Chinese zodiac sign 6 of 12
Year of the Snake: personality, love and years
Wise and intuitive, it watches first and acts once it knows everything. Years of the Snake: 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025.
Snake
- Yin
- Fixed element: Fire
- In Chinese
- 蛇 (shé)
- Hour of the Snake
- 9–11 a.m.
The next Snake year, the Year of the Fire Snake, begins on February 15, 2037.
Years of the Snake with elements and dates
A Year of the Snake 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Earth Snake | 02/10/1929 – 01/29/1930 |
| 1941 | Metal Snake | 01/27/1941 – 02/14/1942 |
| 1953 | Water Snake | 02/14/1953 – 02/02/1954 |
| 1965 | Wood Snake | 02/02/1965 – 01/20/1966 |
| 1977 | Fire Snake | 02/18/1977 – 02/06/1978 |
| 1989 | Earth Snake | 02/06/1989 – 01/26/1990 |
| 2001 | Metal Snake | 01/24/2001 – 02/11/2002 |
| 2013 | Water Snake | 02/10/2013 – 01/30/2014 |
| 2025 | Wood Snake | 01/29/2025 – 02/16/2026 |
Snake personality
The Snake is the sign of deep, composed people. It thinks strategically, reads between the lines and senses other people's intentions before they are spoken. It has refined taste and loves beautiful things and quiet elegance. In company it can seem distant, but once it opens up it turns out to be a brilliant conversationalist.
The Snake is reluctant to reveal its plans and feelings, so the people around it can be wary of it. When it feels threatened it becomes suspicious and jealous, and it holds a grudge for a long time. It likes to be in control and hates being hurried: it would rather wait than act blindly.
Strengths
- Intuition and insight
- Strategic thinking
- Elegance and taste
- Discretion
Weaknesses
- Secrecy
- Jealousy and possessiveness
- Holding grudges
The Snake in love
In love the Snake is seductive, devoted and very intense. It chooses a partner carefully, and once committed it expects complete loyalty. It shows closeness through attentiveness and care for the little things, but trust comes harder: jealousy and a need for control can hurt the relationship. It is happiest with someone who gives it peace and doesn't play games with its emotions.
The Snake at work and with money
At work the Snake is a strategist. It does well in finance, analysis, research, psychology, law, diplomacy or consulting, wherever insight and discretion count. It works with focus and likes to influence decisions, even from behind the scenes. Noisy offices and constantly changing plans drain its energy.
The Snake 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 Snake combines the Snake's wisdom with the warmth of Wood. It is more open and sociable than other Snakes, has an artistic sensibility and gets along well with people. It thinks long term and loves to grow, often learning something new all its life. It needs recognition, though, and when it doesn't get it, jealousy stirs.
Fire Snake
1977Fire is the Snake's fixed element, and the Fire Snake is self-assured, ambitious and charismatic. Its intuition works in a flash, and its gift for persuasion helps it win influence and people. It likes power and is comfortable with it. It can also be suspicious and possessive, and it remembers a slight for years.
The Earth Snake is the calmest of the Snakes. Earth adds good sense and patience, so it acts carefully, is rarely wrong and keeps its word. People trust it because it is predictable in the best sense. The trouble is that it analyzes longer than the situation requires and adapts to change slowly.
Metal sharpens the Snake's intelligence and will. The Metal Snake is independent, ambitious and carries out its plans steadily, without revealing them to anyone ahead of time. It has refined taste and firm principles. It finds it hard to show its feelings, so it can come across as cold and aloof.
The Water Snake sees more than others do. Water deepens its insight and its ability to read people, so it is rarely fooled, and it is good with money too. It is calm, wise and thoughtful. Still, it lets very few people close, and trust doesn't come easily.
Snake compatibility: best and worst matches
Trine
The Ox and the Rooster value a plan, reliability and a serious approach to life. With the Ox the Snake shares patience, with the Rooster ambition and attention to detail.
Secret friend
The Monkey amuses the Snake with its cleverness and brings lightness, while the Snake gives it depth and good judgment. This pair understands each other without many words.
Opposite sign
The Pig is the Snake's opposite. Its openness and trust collide with the Snake's caution and secrecy, so misunderstandings come easily.
Snake lucky numbers and colors
- Lucky numbers
- 2, 8 and 9
- Lucky colors
- black, red and yellow
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 Snake years in the Chinese zodiac?
Snake years since 1924 are 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025. The Snake 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 Snake?
The next Snake year, the Year of the Fire Snake, begins on February 15, 2037.
What are the Snake's personality traits?
The Snake is seen as wise, intuitive and composed. It thinks strategically, has class and a gift for persuasion, and acts only once it understands a situation well. Its weaker side can be secrecy, jealousy and a need for control.
Who is the Snake most compatible with?
By Chinese tradition the Snake gets along best with the other signs of its trine: the Ox and Rooster. Its secret friend is the Monkey, and its opposite sign is the Pig. Tradition expects the most friction from that last pairing, though it doesn't rule the relationship out.
What are the Snake's lucky numbers and colors?
By popular Chinese tradition the Snake's lucky numbers are 2, 8 and 9, and its lucky colors are black, red and yellow. Sources give slightly different sets, so treat them as a fun fact, not a rule.
Is the Snake yin or yang?
The Snake is always yin, because all Snake years are odd numbers. Yin is inward energy: receptive, patient and attentive. The Snake's fixed element is Fire, though from one Snake 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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