1961 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Ox
Year of the Metal Ox
Animal
🐂 Ox
Element
Yin Metal
Cycle position
#2 of 12
About the 1961 Ox year
- 1961 is a Yin Metal year — the Metal element colours the Ox's nature with determination, structure, and resilience.
- The Ox is the second of the 12 zodiac animals. The previous Ox year was 1949 and the next is 1973.
- People born in the Year of the Ox are traditionally seen as diligent, dependable, and strong-willed. The Ox is said to pair most harmoniously with the Snake, Rooster, Rat.
Best matches for the Ox
Signs the Ox is traditionally most compatible with.
- Snake
- Rooster
- Rat
Frequently asked
1961 is the Year of the Metal Ox — a Yin Metal year. The animal sign is the Ox, the second of the 12-animal cycle.
1961 carries the Metal element (Yin Metal). Element is set by the year's heavenly stem and cycles every 10 years, so the full Metal Ox combination returns only once every 60 years.
Those born in 1961, the Year of the Ox, are traditionally described as diligent, dependable, and strong-willed. With the Metal element added, determination, structure, and resilience are emphasised.
The Ox is traditionally most compatible with the Snake, Rooster, Rat.
Almost — but the Chinese zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year (late January or early February), not January 1. So someone born in early 1961, before that year's Chinese New Year, is actually a Rat (the 1960 sign). If your birthday is in late January or early February, enter your full date of birth in the Age Calculator to confirm your exact sign.
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