In love
In love the Tiger is passionate, intense and protective, and it needs a partner who can match its energy without trying to tame it. Jealousy and power struggles are the typical trouble; independence on both sides is the usual cure.
Animal 3 of 12 · Wood · Yang
Chinese zodiac Tiger
The Tiger is the third animal of the Chinese zodiac — wood, yang. Its traditional traits are courage, intensity and a refusal to be managed.
- Element
- Wood
- Polarity
- Yang
- Hours
- 3–5 AM
- Lucky numbers
- 1, 3, 4
Character
Tiger personality
The Tiger is the animal of courage. Tradition gives it confidence, charisma, a competitive streak and a strong sense of justice — Tigers stand up for the underdog and for themselves, often in the same breath. They are generous, impulsive and magnetic, and they tend to act first and think about it on the way.
The cost of that energy is unpredictability. Tigers can be rebellious, impatient with rules and quick to anger, and they find routine and compromise genuinely hard. They take risks others would not, which brings spectacular results and occasional spectacular mistakes.
- Strength. Acts when others hesitate, and inspires people to follow without asking them to.
- Friction. Burns hot and short. Authority provokes rather than restrains it.
Traits
Brave Impulsive Charismatic Rebellious CompetitiveSeasonSpring
MonthFebruary
Lucky colorsblue, gray, orange
Each animal also governs two hours of the day — the Tiger holds 3–5 AM. Someone born in those hours is said to carry the Tiger as an inner sign regardless of their year.
Work and money
Tigers do well in leadership, entrepreneurship, sport, performance, the military and any role that rewards initiative. With money they spend freely and generously, and benefit from someone more cautious keeping the books.
Health and pace
Tradition warns of burnout from running at full speed and of injuries from taking risks. Regular rest and an outlet for physical energy are recommended.
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Every retrograde, eclipse, new and full moon of 2027 to the minute, already converted to your city. A month to a page, ready to print.
Primary source
The tiger in a Chinese text of about AD 80
“The sign Yin corresponds to wood, its proper animal is the tiger.”
“Wood overcomes earth, therefore the dog, the ox, and the sheep are overpowered by the tiger.”
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.
Tiger years
| Year | Element | New year began |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Earth Tiger | January 31 |
| 1950 | Metal Tiger | February 17 |
| 1962 | Water Tiger | February 5 |
| 1974 | Wood Tiger | January 23 |
| 1986 | Fire Tiger | February 9 |
| 1998 | Earth Tiger | January 28 |
| 2010 | Metal Tiger | February 14 |
| 2022 | Water Tiger | February 1 |
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 Tiger years in the table began as early as January 23 1974 and as late as February 17 1950 — a window of 25 days. Anyone born in 1950 before February 17 is still an Ox.
The five Tigers
The Tiger's own fixed element is Wood. 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 Wood |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Tiger | 1926, 1986 | Drains it — productive but costly |
| Earth Tiger | 1938, 1998 | Dominated by it — most forceful |
| Metal Tiger | 1950, 2010 | Controls it — most restrained |
| Water Tiger | 1962, 2022 | Feeds it — best supported |
| Wood Tiger | 1974, 2034 | Doubled — strongest expression |
Calculated from the lunar calendar
Not every Tiger year is the same length
The 9 Tiger years from 1926 to 2022 last anywhere from 354 to 384 days, so the window for being born under the sign is wider in some years than in others. Three of them have a thirteenth, leap month.
| Year | From | To | Days | Lunar months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | Feb 13, 1926 | Feb 1, 1927 | 354 | 12 |
| 1938 | Jan 31, 1938 | Feb 18, 1939 | 384 | 13 — leap year |
| 1950 | Feb 17, 1950 | Feb 5, 1951 | 354 | 12 |
| 1962 | Feb 5, 1962 | Jan 24, 1963 | 354 | 12 |
| 1974 | Jan 23, 1974 | Feb 10, 1975 | 384 | 13 — leap year |
| 1986 | Feb 9, 1986 | Jan 28, 1987 | 354 | 12 |
| 1998 | Jan 28, 1998 | Feb 15, 1999 | 384 | 13 — leap year |
| 2010 | Feb 14, 2010 | Feb 2, 2011 | 354 | 12 |
| 2022 | Feb 1, 2022 | Jan 21, 2023 | 355 | 12 |
Average length
364.1 days
Longest
1938 — 384 days
Shortest
1926 — 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 Tiger year is 2034
By tradition a Tiger treads carefully in its own year rather than celebrating it. Why your own animal's year is considered unlucky.
Tiger compatibility
| With | Relation | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Horse | Trine — natural allies | 90% |
| Dog | Trine — natural allies | 90% |
| Pig | Six harmonies — secret friends | 88% |
| Tiger | Same sign | 72% |
| Rat | Neutral | 68% |
| Ox | Neutral | 68% |
| Rabbit | Neutral | 68% |
| Dragon | Neutral | 68% |
| Goat | Neutral | 68% |
| Rooster | Neutral | 68% |
| Snake | Six harms | 55% |
| Monkey | 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 Tiger: Years, Traits and Compatibility.” Accessed October 29, 2026. https://astrohot.com/chinese-horoscope/sign/tiger/
For Wikipedia
{{cite web |title=Chinese Zodiac Tiger: Years, Traits and Compatibility |url=https://astrohot.com/chinese-horoscope/sign/tiger/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-29}}