2012 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Dragon

2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon — a Yang Water year. The animal sign is the Dragon, the fifth of the 12-animal cycle.

2012 carries the Water element (Yang Water). Element is set by the year's heavenly stem and cycles every 10 years, so the full Water Dragon combination returns only once every 60 years.

Those born in 2012, the Year of the Dragon, are traditionally described as confident, ambitious, and charismatic. With the Water element added, intuition, adaptability, and empathy are emphasised.

The Dragon is traditionally most compatible with the Rat, Monkey, Rooster.

Almost — but the Chinese zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year (late January or early February), not January 1. So someone born in early 2012, before that year's Chinese New Year, is actually a Rabbit (the 2011 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.