Year of the Snake —
the deep strategist
| Snake years | 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037 |
|---|---|
| Most recent | 2025 (Wood Snake) |
| Next Snake year | 2037 (Fire Snake) |
| Branch · element | 巳 Si · Yin Fire |
| Best matches | Ox, Goat, Rooster |
| Hardest matches | Pig, Tiger |
| In 2027 | 87/100 — a favorable year |
Snakes say little and notice everything. Their judgment is usually right, and they seldom show their whole hand.
Snake years
Each Snake 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Earth Snake 己巳 | Feb 10, 1929 – Jan 29, 1930 |
| 1941 | Metal Snake 辛巳 | Jan 27, 1941 – Feb 14, 1942 |
| 1953 | Water Snake 癸巳 | Feb 14, 1953 – Feb 2, 1954 |
| 1965 | Wood Snake 乙巳 | Feb 2, 1965 – Jan 20, 1966 |
| 1977 | Fire Snake 丁巳 | Feb 18, 1977 – Feb 6, 1978 |
| 1989 | Earth Snake 己巳 | Feb 6, 1989 – Jan 26, 1990 |
| 2001 | Metal Snake 辛巳 | Jan 24, 2001 – Feb 11, 2002 |
| 2013 | Water Snake 癸巳 | Feb 10, 2013 – Jan 30, 2014 |
| 2025 | Wood Snake 乙巳 | Jan 29, 2025 – Feb 16, 2026 |
Personality
Strengths: sharp analysis; the patience to prepare properly; composure and quiet charisma.
Challenges: suspicion; holding on to hurt for a long time; secrecy that others misread.
In love. Snakes warm up slowly and then love with great intensity. Once they trust you, they protect the bond fiercely.
At work. Snakes do their best work in analysis, strategy, research, finance and specialist fields, where long preparation pays off.
The five Snakes
The year’s heavenly stem adds one of five elements, so a 1989 Snake and a 2001 one are not quite the same animal.
- Wood Snake1965, 2025
The Wood Snake is thoughtful and cultured, the most patient Snake and the most willing to share. - Fire Snake1977
The Fire Snake is charismatic and ambitious, energetic in pursuit and quick to see through people. - Earth Snake1929, 1989
The Earth Snake is calm and methodical, the most down-to-earth and dependable of the Snakes. - Metal Snake1941, 2001
The Metal Snake is the most determined: self-reliant, discerning and very hard to deceive. - Water Snake1953, 2013
The Water Snake is intuitive and wise, reading undercurrents that others never notice.
Best and worst matches
Best: Ox (84), Goat (74), Rooster (72). Hardest: Pig (32), Tiger (45).
| With | Score | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Ox 丑 | 84 | A strong match Natural allies |
| Goat 未 | 74 | A comfortable match Same season |
| Rooster 酉 | 72 | A comfortable match Natural allies |
| Horse 午 | 71 | A comfortable match Same season |
| Rabbit 卯 | 66 | A comfortable match Neutral |
| Dragon 辰 | 66 | A comfortable match Neutral |
| Snake & Snake 巳 | 65 | A comfortable match Same sign |
| Monkey 申 | 57 | Needs work Secret friends |
| Rat 子 | 54 | Needs work Neutral |
| Dog 戌 | 54 | Needs work Quiet resentment |
| Tiger 寅 | 45 | A clashing pair Friction |
| Pig 亥 | 32 | A clashing pair Opposites |
Element associations
The Snake’s branch carries Fire (火) — warmth, drive and visibility. In Korean tradition, Fire goes with red and orange, the south, and the numbers 2 and 7.
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 Snake in 2027
The Year of the Fire Goat gives the Snake 87/100 — a favorable year (summer trio with the goat). Read the Snake’s 2027 horoscope → · Month by month for the Snake
Questions about the Snake
What years are the Year of the Snake?
1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 and 2037. Each Snake 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 Snake?
2037 — the Fire Snake. The most recent was 2025, the Wood Snake.
What is the Snake most compatible with?
The Snake’s best matches are the Ox (84/100), the Goat (74/100) and the Rooster (72/100); the hardest are the Pig (32) and the Tiger (45).
What element is the Snake?
The Snake’s branch 巳 carries Fire, which it keeps every year. The year’s stem adds a second element, so there are five kinds of Snake: Wood Snake, Fire Snake, Earth Snake, Metal Snake, Water Snake.
Korean: 뱀띠 · 뱀띠 궁합 · 2027년 뱀띠 운세 · All signs: Rat · Ox · Tiger · Rabbit · Dragon · Snake · Horse · Goat · Monkey · Rooster · Dog · Pig
