Chinese Year of the Ox

(1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021)

Happy Chinese New Year, xīn nián kuài lè 新年快乐 to everyone! If you’re Cantonese, then gong hei fat choy. We wish you prosperity and good fortune for the 2021 Year of the Ox.

Feb 12, 2021 is the beginning of the Lunar New Year, and it’s the year of the Metal Ox.

The Ox was the second animal to cross the finish line in a race to the Heavenly gate. He finished just behind the clever rat, who was riding on the Ox and jumped across the finish line just before the Ox crossed it!

The old Chinese story behind this was that the Jade emperor ordered the race to select the twelve animals that were to be his personal guards.

People born in the Year of the Ox include those born in 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, and 2021. If you’re a Ox, read on for a few more details!

The Ox Personality

They’re hard-working, goal-oriented, and reliable, with an unwavering attentiveness to friends and family.

This trait can make them good leaders, especially when coupled with their strength of will and determination. As with anything though, this can be their downfall, when they become overly convinced that it’s their way or the highway!

Even worse, sometimes they can be overly conservative in their approach, leaving opportunities on the table. Such a steadfast and serious sign can sometimes suffer from loneliness or insecurity as well. 

Most compatible with: Rabbit or Snake, but Rat, Monkey, and Rooster are best.

Be careful around: Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Goat 

See more fun facts in this article on the Chinese Zodiac Ox sign.

Chinese Zodiac Elements

Chinese astrology assigns each zodiac year with one of the five elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Earth, and Fire).

With twelve zodiac signs, that means each element/zodiac year occurs every 60 years.

Since the year of the Rat was 2020, and starts with the metal element, the year of the Ox in 2021 is also the metal (also sometimes referred to as “Gold”) element.

Each Zodiac sign is also assigned a fixed element, and Earth is the fixed element for the any year of the Ox as is the Dragon, Goat, and the Dog.

For more detailed information on Chinese elements, see this article on The Chinese Five Elements.

Full Zodiac Animal Chart

Below is the full spectrum of Chinese zodiac animals. Click on the image to look up your own sign by birth year, and read more about how Judy, Sarah and Kaitlin rediscovered their Chinese Zodiac signs in Hong Kong.

Happy New Year everyone!

If you’re looking to shower your family and friends with well-wishes and greetings or at least understand them, check out 23 of the most common Chinese New Year greetings in both Mandarin and Cantonese.

Don’t forget to visit our Chinese New Year recipe planning guide to plan your own celebration meal.