Year of the Dragon —
the big-hearted visionary
| Dragon years | 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036 |
|---|---|
| Most recent | 2024 (Wood Dragon) |
| Next Dragon year | 2036 (Fire Dragon) |
| Branch · element | 辰 Chen · Yang Earth |
| Best matches | Rooster, Monkey, Rat |
| Hardest matches | Dog, Pig |
| In 2027 | 81/100 — a favorable year |
Dragons think on a large scale and live in a world of their own design. They are at their most powerful when they feel recognized.
Dragon years
Each Dragon year starts at Chinese New Year, so January and early-February birthdays belong to the sign before. The dates below are the Chinese calendar (UTC+8).
| Year | Sign | From – to |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Earth Dragon 戊辰 | Jan 23, 1928 – Feb 9, 1929 |
| 1940 | Metal Dragon 庚辰 | Feb 8, 1940 – Jan 26, 1941 |
| 1952 | Water Dragon 壬辰 | Jan 27, 1952 – Feb 13, 1953 |
| 1964 | Wood Dragon 甲辰 | Feb 13, 1964 – Feb 1, 1965 |
| 1976 | Fire Dragon 丙辰 | Jan 31, 1976 – Feb 17, 1977 |
| 1988 | Earth Dragon 戊辰 | Feb 17, 1988 – Feb 5, 1989 |
| 2000 | Metal Dragon 庚辰 | Feb 5, 2000 – Jan 23, 2001 |
| 2012 | Water Dragon 壬辰 | Jan 23, 2012 – Feb 9, 2013 |
| 2024 | Wood Dragon 甲辰 | Feb 10, 2024 – Jan 28, 2025 |
Personality
Strengths: vision and ambition; confidence that inspires others; generosity once they commit.
Challenges: pride that finds it hard to back down; impatience with details; sensitivity to criticism.
In love. Dragons find it hard to bend first, but when they give their heart, they give it grandly.
At work. Dragons belong on big stages and big projects — leadership, entrepreneurship, performance and public life. Small, fiddly tasks bore them.
The five Dragons
The year’s heavenly stem adds one of five elements, so a 1988 Dragon and a 2000 one are not quite the same animal.
- Wood Dragon1964, 2024
The Wood Dragon is creative and expansive, a Dragon who wants to build something that outlives them. - Fire Dragon1976
The Fire Dragon is the most intense: magnetic, outspoken and driven by strong convictions. - Earth Dragon1928, 1988
The Earth Dragon is steady and strategic, more patient and more practical than other Dragons. - Metal Dragon1940, 2000
The Metal Dragon is strong-willed and uncompromising, the hardest of all to talk out of a plan. - Water Dragon1952, 2012
The Water Dragon is the most adaptable, pairing ambition with diplomacy and a good sense of timing.
Best and worst matches
Best: Rooster (88), Monkey (84), Rat (72). Hardest: Dog (41), Pig (42).
| With | Score | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Rooster 酉 | 88 | Made for each other Secret friends |
| Monkey 申 | 84 | A strong match Natural allies |
| Rat 子 | 72 | A comfortable match Natural allies |
| Snake 巳 | 66 | A comfortable match Neutral |
| Horse 午 | 66 | A comfortable match Neutral |
| Goat 未 | 63 | A comfortable match Neutral |
| Tiger 寅 | 62 | A comfortable match Same season |
| Dragon & Dragon 辰 | 59 | Needs work Self-punishment |
| Ox 丑 | 56 | Needs work Break |
| Rabbit 卯 | 53 | Needs work Same season |
| Pig 亥 | 42 | A clashing pair Quiet resentment |
| Dog 戌 | 41 | A clashing pair Opposites |
Element associations
The Dragon’s branch carries Earth (土) — steadiness, patience and practical sense. In Korean tradition, Earth goes with yellow and beige, the center (close to home), and the numbers 5 and 10.
Beyond the year animal
Your animal sign is one of eight characters in a Korean saju chart, and not the one that describes you most closely. That job belongs to the Day Master, the stem of your birth day: ten natures from the Tall Pine to the Morning Dew. What saju is explains how the eight fit together.
The Dragon in 2027
The Year of the Fire Goat gives the Dragon 81/100 — a favorable year (neutral with the goat). Read the Dragon’s 2027 horoscope → · Month by month for the Dragon
Questions about the Dragon
What years are the Year of the Dragon?
1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 and 2036. Each Dragon year starts at Chinese New Year, between January 21 and February 20, so a birthday early in one of those years can still belong to the sign before.
When is the next Year of the Dragon?
2036 — the Fire Dragon. The most recent was 2024, the Wood Dragon.
What is the Dragon most compatible with?
The Dragon’s best matches are the Rooster (88/100), the Monkey (84/100) and the Rat (72/100); the hardest are the Dog (41) and the Pig (42).
What element is the Dragon?
The Dragon’s branch 辰 carries Earth, which it keeps every year. The year’s stem adds a second element, so there are five kinds of Dragon: Wood Dragon, Fire Dragon, Earth Dragon, Metal Dragon, Water Dragon.
Korean: 용띠 · 용띠 궁합 · 2027년 용띠 운세 · All signs: Rat · Ox · Tiger · Rabbit · Dragon · Snake · Horse · Goat · Monkey · Rooster · Dog · Pig
