb 8, 2005 |
| 2016 | Fire Monkey | Feb 8, 2016 – Jan 27, 2017 |
| 2028 | Earth Monkey | Jan 26, 2028 – Feb 12, 2029 |
| 2040 | Metal Monkey | Feb 12, 2040 – Jan 31, 2041 |
Monkey personality
The Monkey is associated with Sun Wukong, the Monkey King of the novel Journey to the West. Monkey years are linked with wit, curiosity and problem-solving, with restlessness as the downside.
Traditional traits: clever, curious, playful, inventive.
Science, engineering, trading and entertainment are associated with the Monkey.
Monkey compatibility
Element variations
Each Monkey year also carries one of the five elements, so there are five kinds of Monkey: Water Monkey, Wood Monkey, Fire Monkey, Earth Monkey, Metal Monkey. The element is set by the last digit of the year.
Other animals
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