Year of the Pig
The pig (猪, zhū) is the twelfth and final animal in the Chinese zodiac cycle — after it, the wheel turns back to the rat. Recent pig years include 1983, 1995, 2007 and 2019; the most recent ran from Feb 5, 2019 to Jan 24, 2020, and the next begins on Jan 23, 2031. A pig year runs from Chinese New Year to the eve of the next one, never from January 1.
Exact pig year dates
Each pig year starts on Chinese New Year and ends the day before the next Chinese New Year.
| pig year | Gregorian date range |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Jan 22, 1947 – Feb 9, 1948 |
| 1959 | Feb 8, 1959 – Jan 27, 1960 |
| 1971 | Jan 27, 1971 – Feb 14, 1972 |
| 1983 | Feb 13, 1983 – Feb 1, 1984 |
| 1995 | Jan 31, 1995 – Feb 18, 1996 |
| 2007 | Feb 18, 2007 – Feb 6, 2008 |
| 2019 | Feb 5, 2019 – Jan 24, 2020 |
Born in January or February? Check the boundary
The 2019 pig year began on Feb 5, 2019, so anyone born between January 1, 2019 and Feb 4, 2019 is a dog, not a pig. And because the pig year ran into 2020, babies born between January 1, 2020 and Jan 24, 2020 are still pigs rather than rats. Any January or early-February birthday needs the exact Chinese New Year date from 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 pig?
Enter your full birth date and the calculator will apply the exact Chinese New Year boundary for your birth year.
Check my zodiac animalThe pig in Chinese culture
Far from its unflattering image in English, the pig in Chinese folk culture is a symbol of wealth and abundance: a fat pig meant a household with full granaries, piggy banks in China predate the Western idea, and the character for "home" (家) is a pig under a roof — a household was not complete without one. Round prosperity made the pig a welcome sign.
The best-loved pig in Chinese culture is 猪八戒 (Zhu Bajie) from Journey to the West (西游记): gluttonous, lazy, vain — and utterly loyal when it counts. His comic humanity made him one of literature's most enduring characters. People born in pig years are traditionally described as easygoing, honest and generous — these are cultural beliefs about the sign, not facts about any individual.
Pig idioms (成语) featuring 猪
一龙一猪 yī lóng yī zhū
Literally: one a dragon, one a pig.
two people worlds apart in ability or achievement; the dragon and the pig mark the highest and humblest poles of the zodiac.
猪突豨勇 zhū tū xī yǒng
Literally: charging like a pig, brave as a boar.
headlong, reckless courage; bravery without thought for the consequences.
Year of the Pig FAQ
Was 2019 the year of the pig?
Yes, from Feb 5, 2019. The pig year ran from Feb 5, 2019 to Jan 24, 2020. Anyone born in January or early February 2019, before Chinese New Year, is a dog rather than a pig.
I was born in January 2019 — am I a pig or a dog?
A dog. Chinese New Year 2019 fell on Feb 5, 2019, so the whole of January 2019 still belongs to the dog year. Only birthdays on or after Feb 5, 2019 are pig birthdays.
When is the next year of the pig?
The next pig year is 2031, beginning on Chinese New Year, Jan 23, 2031, and running until Feb 10, 2032. Pig years repeat every 12 years: 1983, 1995, 2007 and 2019.
What does the pig represent in Chinese culture?
Wealth and abundance. A fat pig once meant a prosperous household — the character 家 ("home") is a pig under a roof — and Zhu Bajie (猪八戒), the comic hero of Journey to the West, made the pig one of the most beloved figures in Chinese fiction.