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 a race to select the 12 animals to be his personal guards. The animals arrived in the order of the cycle.
People born in the Year of the Tiger were born in 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022.
Though be careful, our Gregorian calendar does not line up perfectly with the Chinese lunisolar calendar. If you were born in January or February (generally, the Chinese New Year begins in late January or early February), check the Chinese New Year date (the day the year changed from old to new) against your birthdate to determine your correct zodiac sign.
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.
Compatible with: Rooster or Dog but Dragon, Horse, or Pig are best
Be careful around: Snake, Monkey
What to Expect in 2022, the Year of the Water Tiger:
The year of the water tiger has different things in store for each of the Chinese zodiac signs and people of different elements. Either way, it won’t be a dull year. The tiger’s go big or go home mentality may influence many of us, creating drama and ups and downs.
Generally, however, this will be a year for gaining back some strength and vitality after a hard-working and often tiring 2021 (year of the metal ox).
Chinese Zodiac Elements
Chinese astrology assigns each year with one of the five elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Earth, and Fire). When you combine these five elements with the 12-year cycle of animal signs, you get a 60-year cycle.
Each of those elements have associated meanings. Here they are on a rather simplistic level:
- Wood: creativity, imagination
- Fire: passion, adventure
- Metal: persistence, ambition
- Water: agility, eloquence
- Earth: patience, stability
To find your Chinese element, look at the last number of your birth year:
- For birth years ending in 0 or 1, your element is metal.
- For birth years ending 2 or 3, your element is water.
- For birth years ending in 4 or 5, your element is wood.
- For birth years ending in 6 or 7, your element is fire.
- For birth years ending in 8 or 9, your element is earth.
Again, though, remember that the Chinese calendar and the regular Gregorian calendar do not line up perfectly. If you were born in January or February, check to see which Chinese year you were actually born in!
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.
If I want to combine year animal with the month sign in a love compatibility reading, what do I look for? I cannot find it anywhere. I am a female twin born June 7th 1998, she is a male scorpion born November 22nd 1993
Check out this site! https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/compatibility.htm and this site: https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/zodiac/compatibility/. Both stick to a heteronormative paradigm, probably due to cultural reasons. Apologies, I couldn’t find one that was gender neutral or LGBTQIA+ friendly!
I was born in September of ’86 and my son will be born late March – early April of this year. I’m a Fire Tiger, and he’s going to be a Water Tiger. Where can I look to find out any information of the interactions or compatibilities/conflicts we’re going to have as Father and Son?
Hi Jay, there aren’t many sites that do family relationship-type compatibility analyses, but I did find this one: https://tralvex.com/pub/baby/PC_Horoscope.htm
Thanks Jay for posting the question on my behalf as well. March 1986 dad here expecting my son in late February this year (2022) 😁
This is little complicated… I am a fire Tiger born in 86. I met this older woman coworkers years ago. We hit it off as coworkers and friends. Even though she had someone it didn’t matter to me. We still talked I had a feeling she may have liked me more than a friend. Long story short 2 years ago, she did tell me she had a partner and only saw me as a friend until when I tried to communicate with her to apologize she cut me off to never speak to me again. She once told me her birthday born in 54. As it turns out the zodiac says she is a wood Horse. And you know what our both personalities are right there with Tiger Horse personality. To this day I do miss her care for her as a friend and person. I don’t know if I’ll see her again.
You will have an owesome Tiger Year!
Thank you Valery!
Hi,I am confused,what animal am I
I was born 01-02-1962
Thankyou
Hi Adrian, in 1962, the year of the Tiger began on February 5th, so you were actually born in the year of the Ox, which lasted from Feb 15, 1961 through Feb 4 1962.
Which animals iam…I was born in 1998 january 23
Hi Deksha, you are a fire ox :-)
If I want to combine year animal with the month sign in a love compatibility reading, what do I look for? I cannot find it anywhere.
I am a male Aries born April 15 1988, she is a female Cancer born July 12 1995.
Hi Andy, since the two zodiac systems are very different, it think you’d have to look at your compatibility based on each system separately. Looks like you were born in the year of the dragon, and she was born in the year of the pig. There are many Chinese zodiac based compatibility sites out there, and many of the same for Western astrology. Could be fun to see the similarities and differences between the two systems!
If I’m born January 3, 1987 it’s UNDER YEAR OF THE RABBIT , BUT , Chinese New Year is January 29, 1987 will I be under the TIGER YEAR
Hi Lola, since the year of the rabbit began on Jan 29, 1987, you were born in the year of the tiger! Those with January/early Feb birthdays must check to see when the new year actually began, so that they can see which year they fall under.
Can you do one on Chinese rising sign
Hi Chloe, that might be a bit out of our depths! :) Perhaps next year.
hi everyone, i found your site while searching for simple greetings to write for lunar new year 2022. Because i saw that this festive calligraphy paper is sold (https://shopee.sg/-SG-Local-Delivery-2-3-days-CNY-Red-Xuan-Paper-for-DUILIAN-and-FU-i.41521720.11024322477?sp_atk=bf3b83da-66e5-41bf-bfa3-ec45c6aa640b)
I would like to ask some really basic questions:
1) Are the text written right to left, top to bottom?) Or there isn’t a sequence
2) What are some of your recommendations to write – i saw it’s usually a 5 – 8 word text so i’m assuming it’s not an idiom
thanks for your recommendations!
Hi Jojo, traditionally, Chinese is written vertically (top to bottom), then right to left. But these days, it’s left to right like you would write English. Hope that helps!