Year of the Rabbit
The rabbit (兔, tù) is the fourth animal in the Chinese zodiac's 12-year cycle. Recent rabbit years include 1987, 1999, 2011 and 2023; the most recent ran from Jan 22, 2023 to Feb 9, 2024, and the next begins on Feb 8, 2035. A rabbit year opens on Chinese New Year in January or February and ends on the eve of the next one — never on January 1.
Exact rabbit year dates
Each rabbit year starts on Chinese New Year and ends the day before the next Chinese New Year.
| rabbit year | Gregorian date range |
|---|---|
| 1951 | Feb 6, 1951 – Jan 26, 1952 |
| 1963 | Jan 25, 1963 – Feb 12, 1964 |
| 1975 | Feb 11, 1975 – Jan 30, 1976 |
| 1987 | Jan 29, 1987 – Feb 16, 1988 |
| 1999 | Feb 16, 1999 – Feb 4, 2000 |
| 2011 | Feb 3, 2011 – Jan 22, 2012 |
| 2023 | Jan 22, 2023 – Feb 9, 2024 |
Born in January or February? Check the boundary
The 2023 rabbit year began on Jan 22, 2023, so anyone born between January 1, 2023 and Jan 21, 2023 is a tiger, not a rabbit. The same boundary catches the following January: babies born between January 1, 2024 and Feb 9, 2024 are still rabbits, even though 2024 is popularly called the dragon year. Check the exact Chinese New Year dates in the table above for any January or early-February birthday.
This site uses the Chinese New Year boundary convention — read how the zodiac year boundary works on the calculator page.
Am I a rabbit?
Enter your full birth date and the calculator will apply the exact Chinese New Year boundary for your birth year.
Check my zodiac animalThe rabbit in Chinese culture
The rabbit's home in Chinese imagination is the moon. The Jade Rabbit (玉兔) is said to live there beside the moon goddess Chang'e (嫦娥), pounding the elixir of life with a mortar and pestle — so while Western tradition sees a man in the moon, Chinese tradition sees a rabbit. Mooncake festival imagery and China's lunar rovers, named Yutu after the Jade Rabbit, both draw on this association.
On earth, the rabbit stands for gentleness, alertness and agility. People born in rabbit years are traditionally described as gentle, quick-witted and diplomatic — these are cultural beliefs about the sign, not facts about any individual.
Rabbit idioms (成语) featuring 兔
守株待兔 shǒu zhū dài tù
Literally: stand by a tree stump waiting for a hare.
to trust blindly to luck; from a fable about a farmer who gave up working after one rabbit ran into his stump.
狡兔三窟 jiǎo tù sān kū
Literally: a cunning rabbit has three burrows.
a shrewd person keeps more than one escape route or fallback plan.
动如脱兔 dòng rú tuō tù
Literally: in motion, like a bolted hare.
to move with explosive speed after staying still; often paired with 静如处子, "at rest, like a maiden".
Year of the Rabbit FAQ
Was 2023 the year of the rabbit?
Yes, from Jan 22, 2023. The rabbit year ran from Jan 22, 2023 to Feb 9, 2024. Anyone born in January 2023, before Chinese New Year, is a tiger rather than a rabbit.
I was born in January 2023 — am I a rabbit or a tiger?
A tiger. Chinese New Year 2023 fell on Jan 22, 2023, so the whole of January 2023 still belongs to the tiger year. Only birthdays on or after Jan 22, 2023 are rabbit birthdays.
When is the next year of the rabbit?
The next rabbit year is 2035, beginning on Chinese New Year, Feb 8, 2035, and running until Jan 27, 2036. Rabbit years repeat every 12 years: 1987, 1999, 2011 and 2023.
Why is the rabbit associated with the moon in Chinese culture?
Chinese folklore places the Jade Rabbit (玉兔) on the moon beside the goddess Chang'e, where it pounds the elixir of life. The pairing is so established that China named its lunar rovers Yutu, and rabbit imagery appears throughout Mid-Autumn Festival art.