Year of the Monkey
The monkey (猴, hóu) is the ninth animal in the Chinese zodiac's 12-year cycle. Recent monkey years include 1980, 1992, 2004 and 2016; the most recent ran from Feb 8, 2016 to Jan 27, 2017, and the next begins on Jan 26, 2028. A monkey year opens on Chinese New Year, not on January 1.
Exact monkey year dates
Each monkey year starts on Chinese New Year and ends the day before the next Chinese New Year.
| monkey year | Gregorian date range |
|---|---|
| 1944 | Jan 25, 1944 – Feb 12, 1945 |
| 1956 | Feb 12, 1956 – Jan 30, 1957 |
| 1968 | Jan 30, 1968 – Feb 16, 1969 |
| 1980 | Feb 16, 1980 – Feb 4, 1981 |
| 1992 | Feb 4, 1992 – Jan 22, 1993 |
| 2004 | Jan 22, 2004 – Feb 8, 2005 |
| 2016 | Feb 8, 2016 – Jan 27, 2017 |
Born in January or February? Check the boundary
The 2016 monkey year began on Feb 8, 2016, so anyone born between January 1, 2016 and Feb 7, 2016 is a goat, not a monkey. The boundary also worked the other way: babies born between January 1, 2017 and Jan 27, 2017 are still monkeys rather than roosters. For any January or early-February birthday, use the exact Chinese New Year dates in the table above.
This site uses the Chinese New Year boundary convention — read how the zodiac year boundary works on the calculator page.
Am I a monkey?
Enter your full birth date and the calculator will apply the exact Chinese New Year boundary for your birth year.
Check my zodiac animalThe monkey in Chinese culture
The most famous monkey in Chinese culture needs no introduction: 孙悟空, the Monkey King of the sixteenth-century novel Journey to the West (西游记). Born from a stone and armed with an extending staff, Sun Wukong rebels against heaven itself before being recruited — under a tightening golden circlet — to protect the monk Xuanzang on his pilgrimage. The character made the monkey a symbol of brilliance, mischief and refusal to be tamed.
Beyond the novel, monkeys stand for cleverness and quick mimicry — for better and worse, as the idioms below show. People born in monkey years are traditionally described as clever, curious and playful — these are cultural beliefs about the sign, not facts about any individual.
Monkey idioms (成语) featuring 猴
猴年马月 hóu nián mǎ yuè
Literally: monkey year, horse month.
some far-off, possibly never-arriving date — roughly "when pigs fly", though a monkey year does actually come around every 12 years.
杀鸡儆猴 shā jī jǐng hóu
Literally: kill the chicken to warn the monkey.
to punish one person as a warning to others.
沐猴而冠 mù hóu ér guàn
Literally: a bathed monkey wearing a hat.
a worthless person dressed up in dignity; outward show without inner substance.
Year of the Monkey FAQ
Was 2016 the year of the monkey?
Yes, from Feb 8, 2016. The monkey year ran from Feb 8, 2016 to Jan 27, 2017. Anyone born in January or early February 2016, before Chinese New Year, is a goat rather than a monkey.
When is the next year of the monkey?
The next monkey year is 2028, beginning on Chinese New Year, Jan 26, 2028, and running until Feb 12, 2029. Monkey years repeat every 12 years: 1980, 1992, 2004 and 2016.
I was born in January 2004 — am I a monkey or a goat?
It depends on the day. Chinese New Year 2004 fell on Jan 22, 2004: born on or after it you are a monkey, born between January 1 and Jan 21, 2004 you are a goat. The calculator on this site applies the exact boundary for you.
Who is the Monkey King in Chinese culture?
Sun Wukong (孙悟空), the hero of the classic novel Journey to the West (西游记): a monkey born from stone who gains magical powers, defies heaven, and finally escorts the monk Xuanzang to fetch Buddhist scriptures. He is the most famous monkey in Chinese literature and the reason the monkey sign carries associations of brilliance and mischief.