Chinese zodiac 1972
Year of the Water Rat
15 February 1972 to 2 February 1973
Born in 1972? Your sign depends on the day
The animal changes at Lunar New Year, not on 1 January. In 1972 it falls on 15 February 1972.
- 15 February to 31 December 1972
- π Water Rat
- and on to 2 Feb 1973
Check an exact birth date
The Water Rat at a glance
Animal
π Rat
Said to be quick-witted, resourceful, adaptable.
Element
ζ°΄ Yang Water
Linked with wisdom and flexibility. Each element rules two years in a row.
Length
354 days
A regular year of twelve lunar months.
Other Rat years
The 60-year cycle
Animal and element line up again only every 60 years. The Water Rat years nearest to this one are 1912 and 2032.
Who gets on with the Rat
Allies
Four years apart. The three animals of a trine are said to share a temperament.
Secret friend
One of six fixed pairs said to complement each other.
Opposite
Six years apart, directly across the wheel. Tradition calls this the hardest pairing.
Friction
One of six fixed pairs said to rub each other the wrong way.
Bonds come from each animal's position among the twelve, as tradition sets them. They describe the Rat sign in general, not any one person.
Dates are computed estimates from the Hong Kong Observatory's calendar tables, counted in China's time zone. Some traditions change the animal at the start of spring (around 4 February) instead of at Lunar New Year.