12 animals of the Chinese zodiac
The **Chinese zodiac** is a mathematical cycle of 12 animals. Each animal represents one year. People are associated with the zodiac animal for the year that they are born. The 12 animals in order are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Although it is called the Chinese zodiac, this system is also used in several other countries in Asia such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

Personality
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Some Chinese people believe that each zodiac animal has a personality, and people born in the same year may have similar personalities.

**Rat**  

years: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020  

Honest, freedom, hard working, charming. Can be selfish, ruthless, controlling, scheming.

**Ox**  

years: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021  

Smart, calm, patient, inspiring, modest. Can be stubborn, narrow-minded, demanding, rigid.

**Tiger**  

years: 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022  

Aggressive, rebellious, strong, daring, generous. Can be restless, clumsy, hot-temper, impatient.

**Rabbit**  

years: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023  

Kind, sensitive, elegant, artistic, cautious. Can be moody, shy, lazy, opportunistic.

**Dragon**  

years: 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024  

Strong, proud, direct, eccentric, show off. Can be arrogant, violent, brash, controlling.

**Snake**  

years: 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025  

Wise, graceful, calm, mystic, shrewd. Can be a loner, bad communicator, possessive, distrustful.

**Horse**  

years: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026  

Cheerful, popular, talkative, witty, earthly, responsible. Can be fickle, rude, gullible, stubborn.

**Goat**  

years: 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027  

Righteous, honest, shy, artistic, understanding. Can be moody, a worrier, a complainer, and soft.

**Monkey**  

years: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028  

Witty, curious, flexible, sociable, smart. Can be vain, clumsy, trickster, snobbish.

**Rooster**  

years: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029  

Neat, organized, alert, scientific, responsible. Can be critical, egotistical, rough, opinionated.

**Dog**  

years: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030  

Honest, smart, loyal, sense of justice, affectionate. Can be lazy, cold, stubborn, quarrelsome.

**Pig**  

years: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031  

Simple, hard working, strong, peace-loving, trusting. Can be naive, gullible, materialistic, clingy.

Hours
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In the old days, China and Japan used a 12-hour system to tell the time of day and night (unlike the 24 hour system used today). The 12 hour system divides the day of 24 hours into 12 hours, each of which has a sign of the zodiac:

* 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM is the hour of the Rat.
* 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM is the hour of the Ox.
* 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM is the hour of the Tiger.
* 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM is the hour of the Rabbit.
* 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM is the hour of the Dragon.
* 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM is the hour of the Snake.
* 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM is the hour of the Horse.
* 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM is the hour of the Goat.
* 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM is the hour of the Monkey.
* 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM is the hour of the Rooster.
* 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM is the hour of the Dog.
* 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM is the hour of the Pig

Directions
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The Chinese and Japanese would call the different directions (North, Northeast, Northwest, East, South, Southeast, Southwest, West), based on the names of the zodiac animals.

1. Rat (Water, North)
2. Ox (Earth, North-Northeast)
3. Tiger (Wood, East-Northeast)
4. Rabbit (Wood, East)
5. Dragon (Earth, East-Southeast)
6. Snake (Fire, South-Southeast)
7. Horse (Fire, South)
8. Goat (Earth, South-Southwest)
9. Monkey (Metal, West-Southwest)
10. Rooster (Metal, West)
11. Dog (Earth, West-Northwest)
12. Pig (Water, North-Northwest)

Other websites
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to ***Chinese zodiac***.

| * v
* t
* e
Chinese zodiac |
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| Chinese Zodiac members | 
* Rat
* Ox
* Tiger
* Rabbit
* Dragon
* Snake
* Horse
* Goat
* Monkey
* Rooster
* Dog
* Pig

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