Chinese zodiac sign 1 of 12
Year of the Rat: personality, love and years
A sharp strategist with a nose for opportunity and a wide circle of friends. Years of the Rat: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, and 2020.
Rat
- Yang
- Fixed element: Water
- In Chinese
- 鼠 (shǔ)
- Hour of the Rat
- 11 p.m.–1 a.m.
The next Rat year, the Year of the Water Rat, begins on February 11, 2032.
Years of the Rat with elements and dates
A Year of the Rat 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Wood Rat | 02/05/1924 – 01/23/1925 |
| 1936 | Fire Rat | 01/24/1936 – 02/10/1937 |
| 1948 | Earth Rat | 02/10/1948 – 01/28/1949 |
| 1960 | Metal Rat | 01/28/1960 – 02/14/1961 |
| 1972 | Water Rat | 02/15/1972 – 02/02/1973 |
| 1984 | Wood Rat | 02/02/1984 – 02/19/1985 |
| 1996 | Fire Rat | 02/19/1996 – 02/06/1997 |
| 2008 | Earth Rat | 02/07/2008 – 01/25/2009 |
| 2020 | Metal Rat | 01/25/2020 – 02/11/2021 |
Rat personality
The Rat is the sign of alert, sociable people. It quickly picks up what a conversation is really about, remembers details and makes use of what others overlooked. In company it is often the life of the party: witty, curious about the latest news, with a wide network of friends it can count on when it needs help.
Under that ease lies caution. The Rat likes a cushion of money, time and backup plans, hates waste and feels uneasy in situations it can't control. When it's afraid, it turns nervous, critical or calculating. When it feels safe, it is one of the most generous friends in the whole zodiac.
Strengths
- Quick wit and fast thinking
- A sense for money and opportunity
- Loyalty to the people close to it
- Making friends easily
Weaknesses
- Worrying ahead of time
- A need to be in control
- Turning calculating when it feels threatened
The Rat in love
In love the Rat is tender, protective and more romantic than it lets on day to day. It looks for a partner it can relax with, one who won't surprise it with recklessness. Once committed, it takes great care of the shared home and finances. Trouble starts when worry pushes it to control the other person or question every purchase.
The Rat at work and with money
At work the Rat does well wherever quick reflexes and an eye for opportunity count: sales, finance, media, marketing and running its own business. It negotiates well and reads people, so it finds allies fast. It would rather save money than spend it. What it handles worst is monotonous work with no say in the outcome and bosses who give it no room.
The Rat 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 Rat opens the whole sixty-year cycle of the Chinese calendar. Wood softens the Rat's calculating side and makes it more generous, so it would rather build alliances than fight for its share. It thinks about the future, loves to learn and has a head full of projects, though it doesn't always have the patience to see each one through.
Give the Rat Fire and it stops waiting for opportunities and starts making them. The Fire Rat is enterprising, bold and competitive, and its energy draws people into shared plans. But it has a short fuse: it gets irritated easily, and impatience can spoil something that started well.
The Earth Rat is the most sensible version of the sign. Instead of grabbing every opportunity, it builds slowly on solid ground and rarely loses what it has gathered. Its family can rely on it, because it watches the budget and never decides blindly. The price is excessive caution and a reluctance to let go of tried-and-true ways.
Metal sharpens the Rat's ambition and its sense for money. The Metal Rat knows exactly what it wants and goes after it steadily, and in business it is hard to outsmart. It stays unconditionally loyal to the people close to it, while keeping the rest of the world at arm's length. When things slip out of its control, it can turn suspicious and stubborn.
Water Rat
1972Water is the Rat's fixed element, so the Water Rat shows its traits in their purest form. It reads people brilliantly, speaks well and can win others over without raising its voice, which makes it a born negotiator. It adapts to situations easily, but it also gives in to moods easily and worries about things that haven't happened yet.
Rat compatibility: best and worst matches
Trine
The Dragon and the Monkey share its pace and ambition. With the Dragon, the Rat makes a pair in which one has the vision and the other the plan; with the Monkey it shares cleverness and a sense of humor.
Secret friend
The Ox gives the Rat the calm and stability it lacks, and gets ideas and lightness in return. Tradition counts this pair among the most lasting.
Opposite sign
The Horse stands opposite the Rat. The Rat plans and saves, the Horse lives in the moment and needs freedom, so resentment builds easily.
Rat lucky numbers and colors
- Lucky numbers
- 2 and 3
- Lucky colors
- blue, gold and green
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 Rat years in the Chinese zodiac?
Rat years since 1924 are 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, and 2020. The Rat 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 Rat?
The next Rat year, the Year of the Water Rat, begins on February 11, 2032.
What are the Rat's personality traits?
The Rat is seen as clever, resourceful and sociable. It spots opportunities quickly, handles money well and is loyal to its own people. Its weaker side is worrying about the future and needing to keep a hand on everything.
Who is the Rat most compatible with?
By Chinese tradition the Rat gets along best with the other signs of its trine: the Dragon and Monkey. Its secret friend is the Ox, and its opposite sign is the Horse. Tradition expects the most friction from that last pairing, though it doesn't rule the relationship out.
What are the Rat's lucky numbers and colors?
By popular Chinese tradition the Rat's lucky numbers are 2 and 3, and its lucky colors are blue, gold and green. Sources give slightly different sets, so treat them as a fun fact, not a rule.
Is the Rat yin or yang?
The Rat is always yang, because all Rat years are even numbers. Yang is outward energy: active, direct and quick to get things started. The Rat's fixed element is Water, though from one Rat year to the next it takes on each of the five elements in turn.
Your AI forecast for the Year of the Fire Horse
The calculator tells you your sign. In the Sanctuary, AI sets it against the sign of the current year and writes a forecast for you: love, work and money, health, and your lucky months. You get 5 free tokens to start, and a forecast costs 1 token.
Create a free account