Year of the Goat
The Goat, also called the Sheep, is read as the gentle creative of the zodiac: artistic, kind and deeply caring.
| Fixed element | Earth |
|---|---|
| Yin or yang | Yin |
| Best matches | Rabbit, Pig |
| Clashes with | Ox |
| Current or next year | Fire Goat (2027) |
Goat personality
People born in a Goat year are said to be sensitive, imaginative and generous. They tend to notice beauty, care about others' feelings and prefer cooperation to competition. Their sensitivity can make them worry, doubt themselves or lean on others to decide. At their best they make the world softer and more beautiful.
The Goat in love
In love, the Goat is read as tender, devoted and happiest in a secure, loving home. It may need to ask for reassurance directly instead of waiting to be noticed.
The Goat at work
At work, the Goat often thrives in the arts, design, care work, gardening, teaching or anything where creativity and empathy count. It does best with supportive colleagues.
Room to grow
The growth edge for a Goat is confidence. Trusting its own taste and making a decision without waiting for approval lets its gifts reach further.
Goat compatibility
In the tradition, the Goat gets on best with the Rabbit and the Pig, the other two animals of its group of three, and clashes with the Ox, the animal opposite it on the wheel. These are traditional pairings, not rules: any two people can make it work.
The Goat making decisions
A Goat decides by feel and asks around. It takes in the mood, the beauty of the thing and what the people it trusts think, and it would rather not be rushed. The tradition reads real wisdom in that, along with a tendency to wait for someone else to make the call. A Goat does well to name what it wants first and only then ask for opinions.
The Goat as a friend
As a friend, the Goat is kind, artistic and gentle company. It cooks, makes the place look nice and notices when you need quiet. It prefers a small, peaceful group and tends to avoid arguments altogether. It worries more than it shows, and a friend who gently asks what's on its mind is one it won't forget.
The Goat with every other animal
The Rabbit and the Pig are the Goat's allies, and they share its love of comfort and kindness. The Horse is its secret friend and brings the confidence it can lack. The Ox sits across the wheel, and its bluntness tends to wound. The Rat is the pairing the tradition warns about.
| With the | Goat reads as |
|---|---|
| Rat | Harm |
| Ox | Clash |
| Tiger | No special tie |
| Rabbit | Ally |
| Dragon | No special tie |
| Snake | No special tie |
| Horse | Secret friend |
| Monkey | No special tie |
| Rooster | No special tie |
| Dog | No special tie |
| Pig | Ally |
The five kinds of Goat
Each kind of Goat returns every 60 years. Find your birth year:
- Wood Goat: 1955, 2015. A Wood Goat is read as the most generous and trusting of the five, and sometimes too quick to give away what it has.
- Fire Goat: 1967, 2027. A Fire Goat is read as braver and more expressive than the rest, with an artist's temper and a warm heart.
- Earth Goat: 1979, 2039. An Earth Goat is the animal in its home element, read as dependable and kind, and more practical than Goats are usually given credit for.
- Metal Goat: 1931, 1991. A Metal Goat is read as more determined and more guarded, with firm taste and a clear sense of what it will not accept.
- Water Goat: 1943, 2003. A Water Goat is read as adaptable and sensitive, good at reading other people and sometimes too easily swayed by them.
Are you really a Goat?
Since 1930, Goat years have started as early as January 24 and as late as February 19. Born before your Goat year's start in the table below? Then you are a Horse, the animal before it.
This Chinese year, Goats are turning 11, 23, 35, 47, 59, 71.
The Goat's hour and month
The Goat's hour runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and its month is the sixth month of the lunar year. Anyone born in that hour has the Goat as a second animal, read as how they behave in private.
What people get wrong about the Goat
The Goat is often read as passive or dependent. The tradition reads someone who values harmony and sees no point in winning at that cost. Its steadiness under pressure is often underrated, and many Goats hold families and teams together without anybody saying so. It's also more stubborn than it looks, and it can simply stop moving when pushed.
Questions about the Goat
Goat, sheep or ram: which is it?
The same animal. The Chinese word covers all of them, so Year of the Goat, Year of the Sheep and Year of the Ram all name the same years.
What is the Goat like in love?
Devoted, romantic and easily hurt. It wants tenderness and a settled home, and tends to give its partner a great deal of quiet care.
What jobs suit a Goat?
Work that rewards taste and care: the arts, design, teaching, caring roles, gardening or food. It tends to do best with a kind manager and a calm setting.
Years of the Goat
| Year | Element | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Metal | February 17, 1931 to February 5, 1932 |
| 1943 | Water | February 5, 1943 to January 24, 1944 |
| 1955 | Wood | January 24, 1955 to February 11, 1956 |
| 1967 | Fire | February 9, 1967 to January 29, 1968 |
| 1979 | Earth | January 28, 1979 to February 15, 1980 |
| 1991 | Metal | February 15, 1991 to February 3, 1992 |
| 2003 | Water | February 1, 2003 to January 21, 2004 |
| 2015 | Wood | February 19, 2015 to February 7, 2016 |
| 2027 | Fire | February 6, 2027 to January 25, 2028 |
Find your animal from your date of birth
2027: the Year of the Fire Goat