Year of the Tiger
The Tiger is read as the brave, magnetic animal of the zodiac: bold, competitive and ready to stand up for what it believes.
| Fixed element | Wood |
|---|---|
| Yin or yang | Yang |
| Best matches | Horse, Dog |
| Clashes with | Monkey |
| Current or next year | Wood Tiger (2034) |
Tiger personality
People born in a Tiger year are said to be confident, energetic and quick to act. They tend to be natural leaders who take risks others avoid and defend the people they care about. The same fire can make them impulsive or hot-tempered, and they may rebel against rules for the sake of it. At their best they inspire others to be braver.
The Tiger in love
In love, the Tiger is read as passionate, warm and intensely loyal. It wants excitement and respect from a partner. It may need to listen as much as it leads, and to cool down before an argument escalates.
The Tiger at work
At work, the Tiger tends to thrive where there is a challenge to meet: leading teams, starting ventures, sport, campaigning or emergency work. It struggles when it is micromanaged.
Room to grow
The growth edge for a Tiger is patience. Pausing before reacting, and finishing one fight before starting the next, turns courage into lasting influence.
Tiger compatibility
In the tradition, the Tiger gets on best with the Horse and the Dog, the other two animals of its group of three, and clashes with the Monkey, the animal opposite it on the wheel. These are traditional pairings, not rules: any two people can make it work.
The Tiger making decisions
A Tiger decides with its whole body, in a moment, and moves. When the situation calls for courage that is exactly right, and the tradition loves it for that. The risk is a decision made to prove something. The most useful question for a Tiger is whether it would still do this if nobody were watching. If the answer is yes, there's no better animal to carry it out.
The Tiger as a friend
As a friend, the Tiger is the first to defend you, loudly, sometimes before it has heard your side. It brings energy and big plans and hates being bored, so time with a Tiger tends to turn into an event. It's honest to a fault. It may forget a birthday and then drive across the country when something goes wrong.
The Tiger with every other animal
The Horse and the Dog are the Tiger's allies, and each shares its sense that life should be lived with some principle. The Pig is its secret friend and tends to calm it down. The Monkey sits across the wheel and enjoys provoking it. The Snake is the pairing the tradition warns about, since each suspects the other's motives.
| With the | Tiger reads as |
|---|---|
| Rat | No special tie |
| Ox | No special tie |
| Rabbit | No special tie |
| Dragon | No special tie |
| Snake | Harm |
| Horse | Ally |
| Goat | No special tie |
| Monkey | Clash |
| Rooster | No special tie |
| Dog | Ally |
| Pig | Secret friend |
The five kinds of Tiger
Each kind of Tiger returns every 60 years. Find your birth year:
- Wood Tiger: 1974, 2034. A Wood Tiger is the animal in its home element, read as creative and warm, better at sharing the lead than the others.
- Fire Tiger: 1926, 1986. A Fire Tiger is read as the most dramatic of the five, magnetic and fearless, and often running slightly too hot.
- Earth Tiger: 1938, 1998. An Earth Tiger is read as steadier and more realistic, willing to finish what it started instead of chasing the next fight.
- Metal Tiger: 1950, 2010. A Metal Tiger is read as direct and competitive, with a very high opinion of what it can do and the drive to prove it.
- Water Tiger: 1962, 2022. A Water Tiger is read as calmer and more perceptive, a Tiger that listens first and picks its fights carefully.
Are you really a Tiger?
Since 1930, Tiger years have started as early as January 23 and as late as February 17. Born before your Tiger year's start in the table below? Then you are a Ox, the animal before it.
This Chinese year, Tigers are turning 4, 16, 28, 40, 52, 64.
The Tiger's hour and month
The Tiger's hour runs from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m., and its month is the first month of the lunar year. Anyone born in that hour has the Tiger as a second animal, read as how they behave in private.
What people get wrong about the Tiger
The Tiger is often read as reckless or bossy. The tradition describes something more thoughtful: a strong sense of justice and a hatred of being pushed around, on its own behalf or anyone else's. A lot of what looks like rebellion is a Tiger refusing something it believes is unfair. It also feels more self-doubt after a fall than its confidence suggests.
Questions about the Tiger
Why is the Tiger feared in some traditions?
Old stories treat it as a force of nature, and some families worried about a strong-willed Tiger. Today it's mostly read as courage and independence, and many people are pleased to have it.
What is the Tiger like in love?
Passionate, generous and impatient with routine. It wants a partner who stands up to it, since it tends to lose interest in anyone it can run over.
What jobs suit a Tiger?
Work with a cause, a challenge or an audience: leading, campaigning, performing, starting something or any field where nerve counts. It tends to struggle under close management.
Years of the Tiger
| Year | Element | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Earth | January 31, 1938 to February 18, 1939 |
| 1950 | Metal | February 17, 1950 to February 5, 1951 |
| 1962 | Water | February 5, 1962 to January 24, 1963 |
| 1974 | Wood | January 23, 1974 to February 10, 1975 |
| 1986 | Fire | February 9, 1986 to January 28, 1987 |
| 1998 | Earth | January 28, 1998 to February 15, 1999 |
| 2010 | Metal | February 14, 2010 to February 2, 2011 |
| 2022 | Water | February 1, 2022 to January 21, 2023 |
| 2034 | Wood | February 19, 2034 to February 7, 2035 |
Find your animal from your date of birth