In love
In love the Rooster is loyal, practical and caring in concrete ways, and it expects honesty and order in return. It suits partners who take its directness as care rather than an attack.
Animal 10 of 12 · Metal · Yin
Chinese zodiac Rooster
The Rooster is the tenth animal of the Chinese zodiac — metal, yin. Its traditional traits are precision, candor and visible competence.
- Element
- Metal
- Polarity
- Yin
- Hours
- 5–7 PM
- Lucky numbers
- 5, 7, 8
Character
Rooster personality
The Rooster is the animal of precision. Tradition reads it as observant, hardworking, honest, confident and organized — someone who notices what is wrong and says so. Roosters are punctual, practical and proud of doing things properly.
Their weakness is criticism, of others and of themselves. Roosters can be blunt, boastful or perfectionist, and they can come across as fussy to looser signs. Behind the confident display there is often a strong need to be appreciated.
- Strength. Notices detail others miss and says so. Prepares more thoroughly than required.
- Friction. Critical out loud, and mistakes bluntness for honesty.
Traits
Observant Blunt Hardworking Critical ProudSeasonAutumn
MonthSeptember
Lucky colorsgold, brown, yellow
Each animal also governs two hours of the day — the Rooster holds 5–7 PM. Someone born in those hours is said to carry the Rooster as an inner sign regardless of their year.
Work and money
Roosters do well in accounting, administration, management, the military, journalism and any job that rewards accuracy. With money they budget meticulously and dislike waste.
Health and pace
The traditional advice is to ease off on self-criticism and overwork. Roosters benefit from routine, which they usually keep well.
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Primary source
The rooster in a Chinese text of about AD 80
“Wu is connected with the horse, Tse with the rat, Yu with the cock, and Mao with the hare.”
“Metal is stronger than wood, why does the cock not eat the hare?”
Wang Chong, Lun-hêng, “The Nature of Things”, translated by Alfred Forke, Lun-hêng, Part I: Philosophical Essays of Wang Chʻung (1907), pp. 105–106 — read the original text.
Wang Chong already pairs the earthly branches with the animals still used today — and lists them to argue against the idea that animals fight because of their elements. The sheep of his text is the goat of the modern zodiac, the boar its pig.
Rooster years
| Year | Element | New year began |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Wood Rooster | February 13 |
| 1957 | Fire Rooster | January 31 |
| 1969 | Earth Rooster | February 17 |
| 1981 | Metal Rooster | February 5 |
| 1993 | Water Rooster | January 23 |
| 2005 | Wood Rooster | February 9 |
| 2017 | Fire Rooster | January 28 |
| 2029 | Earth Rooster | February 13 |
Born in January or early February of one of these years? Check the new year date — you may belong to the previous animal.
The 9 Rooster years in the table began as early as January 23 1993 and as late as February 17 1969 — a window of 25 days. Anyone born in 1969 before February 17 is still a Monkey.
The five Roosters
The Rooster's own fixed element is Metal. The element of the year interacts with it differently each time, which is what separates the five versions — and why the cycle runs sixty years.
| Version | Years | Relation to Metal |
|---|---|---|
| Water Rooster | 1933, 1993 | Drains it — productive but costly |
| Wood Rooster | 1945, 2005 | Dominated by it — most forceful |
| Fire Rooster | 1957, 2017 | Controls it — most restrained |
| Earth Rooster | 1969, 2029 | Feeds it — best supported |
| Metal Rooster | 1981, 2041 | Doubled — strongest expression |
Calculated from the lunar calendar
Not every Rooster year is the same length
The 9 Rooster years from 1933 to 2029 last anywhere from 354 to 384 days, so the window for being born under the sign is wider in some years than in others. Four of them have a thirteenth, leap month.
| Year | From | To | Days | Lunar months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Jan 26, 1933 | Feb 13, 1934 | 384 | 13 — leap year |
| 1945 | Feb 13, 1945 | Feb 1, 1946 | 354 | 12 |
| 1957 | Jan 31, 1957 | Feb 17, 1958 | 383 | 13 — leap year |
| 1969 | Feb 17, 1969 | Feb 5, 1970 | 354 | 12 |
| 1981 | Feb 5, 1981 | Jan 24, 1982 | 354 | 12 |
| 1993 | Jan 23, 1993 | Feb 9, 1994 | 383 | 13 — leap year |
| 2005 | Feb 9, 2005 | Jan 28, 2006 | 354 | 12 |
| 2017 | Jan 28, 2017 | Feb 15, 2018 | 384 | 13 — leap year |
| 2029 | Feb 13, 2029 | Feb 2, 2030 | 355 | 12 |
Average length
367.2 days
Longest
1933 — 384 days
Shortest
1945 — 354 days
Difference
30 days
Why some years get a leap month: the calendar adds one seven times every nineteen years to stay in step with the seasons. How the lunar year is built →
The next Rooster year is 2029
By tradition a Rooster treads carefully in its own year rather than celebrating it. Why your own animal's year is considered unlucky.
Rooster compatibility
| With | Relation | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ox | Trine — natural allies | 90% |
| Snake | Trine — natural allies | 90% |
| Dragon | Six harmonies — secret friends | 88% |
| Rooster | Same sign | 72% |
| Rat | Neutral | 68% |
| Tiger | Neutral | 68% |
| Horse | Neutral | 68% |
| Goat | Neutral | 68% |
| Monkey | Neutral | 68% |
| Pig | Neutral | 68% |
| Dog | Six harms | 55% |
| Rabbit | Clash | 45% |
Sources
Statements of fact on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. How we choose and check sources: editorial policy.
Cite this page
AstroHot. “Chinese Zodiac Rooster: Years, Traits and Compatibility.” Accessed October 28, 2026. https://astrohot.com/chinese-horoscope/sign/rooster/
For Wikipedia
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