Year of the Rat —
the quick-witted realist
| Rat years | 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032 |
|---|---|
| Most recent | 2020 (Metal Rat) |
| Next Rat year | 2032 (Water Rat), from Feb 11, 2032 |
| Branch · element | 子 Zi · Yang Water |
| Best matches | Ox, Monkey, Dragon |
| Hardest matches | Horse, Goat |
| In 2027 | 66/100 — a year for care |
Rats read a room in seconds and quietly look after their own. They are warm with the people they trust and quick to leave any table where they are being short-changed.
Rat years
Each Rat 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Wood Rat 甲子 | Feb 5, 1924 – Jan 23, 1925 |
| 1936 | Fire Rat 丙子 | Jan 24, 1936 – Feb 10, 1937 |
| 1948 | Earth Rat 戊子 | Feb 10, 1948 – Jan 28, 1949 |
| 1960 | Metal Rat 庚子 | Jan 28, 1960 – Feb 14, 1961 |
| 1972 | Water Rat 壬子 | Feb 15, 1972 – Feb 2, 1973 |
| 1984 | Wood Rat 甲子 | Feb 2, 1984 – Feb 19, 1985 |
| 1996 | Fire Rat 丙子 | Feb 19, 1996 – Feb 6, 1997 |
| 2008 | Earth Rat 戊子 | Feb 7, 2008 – Jan 25, 2009 |
| 2020 | Metal Rat 庚子 | Jan 25, 2020 – Feb 11, 2021 |
Personality
Strengths: sharp instincts for people and opportunity; resourcefulness when money or time is tight; loyalty and generosity inside their circle.
Challenges: worry that delays decisions; sensitivity to small losses; a habit of keeping score.
In love. A Rat in love shows it by looking after you — remembering, planning, fixing. When hurt, they go quiet rather than loud.
At work. Rats gather information and see how the game is played, which makes them the backbone of a team: analysts, traders, organizers and founders of lean, careful businesses.
The five Rats
The year’s heavenly stem adds one of five elements, so a 1984 Rat and a 1996 one are not quite the same animal.
- Wood Rat1924, 1984
The Wood Rat is the most open-hearted Rat: curious, sociable and happiest building something that grows over years. - Fire Rat1936, 1996
The Fire Rat is bold and restless — a quick talker who chases new ideas and needs an outlet for a lot of energy. - Earth Rat1948, 2008
The Earth Rat is the careful saver: practical, patient and far more cautious with money than with affection. - Metal Rat1960, 2020
The Metal Rat is ambitious and exacting, with firm opinions and a strong instinct for security. - Water Rat1972
The Water Rat is the most perceptive of all: intuitive, diplomatic and able to talk almost anyone round.
Best and worst matches
Best: Ox (84), Monkey (84), Dragon (72). Hardest: Horse (32), Goat (33).
| With | Score | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Ox 丑 | 84 | A strong match Secret friends |
| Monkey 申 | 84 | A strong match Natural allies |
| Dragon 辰 | 72 | A comfortable match Natural allies |
| Pig 亥 | 71 | A comfortable match Same season |
| Tiger 寅 | 66 | A comfortable match Neutral |
| Rat & Rat 子 | 65 | A comfortable match Same sign |
| Rooster 酉 | 59 | Needs work Break |
| Rabbit 卯 | 54 | Needs work Friction |
| Snake 巳 | 54 | Needs work Neutral |
| Dog 戌 | 54 | Needs work Neutral |
| Goat 未 | 33 | A clashing pair Quiet resentment |
| Horse 午 | 32 | A clashing pair Opposites |
Element associations
The Rat’s branch carries Water (水) — intuition, adaptability and depth. In Korean tradition, Water goes with black and navy, the north, and the numbers 1 and 6.
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 Rat in 2027
The Year of the Fire Goat gives the Rat 66/100 — a year for care (harm and wonjin with the goat). Read the Rat’s 2027 horoscope → · Month by month for the Rat
Questions about the Rat
What years are the Year of the Rat?
1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 and 2032. Each Rat 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 Rat?
2032, from Feb 11, 2032 to Jan 30, 2033 — the Water Rat. The most recent was 2020, the Metal Rat.
What is the Rat most compatible with?
The Rat’s best matches are the Ox (84/100), the Monkey (84/100) and the Dragon (72/100); the hardest are the Horse (32) and the Goat (33).
What element is the Rat?
The Rat’s branch 子 carries Water, which it keeps every year. The year’s stem adds a second element, so there are five kinds of Rat: Wood Rat, Fire Rat, Earth Rat, Metal Rat, Water Rat.
Korean: 쥐띠 · 쥐띠 궁합 · 2027년 쥐띠 운세 · All signs: Rat · Ox · Tiger · Rabbit · Dragon · Snake · Horse · Goat · Monkey · Rooster · Dog · Pig
