(1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023)
The Chinese year of the Rabbit is the fourth year of the 12 year cycle of Chinese Zodiac animals. The old Chinese story behind this was that the Jade emperor ordered the race to select the 12 animals that were to be his personal guards.
Year of the Rabbit people are born in 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 so if you’re a Rabbit, read on for a few more details!
Rabbit Personality
They’re friendly and inoffensive, with a polite sensibility that makes for a versatile disposition. They can thrive in a variety of settings and general ability to get along with others.
Their sense of responsibility and sincerity helps them create consensus—or avoid conflicts. As you can imagine, they like to keep things simple, enjoying the creature comforts of home. At worst, they can sometimes be seen as pushovers.
Look for: Rat, Goat, Monkey, Dog, and Pig are best.
Be careful around: Snake, Rooster
Chinese Zodiac Elements
Chinese astrology assigns each zodiac year with one of the five elements (Gold, Water, Wood, Earth, and Fire) with each element assigned to a zodiac animal year that recycles every 60 years. The 12-year cycle for each element starts with a year of the Rat and continues through the 12 zodiac animal years.
The next year of the Rabbit will be 2023 in the metal cycle.
| Element | 12-Year Cycle |
| Wood | 1924–35 |
| Fire | 1936–47 |
| Earth | 1948–59 |
| Metal | 1960–71 |
| Water | 1972–83 |
| Wood | 1984–95 |
| Fire | 1996–2007 |
| Earth | 2008–19 |
| Metal | 2020–31 |
| Water | 2032–43 |
Each Zodiac sign is also assigned a fixed element and Wood is the fixed element for the any year of the Rabbit as well as for any year of the Tiger.
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.
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.
