Chinese astrology · portrait
The Rooster, proud and organized.
The Rooster is the tenth of the twelve signs of Chinese astrology. You are born a Rooster in the years 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, provided you were born after the lunar new year switch (between late January and mid-February). Tradition pairs it with the Ox and the Snake, and sets it in tension with the Rabbit. Five elements shade it, from the Wood Rooster to the Water Rooster, and that combination only comes back around every sixty years.
The Rooster at a glance
- Sign
- Rooster
- Rank
- tenth of 12
- Character
- Proud and Organized
- Allies
- Ox, Snake
- Opposite
- Rabbit
- Recent years
- 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
The Rooster: what kind of temperament?
The Rooster takes pride in a job well done. You’re candid, organized, alert to the smallest detail, and you like things to shine as brightly as you do. People can count on your integrity and your sense of commitment, since you never do anything halfway. Your gentle lesson is to soften the way you look at others and at yourself, because perfection was never the price of being loved. What moves you is that honest wish to give your best and to be valued for everything you’re worth.
The five faces of the Rooster
Each animal comes back around every twelve years, but its meeting with one of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) only replays every sixty years. That is why two Roosters born twelve years apart are not quite alike: the year’s element colors the animal.
Rooster of Wood
The Wood Rooster puts its rigor in the service of others: your sense of order takes on generosity, you organize to help things grow, you cooperate with candor. Keep your precision, and let suppleness soften your demands now and then.
Rooster of Fire
The Fire Rooster warms its candor with a real fervor: you defend your ideas with passion, you shine through your uprightness and your bearing. The care to take is not to let that flame harden the way you see others.
Rooster of Earth
The Earth Rooster grounds its perfectionism in the concrete: you’re reliable, organized, alert to the smallest detail that lasts. That solidity honors you, your lesson being not to stiffen into your habits or your judgments.
Rooster of Metal
The Metal Rooster takes its rigor to its peak: precise, structured, demanding, you never do anything halfway. Your lesson is to soften your gaze, on others and on yourself, because perfection was never the price of being loved.
Rooster of Water
The Water Rooster softens its candor with a real sensitivity: you keep your sense of order, but you listen more, you adapt instead of trying to frame everything. That gentleness becomes you, so give it room without giving up your clarity.
Who the Rooster gets along with
Chinese tradition reads affinities by triads. The Rooster forms a triad of natural understanding (San He) with the Ox and the Snake: bonds that come easily and grow stronger over time.
Its opposite on the wheel is the Rabbit: different rhythms, sometimes a sharp attraction. Nothing forbidden, just an invitation to flexibility and to respect the other’s way of being. An “opposite” sign is not a bad sign, it is a contrasting mirror.
For a reading of two people, cross your two signs and your two elements: compatibility on the Western zodiac side follows the same mirror logic.
Are you a Rooster? The birth years
You are born a Rooster in the years 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029. But the sign switches at the lunar new year, not on January 1: born in January or early February, you may belong to the previous year’s animal. It’s the most common mistake the quick converters make.
Frequently asked questions
Which years correspond to the sign of the Rooster?
You are born a Rooster in the years 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, provided you were born after the lunar new year, which falls between late January and mid-February. If you were born in January or early February, check your year’s switch date: before it, you belong to the previous sign.
Which signs is the Rooster most compatible with?
Tradition gathers the Rooster, the Ox and the Snake into the same affinity triad (San He): a natural understanding. Its opposite on the wheel is the Rabbit, which forbids no bond: it is an invitation to flexibility, never a verdict.
How do I find the element of my Rooster?
Your element comes from the last digit of your birth year, among Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth. The Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water Rooster are not quite alike: that is the nuance you will read below.