The 12 animals
Year of the Pig: years, dates and elements
The Pig closes the twelve-year cycle as the sign of the Hai branch. Its years, the day each began, and its place in tradition.
Were you born in a year of the Pig?
Born July 1, 2007
Fire Pig
| Stem-branch | Ding-Hai 丁亥, yin |
| Lunar birth date | day 17 of the 5th month, 2007 |
| That lunar year: February 18, 2007 to February 6, 2008 | |
The Pig is the twelfth and last animal of the zodiac and the sign of Hai, the twelfth earthly branch, a Water branch on the yin side. The most recent Pig year, an Earth Pig, ran from February 5, 2019 to January 24, 2020; the next, a Metal Pig, begins on January 23, 2031 and closes the US Postal Service's current series of Lunar New Year stamps, which names it the Boar. Earlier Pig years began on February 18, 2007 and January 31, 1995. All the dates on this page come from the Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. In Chinese culture the pig stands for plenty and a comfortable home: the character for family shows a pig under a roof. Popular portraits make Pig people generous, easygoing and honest; this page reports them as folk tradition, not as a reading of character.
How does tradition pair these two signs?
Pig and Rabbit
Triad (san he)
| Pig triad | Rabbit, Goat |
| Pig opposite | Snake |
Folk tradition, not a prediction.
Dates read in the HKO tables by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Hai: the last hour and the tenth month
The Hai branch names the double hour from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., the last before the Rat's midnight, and the tenth lunar month, which opens winter with the Winter Commences term in early November. The Pig thus ends the day and the circle at the same time, and the Rat starts both again.
Pig years pair with the five yin stems: Yi, Ding, Ji, Xin and Gui. The 2019 Earth Pig was Ji-Hai; the 2031 Metal Pig will be Xin-Hai, the same name as the year 1911, which gave its name to the revolution that ended imperial rule in China.
Which animal is this year?
Lunar year starting in 2031
Metal Pig
| Starts | January 23, 2031 |
| Ends | February 10, 2032 |
| Stem-branch | Xin-Hai 辛亥 |
| Yin or yang | yin |
Pig or Boar?
The Chinese word zhu means pig in general, wild or tame. Japan's version of the zodiac uses the wild boar, and the US Postal Service's announcement of its 2026 stamp lists the Boar among the signs still to come in its series. Pig and Boar name the same branch.
Pig pairings in tradition
Folk tradition places the Pig in a triad with the Rabbit and the Goat, pairs it in harmony with the Tiger, and sets the Snake opposite. Like every pairing on this site, it is a custom based on the branch circle, not a prediction.
The Pig at a glance
| Earthly branch | Hai 亥, number 12 of 12 |
| Fixed element of the branch | Water, yin |
| Double hour (shichen) | 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. |
| Lunar month named by the branch | 10th month |
| Triad (san he) | Rabbit, Goat |
| Harmony pair (liu he) | Tiger |
| Opposite sign (liu chong) | Snake |
| Harm pair (liu hai) | Monkey |
| Next year of the Pig | 2031, from January 23, 2031 |
Every year of the Pig, with exact dates
Each line is one lunar year, from its new year to the eve of the next. Over sixty years the Pig comes back five times, once with each element: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. A birth before the start date in that Gregorian year belongs to the Dog.
| Year | Sign | Stem-branch | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Wood Pig | Yi-Hai 乙亥 | Feb 4, 1935 | Jan 23, 1936 |
| 1947 | Fire Pig | Ding-Hai 丁亥 | Jan 22, 1947 | Feb 9, 1948 |
| 1959 | Earth Pig | Ji-Hai 己亥 | Feb 8, 1959 | Jan 27, 1960 |
| 1971 | Metal Pig | Xin-Hai 辛亥 | Jan 27, 1971 | Feb 14, 1972 |
| 1983 | Water Pig | Gui-Hai 癸亥 | Feb 13, 1983 | Feb 1, 1984 |
| 1995 | Wood Pig | Yi-Hai 乙亥 | Jan 31, 1995 | Feb 18, 1996 |
| 2007 | Fire Pig | Ding-Hai 丁亥 | Feb 18, 2007 | Feb 6, 2008 |
| 2019 | Earth Pig | Ji-Hai 己亥 | Feb 5, 2019 | Jan 24, 2020 |
| 2031 | Metal Pig | Xin-Hai 辛亥 | Jan 23, 2031 | Feb 10, 2032 |
| 2043 | Water Pig | Gui-Hai 癸亥 | Feb 10, 2043 | Jan 29, 2044 |