Chinese zodiac sign 8 of 12
Year of the Goat: personality, love and years
Gentle and artistic, it surrounds itself with warmth and harmony. Years of the Goat: 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, and 2027.
Goat
- Yin
- Fixed element: Earth
- In Chinese
- 羊 (yáng)
- Hour of the Goat
- 1–3 p.m.
The next Goat year, the Year of the Fire Goat, begins on February 6, 2027.
Years of the Goat with elements and dates
A Year of the Goat begins on Chinese New Year, not on January 1. If your birthday is in January or February, check your date against the table or enter it in the calculator.
| Year | Sign | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Metal Goat | 02/17/1931 – 02/05/1932 |
| 1943 | Water Goat | 02/05/1943 – 01/24/1944 |
| 1955 | Wood Goat | 01/24/1955 – 02/11/1956 |
| 1967 | Fire Goat | 02/09/1967 – 01/29/1968 |
| 1979 | Earth Goat | 01/28/1979 – 02/15/1980 |
| 1991 | Metal Goat | 02/15/1991 – 02/03/1992 |
| 2003 | Water Goat | 02/01/2003 – 01/21/2004 |
| 2015 | Wood Goat | 02/19/2015 – 02/07/2016 |
| 2027 | Fire Goat | 02/06/2027 – 01/25/2028 |
Goat personality
The Goat is the sign of gentle, creative people. You may also see it listed as the Sheep or the Ram: its Chinese name, 羊 (yáng), covers both animals and has nothing to do with the yang of yin and yang. The Goat has a rich imagination, an eye for beauty and a talent for things that take a light touch: art, music, interior design, cooking. It is kind and generous, glad to help and quick to forgive.
The same sensitivity makes the Goat take criticism and stress hard. It can be indecisive, worry ahead of time and need support to get moving. It feels best in a safe setting, among people it trusts, and that is exactly where its talents bloom.
Strengths
- Sensitivity and empathy
- Imagination and artistic talent
- Kindness
- A gift for easing disputes
Weaknesses
- Indecision
- Worrying
- Depending on what others think
The Goat in love
In love the Goat is romantic, tender and devoted. It needs closeness, reassurance and a sense of security, and it gives a great deal of warmth and care in return. Coldness, criticism and arguments are hard on it. It is happiest with a steady, patient partner who appreciates its sensitivity instead of mocking it.
The Goat at work and with money
At work the Goat blossoms where it can create and help: art, design, fashion, music, working with children, caregiving or therapy. It is careful and has a good eye for detail. It feels less at home with cutthroat competition and tough negotiations. It works best on a team with a good atmosphere.
The Goat in the five elements
The same sign looks a little different in each element. Your element comes from your birth year, and the years next to each description link to their own pages.
The Wood Goat has a big heart. Wood adds kindness, patience and a wish to help, and it also develops the Goat's artistic talent. It likes harmony around it and works hard to keep it. That can make it too trusting, and people who play on its good nature know how to take advantage.
The Fire Goat has more courage and expressiveness than other Goats. Fire adds confidence and warmth, so it is readier to show the world its creative work and to fight for what it wants. It is warmhearted and intuitive. Its emotions can be stormy, though, and its moods change faster than the weather.
Earth Goat
1979Earth is the Goat's fixed element, and the Earth Goat combines sensitivity with common sense. It is calmer, more practical and more independent than other Goats, and it looks after its loved ones and the security of its home. It can do a lot with very little. Sometimes, though, it worries about the future more than it needs to.
Metal makes the Goat more resilient. The Metal Goat is more decisive than other Goats, copes better with criticism and hard decisions, and sets high standards for itself. It has refined taste and clear principles. Under the tougher shell, though, it stays very sensitive and hides its hurts deeper than it shows.
The Water Goat is the most empathetic version of this sign. Water deepens its intuition, so it senses other people's moods and often becomes its friends' confidant. It is gentle and adapts easily. It is also easily swayed, and setting boundaries is the hardest thing of all for it.
Goat compatibility: best and worst matches
Trine
The Rabbit and the Pig share its need for warmth and calm. With the Rabbit the Goat shares an eye for beauty, while the Pig gives it kindness and a sense of security.
Secret friend
The Horse gives the Goat courage and draws it out of the house into the world, and the Goat calms the Horse's restlessness. Tradition sees this pair as very harmonious.
Opposite sign
The Ox is the Goat's opposite. It values duty and discipline, so the Goat's need for freedom looks like a whim to the Ox, while the Ox's sternness hurts the Goat.
Goat lucky numbers and colors
- Lucky numbers
- 2 and 7
- Lucky colors
- brown, red and purple
This is what popular Chinese tradition says. Different sources list slightly different numbers and colors, so treat them as a fun fact, not a rule.
The Chinese zodiac is a cultural tradition more than two thousand years old, not a science. We calculate the dates and signs precisely, but read the personality descriptions as food for thought, not as a prophecy.
Frequently asked questions
What years are Goat years in the Chinese zodiac?
Goat years since 1924 are 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, and 2027. The Goat comes back every 12 years, each time with a different element. The year begins on Chinese New Year, so people born in January and early February may still have the previous year's sign.
When is the next Year of the Goat?
The next Goat year, the Year of the Fire Goat, begins on February 6, 2027.
What are the Goat's personality traits?
The Goat is seen as gentle, sensitive and creative. It has a rich imagination, an eye for beauty and a gift for easing conflicts. Its weaker side can be anxiety, indecision and wanting someone else to make the hard decisions for it.
Who is the Goat most compatible with?
By Chinese tradition the Goat gets along best with the other signs of its trine: the Rabbit and Pig. Its secret friend is the Horse, and its opposite sign is the Ox. Tradition expects the most friction from that last pairing, though it doesn't rule the relationship out.
What are the Goat's lucky numbers and colors?
By popular Chinese tradition the Goat's lucky numbers are 2 and 7, and its lucky colors are brown, red and purple. Sources give slightly different sets, so treat them as a fun fact, not a rule.
Is the Goat yin or yang?
The Goat is always yin, because all Goat years are odd numbers. Yin is inward energy: receptive, patient and attentive. The Goat's fixed element is Earth, though from one Goat year to the next it takes on each of the five elements in turn.
Your AI forecast for the Year of the Fire Horse
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