(1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022)
The Chinese year of the Tiger is the third 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 Tiger people are born in 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 so if you’re a Tiger, read on for a few more details!
Tiger Personality
These are powerful individuals: authoritative, brave, and self assured with a strong moral compass and belief system. They enjoy competition, or even fighting for a cause, but can sometimes struggle with their emotional and sensitive natures that allow them to be so passionate—sometimes becoming moody or intense.
When crossed, the combination of sensitivity and authority can make for a terrifying combination! They can sometimes find the more lighthearted or fickle animals of the zodiac silly or tiresome.
Look for: Rooster or Dog but Dragon, Horse, or Pig are best
Be careful around: Snake, Monkey
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 Tiger will be 2022 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 any year of the Tiger as well as for any year of the Rabbit.
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.
