Year of the Ox —
the steady finisher
| Ox years | 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033 |
|---|---|
| Most recent | 2021 (Metal Ox) |
| Next Ox year | 2033 (Water Ox) |
| Branch · element | 丑 Chou · Yin Earth |
| Best matches | Rat, Snake, Rooster |
| Hardest matches | Goat, Horse |
| In 2027 | 60/100 — a year for care |
Oxen trust actions over words and finishing over speed. Once they decide, they keep going long after others have stopped.
Ox years
Each Ox 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1925 | Wood Ox 乙丑 | Jan 24, 1925 – Feb 12, 1926 |
| 1937 | Fire Ox 丁丑 | Feb 11, 1937 – Jan 30, 1938 |
| 1949 | Earth Ox 己丑 | Jan 29, 1949 – Feb 16, 1950 |
| 1961 | Metal Ox 辛丑 | Feb 15, 1961 – Feb 4, 1962 |
| 1973 | Water Ox 癸丑 | Feb 3, 1973 – Jan 22, 1974 |
| 1985 | Wood Ox 乙丑 | Feb 20, 1985 – Feb 8, 1986 |
| 1997 | Fire Ox 丁丑 | Feb 7, 1997 – Jan 27, 1998 |
| 2009 | Earth Ox 己丑 | Jan 26, 2009 – Feb 13, 2010 |
| 2021 | Metal Ox 辛丑 | Feb 12, 2021 – Jan 31, 2022 |
Personality
Strengths: reliability people can build on; patience with slow, hard work; calm under pressure.
Challenges: stubbornness once a view is set; slowness to adapt; difficulty putting feelings into words.
In love. An Ox rarely makes grand declarations; they love by staying — showing up the same way, year after year.
At work. Give an Ox a clear responsibility and they will carry it to the end. They shine in operations, engineering, farming, finance and any role where trust is the product.
The five Oxen
The year’s heavenly stem adds one of five elements, so a 1985 Ox and a 1997 one are not quite the same animal.
- Wood Ox1925, 1985
The Wood Ox is the most flexible Ox — still steady, but willing to listen and to work through people rather than around them. - Fire Ox1937, 1997
The Fire Ox has a leader’s drive under the calm surface: proud, principled and quietly competitive. - Earth Ox1949, 2009
The Earth Ox is immovable in the best sense — dependable, frugal and content with slow progress that lasts. - Metal Ox1961, 2021
The Metal Ox is determined and exact, a perfectionist who holds themselves to a harder standard than anyone else. - Water Ox1973
The Water Ox is the most thoughtful Ox: patient, observant and more emotionally attuned than they let on.
Best and worst matches
Best: Rat (84), Snake (84), Rooster (84). Hardest: Goat (29), Horse (45).
| With | Score | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Rat 子 | 84 | A strong match Secret friends |
| Snake 巳 | 84 | A strong match Natural allies |
| Rooster 酉 | 84 | A strong match Natural allies |
| Monkey 申 | 66 | A comfortable match Neutral |
| Ox & Ox 丑 | 65 | A comfortable match Same sign |
| Pig 亥 | 62 | A comfortable match Same season |
| Dragon 辰 | 56 | Needs work Break |
| Tiger 寅 | 54 | Needs work Neutral |
| Rabbit 卯 | 54 | Needs work Neutral |
| Dog 戌 | 51 | Needs work Friction |
| Horse 午 | 45 | A clashing pair Quiet resentment |
| Goat 未 | 29 | A clashing pair Opposites |
Element associations
The Ox’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 Ox in 2027
The Year of the Fire Goat gives the Ox 60/100 — a year for care (opposite the goat). Read the Ox’s 2027 horoscope → · Month by month for the Ox
Questions about the Ox
What years are the Year of the Ox?
1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 and 2033. Each Ox 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 Ox?
2033 — the Water Ox. The most recent was 2021, the Metal Ox.
What is the Ox most compatible with?
The Ox’s best matches are the Rat (84/100), the Snake (84/100) and the Rooster (84/100); the hardest are the Goat (29) and the Horse (45).
What element is the Ox?
The Ox’s branch 丑 carries Earth, which it keeps every year. The year’s stem adds a second element, so there are five kinds of Ox: Wood Ox, Fire Ox, Earth Ox, Metal Ox, Water Ox.
Korean: 소띠 · 소띠 궁합 · 2027년 소띠 운세 · All signs: Rat · Ox · Tiger · Rabbit · Dragon · Snake · Horse · Goat · Monkey · Rooster · Dog · Pig
