Year of the Rat
The Rat is read as the quick, resourceful first animal of the zodiac: sharp-witted, sociable and always a step ahead.
| Fixed element | Water |
|---|---|
| Yin or yang | Yang |
| Best matches | Dragon, Monkey |
| Clashes with | Horse |
| Current or next year | Water Rat (2032) |
Rat personality
People born in a Rat year are said to be clever, alert and good at spotting an opportunity before anyone else. They tend to be charming company, careful with resources and skilled at getting out of a tight spot. The same quick mind can make them restless or anxious, and they may hold on to what they have a little too tightly. At their best they turn little into a lot.
The Rat in love
In love, the Rat is read as attentive and loyal once it commits, and generous with the people it trusts. It wants a partner who keeps up with its mind. It may need to say what it feels instead of managing every situation.
The Rat at work
At work, the Rat tends to do well wherever speed and judgement pay: business, trading, research, writing or anything with problems to solve. It likes to see the result of its effort and can grow bored with routine.
Room to grow
The growth edge for a Rat is trust. Slowing down before deciding, and letting others share the load, can turn its talent for survival into real security.
Rat compatibility
In the tradition, the Rat gets on best with the Dragon and the Monkey, the other two animals of its group of three, and clashes with the Horse, the animal opposite it on the wheel. These are traditional pairings, not rules: any two people can make it work.
The Rat making decisions
A Rat weighs a choice by what it could turn into, and it usually has a second plan before the first has failed. That quick mental arithmetic is its great asset. It can also keep a Rat circling, comparing one more option when the good one is already in front of it. The tradition's advice is to set a limit on the looking, then commit and use all that alertness on making the choice work.
The Rat as a friend
As a friend, the Rat knows everyone, remembers who owes what and turns up with useful news. It's the one who hears about the job before it's posted and passes it on. It gives its time freely and its trust slowly, so a Rat's inner circle is small and tends to last. Its friends learn that a Rat's teasing is usually a form of affection.
The Rat with every other animal
The Dragon and the Monkey are the Rat's allies, and they share its speed: the Dragon brings the scale and the Monkey the invention. The Ox is its secret friend and steadies it without any fuss. Across the wheel, the Horse tends to find a Rat's caution stifling, and the Rat finds the Horse's freedom careless. The Goat is the pairing the tradition warns about.
| With the | Rat reads as |
|---|---|
| Ox | Secret friend |
| Tiger | No special tie |
| Rabbit | No special tie |
| Dragon | Ally |
| Snake | No special tie |
| Horse | Clash |
| Goat | Harm |
| Monkey | Ally |
| Rooster | No special tie |
| Dog | No special tie |
| Pig | No special tie |
The five kinds of Rat
Each kind of Rat returns every 60 years. Find your birth year:
- Wood Rat: 1924, 1984. A Wood Rat is read as the most sociable kind, generous with contacts and keen to grow something over time.
- Fire Rat: 1936, 1996. A Fire Rat is read as quick to act and quick to speak, with a restless drive that wants a bigger stage.
- Earth Rat: 1948, 2008. An Earth Rat is read as the most careful of the five, patient with a plan and slow to take a chance.
- Metal Rat: 1960, 2020. A Metal Rat is read as sharp and exacting, with high standards and a very clear idea of what it is owed.
- Water Rat: 1972, 2032. A Water Rat is the animal in its home element, read as perceptive, persuasive and very good at reading a room.
Are you really a Rat?
Since 1930, Rat years have started as early as January 24 and as late as February 19. Born before your Rat year's start in the table below? Then you are a Pig, the animal before it.
This Chinese year, Rats are turning 6, 18, 30, 42, 54, 66.
The Rat's hour and month
The Rat's hour runs from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., and its month is the eleventh month of the lunar year. Anyone born in that hour has the Rat as a second animal, read as how they behave in private.
What people get wrong about the Rat
The Rat is often taken for greedy or sly, partly because of its name. In the tradition it comes first on the wheel and is read as bright and careful, someone who has seen what shortage does and doesn't plan on seeing it again. What looks like hoarding is usually preparation. A Rat that feels secure tends to be one of the most generous people you know.
Questions about the Rat
Is the Rat a good sign in Chinese astrology?
It is read as one of the most resourceful. As the first animal on the wheel it stands for beginnings and quick wits, and the tradition treats it with more respect than the word suggests in English.
Why is the Rat first in the zodiac?
The old story says the animals raced to the Jade Emperor, and the Rat rode on the Ox's back, then jumped ahead at the finish. The Ox came second and the wheel has kept that order.
What jobs suit a Rat?
Anything that rewards fast judgement and a network: running a small business, research, writing, sales or advising. It tends to get restless where the rules leave no room to spot an opening.
Years of the Rat
| Year | Element | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Fire | January 24, 1936 to February 10, 1937 |
| 1948 | Earth | February 10, 1948 to January 28, 1949 |
| 1960 | Metal | January 28, 1960 to February 14, 1961 |
| 1972 | Water | February 15, 1972 to February 2, 1973 |
| 1984 | Wood | February 2, 1984 to February 19, 1985 |
| 1996 | Fire | February 19, 1996 to February 6, 1997 |
| 2008 | Earth | February 7, 2008 to January 25, 2009 |
| 2020 | Metal | January 25, 2020 to February 11, 2021 |
| 2032 | Water | February 11, 2032 to January 30, 2033 |
Find your animal from your date of birth