Chinese New Year 2023: Calendar, Animal Zodiacs & Forecast

2023 Chinese New Year is on Sunday, January 22, 2023, in China's time zone. This day is the first new moon day of the first Chinese lunar month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar system. The exact new moon time is at 4:54 a.m. on January 22, 2023, in China standard time zone, GMT+8.

2023 is the Chinese 4720h Year. Chinese calendar also uses a cycle of 60 Stem-Branch counting system. Since (60 * 78) + 40 = 4720, 2023 is the 40th Stem-Branch in the cycle. Male Water Rabbit is the name of 40th Stem-Branch. Therefore, 2023 is the year of the Water Rabbit. Because Black is connected to Water, 2023 is also called Balck Water Rabbit Year.

Chinese Astrology does not simply use the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Chinese Astrology is a theory of Yin and Yang. Yin is the Earth and Yang is the Sun. Therefore, Chinese Astrology also uses the solar calendar. The first day of the astrological year is on February 4, 2023. More about 2023 Water Rabbit Chinese New Year...

Chinese New Year's Day and Chinese Lunar Calendar

The Chinese New Year's Day is the new moon day of the first lunar month. According to the Chinese Lunar calendar, the first lunar month is the second new moon after the lunar month contains Winter Solstice. The day of Winter Solstice is around December 23 in the western Gregorian calendar. As a result, Chinese New Year might fall in the second half of January or the first half of February.

Chinese calendar combines lunar, solar and color-animal (Stem-Branch) counting systems. The lunar counting system mainly is to count the lunar month. The solar counting system is to count the year and solar month for agriculture activities. The color animal is to count every single solar day. In the beginning, color animal counts only for the day. Later, Five Element scholars applied color animals on Year and Month cycles.

There are 12 animals, which are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, in the counting system. The Chinese calendar needs to assign a unique animal name for each day inside the lunar month. sometimes, the Chinese Lunar Calendar needs to add an extra lunar month (Leap Lunar Month) in the cycle to match the speed of the solar cycle. For example, the Chinese calendar of the year 2006 has two 7th lunar months. A lunar month contains 29 or 30 days. Therefore, the Chinese calendar needs 60 different animal names to make every single day unique for the case of leap lunar month.

Chinese Zodiac Calendar

To make the 60 unique color animal names, the Chinese add the name of Five Elements, which are Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth, on the top of animal names. Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth are connected to the colors of White, Black, Green, Red, and Brown respectively. That's why each Chinese year has a color animal name. The first sign of 60 color animals is the Green-Wood Rat, which can be found in 1924 and 1984.

The first day of the animal year is different from the Chinese New Year's Day. The animal year starts on the first day of Tiger month. Tiger month begins from the day when Sun enters the ecliptic 315-degree position, which is around February 4 Gregorian calendar. That means the animal month is a solar month, not a lunar month. This is why many people who are born in January or February confuse about their animal sign of the birth year. To verify the exact animal sign of birth year goes to use the free online Chinese Astrological Animal Sign page.

Because the Chinese New Year's day is based on the New Moon Day and different time zones might have different new moon days in the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year Days might fall on different days in the USA time zones.

Chinese New Year Dates at US Time Zones

Chinese New Year Dates at US Pacific Time Zone

When is the Chinese New Year?

The following Chinese New Year Dates are calculated based on China time zone, which is east longitude 120-degree time.

Chinese Zodiac Sign Prediction	Chinese New Year Date	First Day of Animal Year
2024 Green Wood Dragon Year	February 10, 2024	February 4, 2024
2023 Black Water Rabbit Year	January 22, 2023	February 4, 2023
2022 Black Water Tiger Year	February 1, 2022	February 4, 2022
2021 White Metal Cow Year	February 12, 2021	February 3, 2021
2020 White Metal Rat Year	January 25, 2020	February 4, 2020
2019 Brown Earth Pig Year	February 5, 2019	February 4, 2019
2018 Brown Earth Dog Year	February 16, 2018	February 4, 2018
2017 Red Fire Chicken Year	January 28, 2017	February 3, 2017
2016 Red Fire Monkey Year	February 8, 2016	February 4, 2016
2015 Green Wood Sheep Year	February 19, 2015	February 4, 2015
2014 Green Wood Horse Year	January 31, 2014	February 4, 2014
2013 Black Water Snake Year	February 10, 2013	February 4, 2013
2012 Black Water Dragon Year	January 23, 2012	February 4, 2012
2011 White Metal Rabbit Year	February 3, 2011	February 4, 2011
2010 White Metal Tiger Year	February 14, 2010	February 4, 2010
2009 Brown Earth Cow Year	January 26, 2009	February 4, 2009
2008 Brown Earth Rat Year	February 7, 2008	February 4, 2008
2007 Red Fire Pig Year	February 18, 2007	February 4, 2007
2006 Red Fire Dog Year	January 29, 2006	February 4, 2006
2005 Green Wood Chicken Year	February 9, 2005	February 4, 2005
2004 Green Wood Monkey Year	January 22, 2004	February 4, 2004
2003 Black Water Sheep Year	February 1, 2003	February 4, 2003
2002 Black Water Horse Year	February 12, 2002	February 4, 2002
2001 White Metal Snake Year	January 24, 2001	February 4, 2001
2000 White Metal Dragon Year	February 5, 2000	February 4, 2000

1900 White Metal Rat Year	January 31, 1900	February 4, 1900
1901 White Metal Cow Year	February 19, 1901	February 4, 1901
1902 Black Water Tiger Year	February 8, 1902	February 5, 1902
1903 Black Water Rabbit Year	January 29, 1903	February 5, 1903
1904 Green Wood Dragon Year	February 16, 1904	February 5, 1904
1905 Green Wood Snake Year	February 4, 1905	February 4, 1905
1906 Red Fire Horse Year	January 25, 1906	February 5, 1906
1907 Red Fire Sheep Year	February 13, 1907	February 5, 1907
1908 Brown Earth Monkey Year	February 2, 1908	February 5, 1908
1909 Brown Earth Chicken Year	January 22, 1909	February 4, 1909
1910 White Metal Dog Year	February 10, 1910	February 5, 1910
1911 White Metal Pig Year	January 30, 1911	February 5, 1911
1912 Black Water Rat Year	February 18, 1912	February 5, 1912
1913 Black Water Cow Year	February 6, 1913	February 4, 1913
1914 Green Wood Tiger Year	January 26, 1914	February 4, 1914
1915 Green Wood Rabbit Year	February 14, 1915	February 5, 1915
1916 Red Fire Dragon Year	February 4, 1916	February 5, 1916
1917 Red Fire Snake Year	January 23, 1917	February 4, 1917
1918 Brown Earth Horse Year	February 11, 1918	February 4, 1918
1919 Brown Earth Sheep Year	February 1, 1919	February 5, 1919
1920 White Metal Monkey Year	February 20, 1920	February 5, 1920
1921 White Metal Chicken Year	February 8, 1921	February 4, 1921
1922 Black Water Dog Year	January 28, 1922	February 4, 1922
1923 Black Water Pig Year	February 16, 1923	February 5, 1923
1924 Green Wood Rat Year	February 5, 1924	February 5, 1924
1925 Green Wood Cow Year	January 24, 1925	February 4, 1925
1926 Red Fire Tiger Year	February 13, 1926	February 4, 1926
1927 Red Fire Rabbit Year	February 2, 1927	February 5, 1927
1928 Brown Earth Dragon Year	January 23, 1928	February 5, 1928
1929 Brown Earth Snake Year	February 10, 1929	February 4, 1929
1930 White Metal Horse Year	January 30, 1930	February 4, 1930
1931 White Metal Sheep Year	February 17, 1931	February 5, 1931
1932 Black Water Monkey Year	February 6, 1932	February 5, 1932
1933 Black Water Chicken Year	January 26, 1933	February 4, 1933
1934 Green Wood Dog Year	February 14, 1934	February 4, 1934
1935 Green Wood Pig Year	February 4, 1935	February 5, 1935
1936 Red Fire Rat Year	January 24, 1936	February 5, 1936
1937 Red Fire Cow Year	February 11, 1937	February 4, 1937
1938 Brown Earth Tiger Year	January 31, 1938	February 4, 1938
1939 Brown Earth Rabbit Year	February 19, 1939	February 5, 1939
1940 White Metal Dragon Year	February 8, 1940	February 5, 1940
1941 White Metal Snake Year	January 27, 1941	February 4, 1941
1942 Black Water Horse Year	February 15, 1942	February 4, 1942
1943 Black Water Sheep Year	February 5, 1943	February 5, 1943
1944 Green Wood Monkey Year	January 25, 1944	February 5, 1944
1945 Green Wood Chicken Year	February 13, 1945	February 4, 1945
1946 Red Fire Dog Year	February 2, 1946	February 4, 1946
1947 Red Fire Pig Year	January 22, 1947	February 4, 1947
1948 Brown Earth Rat Year	February 10, 1948	February 5, 1948
1949 Brown Earth Cow Year	January 29, 1949	February 4, 1949
1950 White Metal Tiger Year	February 17, 1950	February 4, 1950
1951 White Metal Rabbit Year	February 6, 1951	February 4, 1951
1952 Black Water Dragon Year	January 27, 1952	February 5, 1952
1953 Black Water Snake Year	February 14, 1953	February 4, 1953
1954 Green Wood Horse Year	February 3, 1954	February 4, 1954
1955 Green Wood Sheep Year	January 24, 1955	February 4, 1955
1956 Red Fire Monkey Year	February 12, 1956	February 5, 1956
1957 Red Fire Chicken Year	January 31, 1957	February 4, 1957
1958 Brown Earth Dog Year	February 18, 1958	February 4, 1958
1959 Brown Earth Pig Year	February 8, 1959	February 4, 1959
1960 White Metal Rat Year	January 28, 1960	February 5, 1960
1961 White Metal Cow Year	February 15, 1961	February 4, 1961
1962 Black Water Tiger Year	February 5, 1962	February 4, 1962
1963 Black Water Rabbit Year	January 25, 1963	February 4, 1963
1964 Green Wood Dragon Year	February 13, 1964	February 5, 1964
1965 Green Wood Snake Year	February 2, 1965	February 4, 1965
1966 Red Fire Horse Year	January 21, 1966	February 4, 1966
1967 Red Fire Sheep Year	February 9, 1967	February 4, 1967
1968 Brown Earth Monkey Year	January 30, 1968	February 5, 1968
1969 Brown Earth Chicken Year	February 17, 1969	February 4, 1969
1970 White Metal Dog Year	February 6, 1970	February 4, 1970
1971 White Metal Pig Year	January 27, 1971	February 4, 1971
1972 Black Water Rat Year	February 15, 1972	February 5, 1972
1973 Black Water Cow Year	February 3, 1973	February 4, 1973
1974 Green Wood Tiger Year	January 23, 1974	February 4, 1974
1975 Green Wood Rabbit Year	February 11, 1975	February 4, 1975
1976 Red Fire Dragon Year	January 31, 1976	February 5, 1976
1977 Red Fire Snake Year	February 18, 1977	February 4, 1977
1978 Brown Earth Horse Year	February 7, 1978	February 4, 1978
1979 Brown Earth Sheep Year	January 28, 1979	February 4, 1979
1980 White Metal Monkey Year	February 16, 1980	February 5, 1980
1981 White Metal Chicken Year	February 5, 1981	February 4, 1981
1982 Black Water Dog Year	January 25, 1982	February 4, 1982
1983 Black Water Pig Year	February 13, 1983	February 4, 1983
1984 Green Wood Rat Year	February 2, 1984	February 4, 1984
1985 Green Wood Cow Year	February 20, 1985	February 4, 1985
1986 Red Fire Tiger Year	February 9, 1986	February 4, 1986
1987 Red Fire Rabbit Year	January 29, 1987	February 4, 1987
1988 Brown Earth Dragon Year	February 17, 1988	February 4, 1988
1989 Brown Earth Snake Year	February 6, 1989	February 4, 1989
1990 White Metal Horse Year	January 27, 1990	February 4, 1990
1991 White Metal Sheep Year	February 15, 1991	February 4, 1991
1992 Black Water Monkey Year	February 4, 1992	February 4, 1992
1993 Black Water Chicken Year	January 23, 1993	February 4, 1993
1994 Green Wood Dog Year	February 10, 1994	February 4, 1994
1995 Green Wood Pig Year	January 31, 1995	February 4, 1995
1996 Red Fire Rat Year	February 19, 1996	February 4, 1996
1997 Red Fire Cow Year	February 7, 1997	February 4, 1997
1998 Brown Earth Tiger Year	January 28, 1998	February 4, 1998
1999 Brown Earth Rabbit Year	February 16, 1999	February 4, 1999

2023 Chinese Zodiac of Zodiac Rabbit

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